Drivers on Welsh roads 'slower' due to 20 rule

Vehicle speeds on 20mph main through roads have fallen by an average of 3.8mph, new data shows.

- RUTH MOSALSKI Political editor

JOURNEY times are getting longer on roads in Wales, as people drive slower due to the country's 20mph law.

Other figures show that more than 130,000 drivers have now been caught breaking Wales' 20mph default speed limit.

Data now covers November 2023, two months after the law came in, to May 2025, which shows the numbers of drivers exceeding the speed limit creeping up again.

Data from GoSafe is released for two geographic areas - mid and south Wales and then north Wales. Since the law came into force in September 2023, 134,473 drivers have been caught exceeding the speed limit across both.

The figures show the number of people being caught speeding has risen in the last two months in the south and mid Wales area. In March 2025, the figure was 4,128, rising to 4,748 the next month and 5,444 in May 2025. The highest the figure has been in this area was 7,326 in August 2023.

The top speed recorded in May 2025 was 83mph, figures show. The highest offence speed recorded is 88mph in May 2024.

In north Wales, the figure in March 2025 was 4,950, rising by almost 1,000 the next month to 5,930 and then falling slightly to 5,445 in May.