Road traffic deaths Wales on right track with 20mph limits, data shows

Even with the caveats about limited data and untangling causation and correlation, the statistics are striking: in the first year of a scheme in Wales where the default speed limit on urban roads fell to 20mph, about 100 fewer people were killed or seriously injured.

- Peter Walker

Introduced in 2023 by the Labour-run Welsh government, it made 20mph the default for any built-up area, defined as roads where lamp-posts were no more than about 180 metres apart. This took in around a third of roads, with the Conservative opposition saying the definition was far too broad.

At the time, other controversies were raging over roads, including low-traffic neighbourhoods and the expansion of London's ultra-low emission zone - a culture war embraced by some Tory politicians.

Countering this is hard evidence. While government statisticians say at least three years' data is needed for a meaningful conclusion, the road casualty figures - showing about 10 fewer deaths and a nearly one-third drop in overall casualties - follow research from insurers indicating 20mph zones appear to be reducing the number of claims.

Peter Fox, who covers transport for the Tories in the Welsh Senedd, says his worries about the zones are about how they are implemented. "None of us are against 20mph around schools, busy residential areas, or anywhere where there's quite a lot of pedestrian footfall," he said. "But we didn't need to change the default position."