Fewer crashes, longer trips under 20mph 'the roads are definitely safer'
Figures show more than 130,000 drivers have now been caught exceeding the 20mph default speed limit. The data, covering November 2023 (two months after the law was introduced) to May 2025, shows a gradual rise in the number of drivers breaking the limit again.
A report by Transport for Wales, released this month, evaluates how the new default speed limit is performing. It notes that while speeds have fluctuated, there has been a 'significant and sustained' increase in drivers travelling at or below 24mph — the benchmark for compliance.
READ MORE: Welsh rock legend fights for his life in hospital
READ MORE: Horrifying footage shows street brawl in Newport involving multiple people armed with long poles
The report found that vehicle speeds on main 20mph roads have dropped by an average of 3.8mph. Around 54% of drivers now travel at or below 24mph, up from just 20.8% before the change — a shift that is expected to reduce both the likelihood of collisions and the severity of injuries.
Average speeds have increased slightly between winter 2023/24 and winter 2024/25. Average journey times on 15 routes — measured during both morning and evening in both directions — rose in 57 out of 60 cases. However, in 44 of those, the increase was no more than two minutes. At the same time, journey time variability has reduced in 45 cases, offering more consistent travel durations.
Monitoring of vehicle and pedestrian interactions at crossings has so far produced inconclusive results. Similarly, air quality data shows no significant difference in nitrogen dioxide levels between areas with and without the 20mph limit. While it is too early to draw firm conclusions about trends in pedestrian and cyclist casualties, there has been an 11.8% drop in overall road casualties in the four quarters since the law came into effect.
Commenter Rodgerthedodger says: 'I know that many don't like the 20 limit, but I do. I see far more courtesy towards pedestrians since its introduction. It has brought a valuable reduction in the estrangement between pedestrians and drivers, so I'm all for it. I realise that when you drive north through the valleys with their ribbon development it's tiresome, but doesn't that just show that the WG should have built bypasses for these towns decades ago?'
Seaphin thinks: 'The speed limit means prices rise as trucks take longer to deliver. it also means an increase in the amount of fuel used, so much for clean air!'
Goatman writes: 'I met loads of tourists down Pembrokeshire this year that said as much as they love Pembrokeshire they will not be coming back to Wales. This government in Cardiff is either destroying the tourism industry on purpose or they are just incompetent.'
636396 points out: 'I travel from Newport to S.Pembrokeshire every weekend. Virtually none of the route is 20mph, a couple of miles at most. The only bits that are 20mph in rural areas are the towns and villages, they are so small, the speed restrictions make no difference to overall travel times.'
Pontybear states: 'But the roads are definitely safer and that cannot be argued.'
Blackhand18 replies: 'Roads are not safer as drivers are watching the speed dial instead of the road. That definitely cannot be argued. Plus the frustration of crawling at 20mph is damaging to mental health and wellbeing.'
wizard until i die says: 'Huge sections of roads in the west of England have been 20mph for years, nobody's moaning over there. Drive to the speed limit and we'll all be ok.'
PJ372 thinks: 'Wales needs a common sense, targeted approach to appropriate speed limits, not the ludicrous mess we have now.'
Jeff2509 believes: '20mph works in that it saves lives, injury and money in return for a few extra minutes on journeys. 'Sorry about your child's death, Mrs Jones, but the driver wanted to save a minute on his journey.''
Simoncorkswill retorts: 'It's suitable at certain points, but entirely unnecessary in others. All those who witter on about saving lives, may I suggest learning and teaching how to cross roads? I've noticed pedestrians being even more careless since it's introduction thinking they no longer really have to bother looking at all.'
