There have been fewer people killed and injured on Wales’s roads since the introduction of widespread 20mph speed limits, provisional collision data suggests — the Welsh government keen to point out that while the news is “encouraging” and a sign things are “moving in the right direction”, the “volatile” nature of comparing collision statistics in the short-term means more data should be collected before any sweeping conclusions are made.
With that said, the figures published on the Welsh government website and first reported in the Guardian show that the number of police-recorded road collisions on 20 or 30mph roads in the first quarter of 2024 is the lowest quarterly figure ever recorded in Wales outside of the Covid period.
The total number of casualties on all roads during Q1 of 2024 was 811 (16 deaths, 188 serious injuries and 607 slight injuries), down 17 per cent on the previous quarter (982) and 16 per cent lower than in the same quarter in 2023 (968). That final comparison is the most significant when considering the impact of widespread 20mph speed limits, the introduction of a default 20mph speed limit coming in September 2023 and increasing the approximate 870km of 20mph roads to 13,000km.
The number of collisions on 20 or 30mph roads is 17 per cent lower than in the previous quarter and 25 per cent lower than in the same opening quarter of 2023, while the number of people killed on 30 or 20mph roads was 55 per cent lower (from 11 to five) compared with the same period last year.
GoSafe figures suggest that the number of speeding offences detected in June for breaking 20mph speed limits exceeded the number recorded in the seven months previous combined.
In south and mid Wales, 5,711 speeding offences were noted in June, compared with 5,354 between November and May.
The Welsh government called the initial collision statistics “encouraging” and said they suggest things “are moving in the right direction”.
“Today’s data on police reported road collisions continue to be encouraging and show things are moving in the right direction. They are the lowest recorded [road casualty] figures apart from during the Covid pandemic. We’ve still got a way to go but every casualty reduced makes a difference,” a spokesperson said.
As the stats were published the Welsh government did urge some caution about interpreting the data over a short time period, as quarterly figures “can be volatile” and “the number of quarterly road collisions in Wales has generally been declining steadily over the last decade”.
The move to reduce the default speed limit to 20mph was met with vocal criticism and opposition by some, the Welsh Conservatives meeting the latest collision figures by claiming the reduction is partly due to more congestion as a result of 20mph zones.
“Nearly half a million Welsh people signed a petition against the policy, the largest petition in the history of devolution. These people don’t deserve more fines, they deserve to be listened to,” a spokesperson told the Guardian.
11 thoughts on ““Every casualty reduced makes a difference”: Significant drop in casualties on Welsh roads since 20mph speed limit”
The denialists will no doubt
The denialists will no doubt firmly remain in denial; however, where there’s hope, there’s now literally more life!
A great example for the rest of the UK to now follow?
I haven’t researched it but I think a reduction in the National Speed Limit on rural roads from 60 mph to 40 mph would have a similar impact, particularly for cyclists facing the ever-present threat of a larger car or 4×4 appearing from a blind bend a 60+ mph on a country (single) lane, I think I read somewhere that more cyclists are killed/injured on rural roads than urban streets so worthy of further consideration at some level?
Appreciate some very busy and important people may take an extra 30 seconds to get home after sitting in queues of commuter traffic at a standstill on motorways for most of their journey in their overly expensive lease car but every cloud has a silver lining etc….?
There are quite a few 60mph
There are quite a few 60mph roads in rural Kent in the area where I work. You’d have to be certified to try and drive at 60mph along quite a few of them. On some, 30mph is a lot. My experience of commuting by motorbike on roads in London that now have 20mph limits instead of the previous 30mph limits is that journey times are pretty much unchanged.
The 40 mph limit seems to be
The 40 mph limit seems to be working well in The Lakes District National Park, as far as I’m aware?
Agree, you’d have to be mad or bad to attempt 60 mph on some rural roads but the “slow” stretches can build up frustration (in some) who then feel the urge to “boot it” when there’s a 100m of straight road, as they’ve had to travel at a slower speed than they know is “legal?”
I hope Kate Richardson is recovering well from her incident and the Police are fully investigating the actions of that driver.
Anecdotal I know but there’s been a lot of activity locally with farmers harvesting, baling and making silage round our way and their jumbo-wheeled tractors with trailers hurtle down the middle of the road bouncing & passing at speeds which seem beyond anyone’s capabilities of controlling. I know there’s deadlines, and rain forecast, and all of those vegetarians wanting soy milk but they scare me more than most road users when I see one!
Can’t speak for others but I’d make an educated guess that most cyclists would prefer to see slower speeds on rural roads?
There is a strong case for
There is a strong case for reducing the National Speed Limits from 60 mph to 50 mph and on non motorway standard duel carriageways from 70 to 60 mph. But unfortunately resistance might make it unworkable as experienced in France when they reduced their’s.
It makes more sense to be de
It makes more sense to be de-restricted with a symbol than to post a number, they put a “40 zone” near me on a road it’s difficult to do more than 30 along, so what’s the point?
I’d say the numbers would
I’d say the numbers would likely be higher if they exemped more higher standard and main roads. All including them does is to help make speeding more normal and socially aceptable and detract from any effect the lower limit may have or ordinary residential streets.
Nice to hear the rattly
Nice to hear the rattly wibbling noise from the Conservative Party just making it through the sealed lid on the dustbin of history.
Seriously, does one have to have a compulsory lobotomy to join the Welsh Tories?
there’s nothing “volatile”
there’s nothing “volatile” about common-sense and physics operating normally
in other made up news from Forecourt magazine “operators all over Wales are reporting huge sales in replacement clutches, and the uptick in demand is reaching over the border a fae as Gloucester, Hereford and Chester as Welsh drivers seek appointments for burnt-out gear boxes and clutches”
Quelle surprise.
Quelle surprise.
The kid who designed the “go
The kid who designed the “go slowly cars” illustration at the top of the article really should have consulted the road collision reporting guidelines.
Yeah! Bl00dy primary school
Yeah! Bl00dy primary school pupils not being fully aware of journalistic guidelines