Since the introduction of the 20mph speed limit in Wales last September, vehicle damage claims have decreased by 20% for one leading auto insurer.
Wales was the first country in the UK to introduce legislation last year for an automatic 20mph speed limit within built-up areas.
After a half-million people signed a protest against the measure, the scheme has been changed so that people have more options to remove the restrictions in certain places.
The Welsh Government said that there was “generally widespread support” for 20mph speed zones near schools, in built-up areas like housing estates and outside hospitals, but there were also other areas where people did not feel the measure was suitable.
Rob Clark, the head of motor insurance at esure said that “we can see a clearly drop in vehicle damages claims in Wales, since the introduction of 20mph speed restrictions in September 2023.” These claims dropped during a period when they usually increase. They have continued in the first quarter 2024. “The restriction is having an impact.”
The Conservatives have been fiercely opposed to the 20mph plans in Wales’s Senedd. Plaid Cymru’s leader, Rhun Ap Iorwerth has stated that he supports 20mph zones in general but has pushed for greater local control to review the zones as they have been “implemented poorly and inconsistently” by some areas.
Early results showed that the speed of the sites that tested the scheme in 2022 was reduced by 3mph. Data published by Transport in Wales in February indicated that the speeds on main roads monitored since the rollout had been reduced by 4mph.
The evidence of a drop in accidents comes as the Conservatives
Rod King, founder of 20’s Lots for Us, stated that the data from the esure system “confirms the benefits on a nationwide scale from lower speeds, not only in reducing accidents and danger, but also providing an advantage to drivers through reduced insurance claims”.
He said: “The reductions in road safety are statistically significant, and they come at a timely time in demonstrating the reduction of road danger caused by implementing national 20mph speed limits.” Some of these crashes that never occurred would have caused death or serious injury to the road users involved. “The national 20mph limit has already saved many lives and injuries.”
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