Has the 20mph speed limit in Wales significantly affected travel times and road safety? Share your views in our comments section.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Registrations of new cars down by 5% in July as drivers delay EV purchases
Registrations of new cars down by 5% in July as drivers delay EV purchases Registrations of new cars stalled in July as many drivers delayed purchases of electric vehicles (EVs) until Government grants are rolled out. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 140,154 new cars were registered last month, down 5% from 147,517 during July 2024. Battery electric vehicles (Bevs) held a 21.3% share of the new car market last month. At least 28% of new cars sold by each manufacturer in the UK this year are required to be zero emission – which generally means pure electric – under the Government's zero emission vehicle mandate. The first electric car models eligible for new Government grants were announced on Tuesday. Drivers will be able to save £1,500 with the purchase of new Citroen e-C3, e-C4, e-C5 and e-Berlingo cars. These are the first models approved under the new £650 million electric car grant. The scheme will enable motorists purchasing a new electric car to save either £1,500 or £3,750, depending on the vehicle's sustainability. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: 'July's dip shows yet again the new car market's sensitivity to external factors, and the pressing need for consumer certainty. 'Confirming which models qualify for the new EV grant, alongside compelling manufacturer discounts on a huge choice of exciting new vehicles, should send a strong signal to buyers that now is the time to switch. 'That would mean increased demand for the rest of this year and into next, which is good news for the industry, car buyers and our environmental ambitions.' The SMMT slightly upgraded its forecast for full-year new car registrations, to 1.9 million. Registrations in 2024 reached 1.95 million. Bevs are forecast to hold a full-year market share of 23.8%. Ian Plummer, commercial director at online vehicle marketplace Auto Trader, said the grant has provided a 'much-needed boost' for consumer interest in new electric cars, with EV consideration up 10 percentage points on Auto Trader. But the unveiling of the initiative on July 14 explains why it was a 'slow' month for sales as buyers 'wait to see just which models will get what level of grant'. He added that discounts – either through the grant or by brands cutting prices themselves – will 'trickle through to EV sales in the coming months'.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What actually went wrong at Jaguar
Nearly a year ago, Jaguar unveiled a refreshed brand identity that was supposed to usher in its future. So far, it's been mostly a headache. The 102-year-old luxury automake r, once a head-to-head competitor with brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, had been plagued with problems even before the advertising campaign was released, including leadership changes, declining sales amid a stale lineup and stiff competition from the likes of both German luxury carmakers as well as relative upstarts like Tesla. Now it can add two more problems: misleading headlines about its sales, and outrage from the political right — most notably the US president. On Monday, President Donald Trump trashed Jaguar for what he called a 'stupid' and 'seriously WOKE' ad campaign last year, which featured an avant-garde commercial that featured slogans such as 'live vivid,' and what appeared to be gender-fluid models, but zero images of its cars or even concepts of a car. 'Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad,' quipped Trump on Truth Social. 'The market cap destruction has been unprecedented with BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SO FOOLISHLY LOST.' But the reality is different. Jaguar Land Rover has been owned by Tata Motors since 2008, when the Indian company bought it from Ford, which means Jaguar doesn't have a market cap. And Tata itself is doing fine as a massive multinational conglomerate with a wide variety of operations worth about $28 billion. Plus, Jaguar's problems are more fundamental. Although most legacy automakers have tried to manage a smooth transition to fully electric propulsion, Jaguar simply ceased making cars entirely in 2024 pulling all of its products off the market as it tries to reinvent itself as an electric vehicle maker. But that's enough to establish a narrative in the minds of many. Headlines swirled last month that Jaguar's sales across Europe were down 97.5% year-over-year in April, citing data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. That makes sense given Jaguar stopped manufacturing cars but the news was enough to draw the wrath of Trump and some conservatives. Shortly after the ad was released, Jaguar revealed its Type 00 concept car at Miami Art Week — notably, not at a traditional automotive show. While the concept isn't intended for production, it is meant to show Jaguar's general future design direction. Jaguar didn't respond to a question from CNN about when it will start production again. Last week, Jaguar Land Rover CEO Adrian Mardell announced he was stepping down after 35 years with the brand. He had a largely successful stint, having helped eliminate billions of dollars of debt and with JLR reporting its ninth consecutive profitable quarter in January on the back of strong SUV sales. Tata Motors on Monday named P.B. Balaji, currently the company's chief financial officer, as Jaguar Land Rover's new CEO. He begins in November. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Will McLaren be worried about Norris-Piastri relationship?
Lando Norris just held off Oscar Piastri as he led home a McLaren one-two at the Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowing the gap to the Australian to nine points in the battle for the drivers' championship. Formula 1 now has a summer break before heading to Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix from 29-31 August. BBC Sport F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions following the race at the Hungaroring. Will McLaren be privately worried about the tense battle eroding the relationship between the two drivers, after Oscar Piastri again tried to dive-bomb Lando Norris? And if so, what can they say to both drivers to keep them both happy? – Jake McLaren were pleased with the way the Hungarian Grand Prix played out. They felt it epitomised the philosophy they have espoused for their intra-team competition between the drivers. They are allowed to race each other, as long as they are fair - and that includes the possibility of divergent strategies to try to win a race that has been getting away from one or another. That's what Lando Norris did in Hungary on Sunday. After finding himself in all the wrong places trying to pass Oscar Piastri off the line, Norris had to fight back from fifth place at the end of the first lap. He and engineer Will Joseph opted for a one-stop strategy that McLaren had not really considered would be a serious choice pre-race. It won him track position over Piastri for his final stint, and he managed it to perfection. McLaren did their best to give Piastri the best possible opportunity to beat Norris - by giving him as big a tyre offset as possible within the bounds of the race duration, even to the extent of costing him