Survey: 82% of Drivers Admit to Exceeding Speed Limit by at Least 10 km/h; Nearly a Quarter Do So Often or Regularly
A new survey reveals that 82% of drivers admit to exceeding the speed limit by at least 10 km/h, with 23% doing so often or regularly. The head of a safe driving school warns of the dangers of this common behavior.
A survey conducted by research center "Norstat Latvija" in collaboration with the Safe Driving School and the "Carlsberg 0.0 Responsible Driving Index" shows that 59% of drivers rarely exceed the speed limit by at least 10 km/h, 18% often do, and 5% do so regularly. Overall, 82% acknowledge this habit, similar to last year's 83%.
Men are more likely to speed: 87% of men and 77% of women admitted to exceeding the limit. Drivers aged 30-39 are the most frequent offenders (33% do so often or regularly), and 31% of Riga residents report the same.
Currently, in Latvia, exceeding the limit by up to 10 km/h results in a warning rather than a fine. The Ministry of Transport has repeatedly proposed lowering the threshold, considering fines starting at 6 km/h or even 1 km/h over the limit, but no changes have been made.
Jānis Vanks, head of the Safe Driving School, emphasizes that exceeding by 10 km/h has become a normal part of everyday driving, which can be critical in an accident. He cites World Health Organization data: each 1% increase in average speed raises the risk of a fatal crash by 4% and a serious crash by 3%. When impact speed rises from 50 to 65 km/h, a pedestrian's risk of death increases 4.5 times. "These data show why even a seemingly small speed exceedance is not just a technical nuance on the speedometer," Vanks stresses.
The survey was conducted in March 2026, with 1,000 Latvian residents aged 18 to 74.
