Thousands of drivers caught breaking national speed limit daily impacting road safety across the UK

The figures, published by Volvo Car UK, exposed the scale of extreme speeding taking place on the country's roads and toll it has on communities.

The information based on police data from across the UK was analysed after 45 Freedom of Information requests were submitted to local forces.

Of those, 32 constabularies provided enough information for researchers to review, covering the 12 months from September 2024 to August 2025.

While the number of drivers hitting truly hair-raising speeds is shocking in itself, Volvo's findings also highlight a much wider issue of millions of motorists continuing to flout speed limits every year.

More than three million speeding offences were recorded during the period analysed, with the total almost certainly an underestimate, as several police forces declined to hand over their full figures.

The timing of the report was particularly relevant. With darker evenings, wet roads and winter weather now setting in, safe driving becomes even more crucial. But the data showed that a minority of motorists are still putting themselves and others at serious risk.

Speeders were caught through every method available to police, fixed roadside cameras, mobile enforcement vans, average-speed systems, and in-car detection technology.

Some forces refused to disclose their complete records, citing the cost or time required to gather them, while others supplied only partial datasets limited to drivers exceeding 112mph.

Even so, what was provided paints a stark picture with the highest speed recorded anywhere in the UK during the 12-month window was a jaw-dropping 160mph in Cheshire.

This was more than double the national motorway limit. Following closely behind was a motorist in Northamptonshire caught at 159mph.

Northamptonshire also emerged as the worst hotspot for extreme speeding overall, with 291 drivers registered travelling above 112mph. The presence of fast, straight stretches of the M1 and M45 running through the county is believed to be a contributing factor.

Staffordshire came in second with 196 cases, followed by Merseyside with 117. Warwickshire logged 104, Greater Manchester 89 and South Yorkshire 75.

The West Midlands recorded 74 drivers above the threshold, while Kent, Hertfordshire and Nottinghamshire each saw between 60 and 63 motorists breaking the 112mph barrier.

At the opposite end of the scale, some areas saw none at all. Dyfed-Powys and Cleveland police forces reported zero drivers caught above 112mph over the entire year.

Responding to the findings, Nicole Melillo Shaw, Managing Director of Volvo Car UK, said the figures show why safety-driven technology is more important than ever.

She said: "At Volvo Cars, safety in and around your car is our number one priority. With a record number of licensed vehicles on the road in the UK — more than 42 million in 2025 — road safety has never been more important.

"The fact that a UK driver is caught travelling in excess of 112mph every six hours highlights the importance and relevance of our speed limiter technology. It is a feature we built in by design, and the findings of our research suggest it is the right approach to take."

The UK now has more registered vehicles on the road than at any point in its history. Since 2020, every new Volvo has been fitted with a built-in electronic speed cap of 112mph as part of the company's goal to eliminate deaths and serious injuries in its cars.