track position to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. But it did not work out for Piastri - he caught Norris with a few laps to go, but Norris had kept his tyres in decent shape and was able to fend his team-mate off. It created a tense, fascinating race. More than that, the radio transmissions - particularly those between Piastri and engineer Tom Stallard, as Piastri said he "didn't care" about Leclerc, all he wanted was to try to beat Norris - revealed for the first time just how much this fight means to both drivers. Relations have been - and remain - so harmonious that it has sometimes been hard to appreciate the intensity of the title fight, how much it means to them, from the drivers' public utterances. This left no doubt about it. Far from being concerned, McLaren's management were thrilled. Chief executive officer Zak Brown described it as "an epic finish". Team principal Andrea Stella said on Sunday: "When you have two great drivers, like Lando and Oscar, who race for a victory in a Formula 1 grand prix, and race for the drivers' championship, it's always going to be very close. "But that was firm racing, it was fair racing at the same time. It was definitely within our principles. "We had a bit of a lock-up with Oscar, but at the same time, Lando left some space, because he knew that Oscar would have been at the limit of braking. "We keep being very proud of our Lando and Oscar racing. This is a great way of honouring F1 racing. These are the values of McLaren, and it's going to be, hopefully, a matter between the two McLaren drivers, even if we saw Ferrari today was in the competition for the victory for two-thirds of the race. "I think we have a very entertaining and interesting final part of the season." With Max Verstappen staying at Red Bull for next year, it would seem certain Mercedes will now re-sign George Russell. Is there any suggestion of how he feels about seemingly being considered the second option to Max given how well he has driven this year? - Tom Russell made it very clear in the lead-up to the Hungarian Grand Prix that he was not especially comfortable about the way his contractual situation has been dealt with this year. He is both managed and employed by Mercedes, so the team are effectively negotiating with themselves about his contract. As Russell put it: "Something we need to think about. What do they want and what do I want? "We have been in a bit of a unique situation for the last few months. I don't have huge power in this agreement. And maybe interests were not aligned for the last six months. "But it's my job to perform and reduce that risk. "I still trust Toto [Wolff] and the team will continue to support me, but for Kimi [Antonelli] and me, the last six months have not been the most assuring and that is conflicting." Both Russell and Antonelli will continue to race for Mercedes next year. It's also clear that the same situation as arose this year could arise again next. Team boss Toto Wolff's interest in Max Verstappen is not going to go away, and if Red Bull are not competitive next year, then Verstappen could well be looking for a way out. I'm not making life easy for myself - Norris Hungarian Grand Prix Review Is there any clear explanation as to why Aston Martin performed so much better in Hungary than in the past? Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were significantly faster than the previous week. - Stan Aston Martin themselves were a bit confused as to why their form had improved so much for the Hungarian Grand Prix. After all, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were together on the back row of the grid in Belgium the week before, and there they were together on the third row in Hungary. But there doesn't seem that much of a mystery, really. Alonso said: "I would say that it's track characteristics, to be honest. We didn't change the car massively since Spa, seven days ago. No new parts for anybody. Just the layout, the characteristics of the circuit is just suiting our car, apparently. "It will be nice to understand why the car is operating in this sweet spot here, because if we understand that, we can use it in the next few races." There are two things to think about here. One is that, before Spa, Aston Martin had been on a positive trajectory after introducing a major upgrade at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in mid-May. Alonso qualified fifth at Imola, seventh in Monaco, 10th in Spain, sixth in Canada, 11th in Austria and ninth at Silverstone. In that context, it's the Spa result that should be seen as out of kilter, not Hungary. And that's simply because the Aston Martin is a car with poor aerodynamic efficiency, which struggles on the straights. And two-thirds of Spa is straights. The Hungaroring has a much higher percentage of corners. Silverstone is also a fast track, but the other difference is that Aston Martin ran an old-spec floor at Spa, thinking it would better suit the track - including with the issue of bottoming at high-speed at Eau Rouge. This meant abandoning the new floor introduced at Silverstone for a previous-spec one introduced at Imola. Perhaps that also played a part. Alonso drove a superb race on Sunday, committing early to the one-stop strategy that won Lando Norris the grand prix, to convert his grid position in Hungary into the same race result. And Stroll was less than 10 seconds behind in seventh. It would seem logical to assume that Aston Martin's form may continue to fluctuate according to track characteristics from now on. Of the next few races, Monza will likely be a tricky event for them. But at Zandvoort and Singapore they can be expected to be contending for the top 10 again. 'He definitely has it', so why did Hamilton say he was useless? Cardile working for Aston after dispute resolved Does holding investigations after a race has finished damage the credibility of F1? I can't think of any other sport where the result can change afterwards. - Martin This is presumably a reference to the decision to look into the incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at Turn Four after the race in Hungary. This should be seen as a reaction by the FIA to many requests from teams and drivers in the past to look into potentially contentious incidents thoroughly, rather than make decisions themselves during the race. Take the controversy between Verstappen and Lando Norris in Austin last year. Then, McLaren argued that stewards should have heard the views of both drivers before making a decision. That's what the stewards decided to do in Hungary. As it turned out, Hamilton did not turn up for the hearing. Verstappen said: "I don't think Lewis actually felt a lot for it because if he really felt something for it, then of course he's there in the stewards' room, right? "I think both of us didn't have the best of weekends anyway, so that's just one little thing." Of course, it may also have been that Hamilton did not turn up because he was in a bad mood after a difficult weekend and he didn't fancy arguing the toss over an incident that would make no difference to the result of his race. The stewards' verdict said that Verstappen was ready to give Hamilton more room, but that Hamilton had chosen to go off the track himself. It added: "There was no contact and the incident does not qualify as forcing another car off track despite the ambitious nature of the overtaking attempt and take no further action."
