More than 1,500 UK drivers caught exceeding 112mph in last 12 months
Since 2020, as part of its Vision Zero road safety strategy, Volvo has fitted all its cars with a 112mph electronic speed limiter. Such technology would have prevented more than 1,500 drivers breaching 112mph on UK roads over the last 12 months alone.
More than 1,500 drivers were caught breaching 112mph on UK roads over the past 12 months according to new research by Volvo Car UK – that equates to approximately one every six hours.
The new study used data* obtained via 45 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted to police forces across the UK and analysed findings from 32 responses. Data covers the 12-month period from September 2024 to August 2025 and includes all incidents where a breach of the speed limit was detected using in-car, fixed speed cameras, mobile speed camera vans and average speed cameras.
Since 2020 Volvo has fitted all its cars with an electronic speed limiter, which prevents modern models from travelling above 112mph (180km/h) as part of its Vision Zero road safety strategy –with the aim no one should be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo car.
Such technology would have prevented the highest speed recorded across the 30 police force areas which replied to Volvo’s FOI request of 160mph, in Cheshire – nearly 2.3 times the national speed limit. A driver was also caught speeding at 159mph in Northamptonshire.
Nicole Melillo Shaw, Managing Director of Volvo Car UK, 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 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 build in by design, and the findings of our research suggest it is the right approach to take.”
Northamptonshire saw the highest number of drivers (291) who exceeded 112mph during the past 12 months – perhaps because both the M1 and M45 motorways pass through the county – followed by Staffordshire (196) and Merseyside (117). On the other hand, Dyfed-Powys and Cleveland police data showed zero drivers topping 112mph.