Speeds fall as fuel prices rises

by Paul Conneally | June 18, 2008 at 09:56 pm

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This survey draws a link between average speed and fuel price. Increased prices would seem to be bad for the pocket but good for the environment. This said the stretch of motorway mentioned in the survey is one of the most busy in the UK and with roadworks added in traffic is often at a standstill for long periods of time and so perhaps skews the results.

Record prices at the pumps are causing drivers to slow down on motorways to conserve fuel.

The average speed of traffic in free-flowing conditions on the M6 between Birmingham and Carlisle fell by 0.9per cent in the first half of June compared with the same period last year. The small reduction in the average speed conceals a much larger fall in the proportion of motorists who choose to drive well in excess of the limit when the roads are clear enough to do so. The study by Keepmoving.co.uk, a traffic information service which monitors the speed of 230,000 vehicles fitted with sensors, concluded: “Whilst the decrease appears modest, it portrays a consistent picture across the UK where a cross-section of motorists are driving more slowly in order to conserve fuel.”