Popular 20mph speed limit could save £100Million.

14 November 2022

New research shows 20mph speed limit could save Wales £100 million in first year.

New research showing a reduction in deaths and injuries as traffic slows down is being published today alongside new survey results showing continued public support for the national roll out of the lower 20mph speed limit next year – a UK first.

The Welsh Government will introduce a default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads across Wales in September 2023. Restricted roads include those with street lights and are usually located in residential and built up areas with high pedestrian activity.

The new research, conducted by the Transport Research Institute (TRI) at Edinburgh Napier University, in conjunction with Public Health Wales, estimates a new default 20mph speed limit on residential roads across Wales will save around £100 million in the first year alone.

The estimated cost saving is the direct result of fewer deaths and injuries.

The new 20mph default speed limit is estimated to save more than 100 lives over a decade and 14,000 casualties in total could be avoided.

Research has also shown that shows the majority of respondents support a new lower speed limit.