The 20mph default speed limit on built-up roads in Wales has led to 882 (25%) fewer casualties in the first 18 months. If the 20mph default had not been made, casualties would have been one third higher!

Lower than expected vehicle damage claims enabled esure Insurance Group and others to reduce premiums for Welsh drivers. This has enabled esure to commit to reducing prices in other places in the UK for those customers living within newly created 20mph areas.

Children are often the victims of road danger.  While having 20mph outside a school is laudable, that immediate area accounts for just 1 in 5 casualties. The school gate is a minor part of the problem. Children need protection of 20mph on the whole of their journey to and from school, whether they are walking, wheeling or cycling. They also need similar protection when going to or from other activities, or going on holiday, or visiting friends, whether inside or outside of a vehicle.  In fact...on pretty much every journey in a city, town or village. 

On the 2nd anniversary of the 20mph default in Wales, collision data is now available for the first 18 months[1]. This shows that 882 (or 25%) fewer people were hurt in road crashes on 20/30mph roads[2], with an expected 1,000 fewer casualties in the first two years.

Over those 18 months, 14 people have not been killed on Welsh roads because of 20mph and 98 will have avoided a hospital visit for a serious injury.

esure reduced car policy premiums for drivers in Wales at the end of 2023 with Welsh drivers seeing an average £45 benefit to their insurance premiums.

The default speed limit of 20mph on built-up roads in Wales has brought multiple benefits. Lower speeds have led to 630 (26%) fewer casualties in the twelve months after the national speed limit change compared with the previous year, including 80 fewer fatal or serious injuries.

Lower than expected vehicle damage claims has enabled esure Insurance Group to reduce its premiums for Welsh drivers and esure is now committed to reducing policy prices for customers within 3 months of identifying a new 20mph area in the rest of the UK.

Earlier this year, insurer esure noticed a significant drop in reported accidental damage claims from its Welsh customers after implementation of the national default 20mph limit for urban/village roads. This echoed both lower actual speeds and a reduction in casualties. As a result esure has been reducing its insurance premiums for Welsh drivers.

Insurance company esure has issued a press release[1] that vehicle damage claims have reduced by 20% since the nationwide 20mph speed limit was introduced in Wales in September 2023. This contrasts with England, where the company did not see a similar drop in claims.

Wales was one of the first countries in the world, and the first nation in the UK, to introduce legislation for a default 20mph speed limit. Early results from trial sites in 2022 which showed a 3mph reduction in speeds[2] were confirmed in reports on the nationwide implementation[3][4][5].

20mph limits can actually shorten journey times, rather than making them longer.  New research from Prof Dr Niels Benedikter at the University of Milan confirms 30 km/h (18.5 mph) as the optimal speed limit for minimising delays through traffic congestion.   “…the largest number of cars [that] can pass a given road section [is] about 2,000 cars, at the optimal velocity of 31 km/h. Therefore, citizen’s time wasted due to traffic congestion can be minimized by decreasing urban speed limits to 30 km/h"

Mayors have wide responsibilities for their residents in making public spaces safer, friendlier, quieter, cleaner and more liveable. 20mph limits are key in delivering those important benefits.

Many mayors are showing strategic leadership by supporting, funding and facilitating the adoption of 20mph across wide areas.  ***IS YOURS?***

Lucerne, Switzerland has produced 8 excellent fact sheets about 30km/h (18.5mph). They describe how 30km/h affects quality of life (better), noise (less), road safety (increased), air quality (improved), travel time (little difference), bus journey times (rarely any difference), road capacity (helps) and neighbourhoods (nicer).   

Here are answers to the questions that we are asked most frequently about 20mph, including a short video. Answers are fully referenced with more detail. The most common questions are about the benefits of 20mph (fewer casualties, lower emissions, supports active travel), whether 20mph is popular (it is), can it be enforced (yes) and whether it creates more emissions (it doesn't). It's cost effective and has little or no impact on journey times (even buses).

20mph is as enforceable as any speed limit.  20’s Plenty for Us asked Police Forces whether and how they actually enforce 20mph speed limits.  Many do enforce 20mph and 2/3 of speeding tickets come from Fixed Cameras (across ALL speed limits) 

*** WONDERFUL conference with over 120 attendees

*** COMMITMENT to 20mph in Scotland by 2025

*** CONSENSUS that default 30mph not 'fit-for-purpose' in the 21^st Century

*** DEBATE no longer about whether to implement 20mph, but how to maximise benefits

*** 20mph implemented to SUIT LOCAL NEEDS

*** Latest data shows REDUCTIONS of up to 8mph on faster roads

*********THANKS TO ALL PARTICIPANTS*********

Multiple organisations sign open letter in support of safer streets in Wales. 

The initiative is supported by many Welsh and UK-wide organisations who see real benefits for their members. And whilst some supporting organisations are not be able to make their support public due to internal policies, we are pleased that a range of organisations and NGOs are keen to make their support tangible by being part of our open letter to the press and media.

Hi

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Many thanks

Rod, Adrian, Sue

School banners measure 2.0m * 0.6m. They come with eyelets and are made from 210gsm polyester fabric which can be washed and recycled.  They are designed to ask councillors to implement 20mph to make it safer for children to walk or cycle to school

The banners cost £45 each plus £10 p&p. To purchase 1, 2 or 3 banners, click on the £55, £100 or £145 buttons and allow 5 working days for us to send them to you. If you want more than 3 banners, or you need delivery outside the UK please contact us.