Drivers facing hefty fines over dashboard habit one in 10 are guilty of breaking

Motorists could be slapped with fines and points on their driving licenses for breaking a habit thousands admit to doing.

One in 10 drivers said they don't use their speedometer to gauge their speed when on the roads, according to a survey by private plate supplier Regtransfers.

The majority of drivers asked (86%), said they do use the speedo on their dashboards to make sure they are driving within the legal limits, however the other 14% confessed to using their own natural intuition and instincts to work out what speed they are driving at.

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Mobile apps and dedicated SatNav have grown in popularity in recent years. These help drivers keep track of their speed and also other road conditions, so it’s little wonder that 8% of respondents said they predominantly use their SatNav or phone app to judge their speed, reports Birmingham Live.

This may not sound high, but as of April 2024, the number of people with a full driving license in the UK reached 42,120,966, 8% of which is a little over 3 million drivers. The remaining 6% consisted of an even split between two other methods - using other road users to judge speed, or their own “natural intuition and instincts”.

As Regtransfers CEO Mark Trimbee comments, however, using anything other than your speedometer to judge your speed on the road may potentially land you in a spot of bother at some point. Mark said: “SatNav apps - and the various additional features they offer - are a fantastic tool to help any driver, but it’s important that road users continue to use their dashboard instruments to keep track of their vehicle’s performance and speed."

Mark said: "SatNavs rely on GPS readings to calculate speed, and while they’re often accurate, there’s always a chance the reading could be wrong, since accuracy is determined by the quality of the satellite signal being received. As long as it’s in good condition, your speedo should never understate your speed; by law, it must never show less than the speed you’re going, and must never show more than 110% of your speed.”

He said: “It’s never a good idea to base your speed on your own judgement. 30mph can feel like a crawl after being on the motorway, and it can be all too easy to misjudge your speed. As for using other road users to judge your speed, this one’s simple; if they’re over the speed limit, you will be too.”