Welsh drivers are getting used to life in the slow lane. The country – which is part of the UK, but sets many of its own laws – has reduced urban speed limits from 30 mph (48 km/h) to 20 mph (32 km/h). Some English, Scottish and Welsh towns and villages already have the lower limit on selected roads, but Wales is the first UK nation to make 20 mph the default legal maximum for urban areas.
The new speed limit took effect on Sunday, and safety campaigners say it could mean 20,000 fewer casualties over the next 10 years. They point to medical evidence that found a person hit by a car travelling at 30 mph is five times more likely to die than someone hit by a car moving at 20 mph. Figures from the RAC suggest a car doing 20 mph needs 12 m (39.4 ft) to stop, but that distance almost doubles to 23 m (75.5 ft) if the speed is increased to 30 mph.
Welsh drivers are split over the new rules, some coming out in favour of the lower limit and applauding the effort to reduce road deaths and injuries (not to mention noise and tailpipe pollution), while others see it as an attack on drivers. They claim it will extend journey times, but the go-slow advocates say most urban journeys will only be one minute longer and also question the detractors’ claims that the Welsh economy will be negatively impacted by vehicles driving more slowly.
Related: A Finnish Driver Was Fined $130,000 After Being Caught Speeding 20 MPH Over Limit
Wales’ First Minister, Mark Drakeford, told BBC News that it will take time for people to get used to the new rules, drawing a parallel with the shift in attitudes to driving after drinking alcohol.
“I remember when the breathalyser was introduced and how many people appeared to believe that it was quite okay to spend the night in the pub and then to drive,” Mr Drakeford said. “We’d never think of going back to that now.”
Wales isn’t the only country to lower its urban limits. Spain made a similar switch in 2021 and reported a 14 percent reduction in road deaths. And many cities in other European countries already have low, 30 km/h limits. But would you support lower urban limits where you live if you knew lives would be saved, or is 20 mph simply too slow?