ANYONE who drives on the A303 regularly will acknowledge it can be a hotspot for speeding drivers.

Now, new data from the RAC has revealed one incident that justifies that feeling – on the A303 between Sparkford and Podimore.

A Freedom of Information request by the motoring body to police forces up and down the country has revealed how a driver on the eastbound stretch of the route in Somerset was recorded as travelling at 161mph – in a 50mph zone.

The incident was among data which showed almost half of UK police forces (48%) caught motorists driving at over 90mph on 30mph roads – more than three times the speed limit.

The FoI request to the UK’s 45 police forces also found that, of the 40 with data, almost all (90%) had clocked people driving at 60mph – more than twice the limit – on 30mph roads.

While the A303 incident was the largest difference between the limit and the recorded speed, the highest recorded speed on any road was 167mph on a 70mph stretch of the M1 by Leicestershire Police.

More than half of police forces (58%) recorded drivers travelling in excess of 140mph, mostly on 70mph motorway stretches.

However, South Yorkshire Police clocked a driver at 146mph on a 50mph southbound stretch of the M1, while Police Scotland detected someone driving at 148mph on a 60mph section of the A68 in the Scottish Borders.

Meanwhile, the data for roads with speed limits of 20mph or 30mph uncovered some shocking examples of dangerous driving, including from South Yorkshire Police, who recorded a speed of 122mph on a 30mph road, while North Wales Police logged a vehicle being driven at 88mph on a 20mph road – both more than four times faster than the speed limits.

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In total, six-in-10 police forces (24) caught motorists driving at more than twice the speed limit on 20mph roads, with seven recording speeds of more than 60mph.

Government data shows speed is the biggest factor reported in fatal road collisions – in 58% of fatalities, and in 43% of road collisions of all severities. In 2023 speed contributed to 888 fatalities, and 39,882 collisions of all severities.

RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, said: “Although this data is a snapshot, it shines a light on the incredibly dangerous actions of a few, that are putting law-abiding road users at serious risk. Thankfully, the police were on hand to catch these drivers.

“There is no place for the vastly excessive speeds that some people are prepared to drive. While some speeds were recorded in the middle of the night when traffic will have been lighter, this isn’t always the case – some of the fastest drivers were clocked at other times of day when they’d have been sharing the roads with many others.

“Speed is the leading cause of deaths on UK roads. We look forward to the Government’s forthcoming road safety strategy understanding what can be done to reduce such avoidable casualties on the UK’s roads.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing, Chief Constable Jo Shiner, said: “We know that some incidents of going over the speed limit can be genuine mistakes or errors but the speeds cited here are clearly drivers taking deliberate decisions to travel at excessive speeds, putting everyone at risk.

“Speed limits are set based on many factors including the road layout, what’s in the surrounding area and taking into account where there might be more vulnerable road users. Choosing to drive above those limits is reckless, selfish and completely unacceptable.

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“We all have a responsibility to keep each other safe and do whatever we can to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads each day.”

And Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, added: “One life lost on our roads is one too many and that’s why I’m committed to Vision Zero. No more deaths on our roads.

“Too many people are being killed or seriously injured and we need to act now. I’ve launched a Road Safety Action Plan and appointed the UK’s first dedicated road safety commissioner, Mat MacDonald, to make sure communities’ voices are heard and real action is taken to prevent more tragedies on our roads.”