Crashes on 20mph and 30mph roads in Wales at lowest level ever

THE number of crashes on Welsh roads was the lowest on record in 2024, with the exception of lockdown-hit 2020.

- By OWEN HUGHES

Welsh Government introduced the default 20mph speed limit in September 2023 at an initial cost of more than £32m.

While this has proved unpopular with many drivers, it looks to have had a major impact on collisions, road injuries and deaths.

There had already been a steady fall in road casualties since 2010, but the statis-tics do point to a significant cut since the lower limit was introduced.

In 2024, police forces in Wales report-ed a total of 2,913 road collisions.

This was the lowest annual figure recorded apart from 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.