Carried out by MiX Telematics, the research also uncovered that work pressures play a major role in driver behaviour, with 37% citing “pressure to meet schedules” as a reason for speeding. Meanwhile 53% said they were “keeping up with traffic flow”.

The survey was conducted during the summer of 2013 amongst 800 company car, van, truck, bus and coach drivers located throughout the UK, France, Germany and Spain and found that drivers in Britain said they were most likely to speed on motorways (63%).

Overall, drivers reckon that there’s only a small chance of serious consequences for exceeding the speed limit. Should there be a consequence, drivers reported that “Being stopped by the police” is the most likely.  Across the four countries, “Causing harm to others” and “Causing harm to myself” were rated at just 14% and 13% respectively, slightly behind “Losing my driving licence”, which scored 16%.

In terms of drivers being fined for exceeding the speed limit over the past 12 months, truck drivers led the way with 17% receiving penalties, compared to 14% of van drivers, 12% of bus and coach drivers and 9% of passenger vehicle drivers.  In most cases, the driver was far more likely to pay the fine than his/her employer, the only exception being bus and coach drivers where the split was 50-50. 

In terms of the country in which speeding fines are most commonly handed out, Britain leads the way, narrowly trumping Spain, France and Germany, in that order.

Drivers in Spain claim to be the most well-behaved, with 40% saying they never exceed the speed limit. Drivers in Britain came a close second, with 39% saying they never speed, while French drivers recorded a score of 34% in this respect. Only 20% of all drivers in Germany stated that they do not speed while driving for work

‘The knowledge that two-thirds of drivers in Britain, France, Germany and Spain routinely speed while going about their employer's business is a concern to companies in each of these countries,’ said Steve Coffin, marketing and operations director for MiX Telematics (Europe).  "Our survey also found that more than three quarters of all drivers – 77% – receive no training whatsoever related to speeding while driving for work. 

‘Of the 23% of drivers who have received training, the majority were truck or bus and coach drivers. Within this group, 82% stated that their training had a positive influence on their driving behaviour. An overwhelming majority reported that they are now more conscious of their speed as well as their acceleration, braking and gear-changing, resulting in a smoother driving experience. In addition, 33% reported avoidance of excessive idling.’