What are the penalties for driving over 100mph?

If you’ve got a powerful car, it’s very tempting to push it to the max – particularly if you’re on a relatively clear motorway.
 
According to new research from the road safety charity Brake, more than one quarter of all male drivers admit they’ve exceeded 100mph on the UK’s public roads.
 
Speeding is a high-risk activity, not only for yourself, but also for your passengers and other road users. So, if you’re caught, you face legal penalties including a potential driving ban, as well as higher car insurance premiums.
 
Here at Insurance Factory, we believe your speeding conviction should be a lesson, not the end of the road for your driving career. We can arrange convicted driver insurance to help you get back behind the wheel safely for less.
 

The penalties for driving at 100mph

Driving at 100mph on public roads in the UK is classified as a Band C speeding offence – the highest category. So, drivers caught at this speed will receive a summons to a magistrates’ court rather than a fixed penalty notice.
 
If you’re convicted, you can be given six points on your driving licence. Alternatively, you might be banned for up to eight weeks – or possibly more, in serious cases or where this is not your first offence.

You’re likely to face a fine of 150% of your weekly income, though magistrates can choose to impose a sum 25% either side of that figure. The maximum fine is £1,000, or £2,500 if the offence took place on a motorway.
 
On top of this, you might have to pay court costs, too.
 
This conviction will appear on your criminal record. While a brief ban is unlikely to cause you to lose your job, you might well need to disclose it when applying for a new post, until it’s considered spent.
 
Then there’s the knock-on effect on your family and social life if you are banned from driving or must pay a hefty fine.
 
Your car insurance premiums will also rise, and you may need to turn to specialist companies for insurance for convicted drivers.
 
That means that a speeding conviction can be very expensive, have a negative impact both personally and professionally, and cause drivers a huge amount of hassle when they want to get back behind the wheel after any ban.
 
So why are the penalties tough and the premiums high?
 A car speeding on a motorway at sunset

Why is speeding dangerous?

Many drivers like to pride themselves on their sharp reactions. They believe that they are skilled enough to avoid a crash, even when driving at high speed.
 
However, according to both Brake and the police, they’re mistaken!
 
The charity points out that stopping distances at 100mph are approximately 182 metres, which is almost as much as the length of two football pitches.

That’s quite some distance! No matter how adept your motoring manoeuvring skills or your reaction times, it’s pretty much impossible to stop in time to avoid an obstacle if you’re travelling at such speeds.
 
And even if there’s room to swerve out of the way, that’s also highly dangerous at top speeds: you can easily lose control of your vehicle.
 
That’s why some insurance providers reject applications from drivers who’ve been convicted of speeding, while others have sky-high premiums. At Insurance Factory, our convicted driver insurance is different.
 

How many accidents are caused by speeding?

Brake has analysed government data, and found that on average, there are 11 deaths or serious injuries in the UK per day where police say that speed was a contributory factor.
 
In fact, the charity believes the true figure to be much higher, as police cannot always determine whether speed is a causal factor.
 
Brake believes that speed contributes to most accidents. Even driving within the stated speed limits can be too fast if weather conditions or visibility are poor. Wet weather, for example, can also increase stopping distances – yet not all drivers take the necessary precautions.
 
The charity also recommends that drivers slow down when they’re near vulnerable road users such as pedestrians or cyclists.
 
So speeding drivers put themselves and others at serious risk. No wonder that convicted driver insurance premiums are higher than for regular policies, as well as being harder to obtain.
 A person driving a car at sunset

How many drivers exceed 100mph?

According to recent research from the charity Brake, 28% of male drivers admit that they have exceeded 100mph on the UK’s public roads at some point in their driving history. That’s three times the 9% figure for female drivers.

In 2018, over 9500 motorists were caught driving over 100mph - with the average top speed being 162mph on the M1 in South Yorkshire. 
 
In total, 18% of all drivers say they have gone faster than 100mph.
 
One in three drivers say they have been in a car exceeding 100mph, either as the driver or as a passenger. Again, the figures are higher for men than for women, and for younger drivers.
 
These findings are based on a survey of more than 2,000 UK drivers carried out for Brake’s Road Safety Week, whose 2020 slogan was “No need to speed”.
 
Police data shows that the highest excess speed was a driver travelling at 152mph in a 30mph zone in London. The highest overall speed was 180mph in a 70mph zone, in Nottinghamshire.
 
Drivers such as these are likely to struggle to get car insurance from regular providers, and might need to turn to companies such as Insurance Factory which arrange specialist convicted driver insurance policies instead.
 

Find affordable cover at Insurance Factory

At Insurance Factory, we understand that your past is in your past, and we want to help you get back on the road safely, even if you’ve been subject to a driving ban.
 
We have more than 20 years’ experience of arranging convicted driver insurance for people who’ve made a mistake that’s resulted in a driving offence.

We use our expertise to search a panel of insurance providers to find policies tailored to you as an individual, potentially saving you both hassle and money.
 
We can consider applications from drivers with a range of convictions, including non-motoring offences.
 
So, give us a call to discuss your situation – we won’t judge you, we’re here to help.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.