A panel of road safety experts has urged lawmakers to make 20mph the default speed limit in urban areas across England and to mandate that speed limiter technology in cars be permanently switched on. These recommendations come as experts argue the government's current Road Safety Strategy, announced in January, does not go far enough to meet its target of reducing road deaths by 65% by 2035.
The experts, who testified before the Transport Select Committee, stated that proposed measures could be more ambitious by "reducing speeds in civilizing towns and cities to make them places where people want to live, walk, cycle and play." While the strategy does not provide a legislative framework for a blanket 20mph limit in England, local authorities are responsible for setting speed limits, with government guidance provided. Campaigners are advocating for revisions to these guidelines to strongly encourage the adoption of 20mph as the standard in place of 30mph on residential roads.
Lilli Matson, chief safety, health, and environment officer at Transport for London (TfL), described the current strategy as a "missed opportunity" for a nationwide 20mph limit. She highlighted London's experience, where making 20mph the default on its main road network in 2020 led to a significant reduction of approximately 24% in people killed or seriously injured. Matson emphasized that reducing speed limits is a foundational change for safer roads.
Currently, 68 out of 154 local authorities in England have committed to reducing speed limits on built-up roads to 20mph. This contrasts with other parts of the British Isles, where lower limits are more established. As of September 2024, Wales has a 20mph default speed limit in residential areas, and Scotland has adopted 20mph as the standard in built-up areas where appropriate. The Republic of Ireland is also implementing a reduction in its urban and housing estate speed limits from 50kmh to 30kmh.
Adrian Berendt, director of the "20s Plenty for Us" group, noted that approximately 20% of casualties occur on 30mph roads and that without lower speed limits, the national casualty reduction target is unlikely to be met. He stated that 20mph limits could reduce killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties by 10% to 20% and can foster better relationships between motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians by widening drivers' fields of vision and allowing for greater anticipation.
Dr. Rob Török, a doctor in pre-hospital emergency medicine, called 20mph limits in urban areas a "moral duty" to protect vulnerable road users such as children, the elderly, and cyclists.
Speed Limiter Technology
The panel also recommended accelerating plans to mandate automatic speed limiters in cars, suggesting a move beyond EU regulations by making the technology impossible to disable. The government has published its response to a consultation on mandating 18 vehicle safety systems for new models, which includes Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA). ISA uses GPS, speed sign recognition, and cameras to identify speed limits. When a vehicle exceeds the limit, it alerts the driver through audible warnings, dashboard displays, and sometimes steering wheel vibrations. In some instances, the system can actively reduce engine power if the driver ignores warnings.
While ISA is mandatory in the EU and already fitted to most new cars sold in the UK, it can currently be overridden by pressing harder on the accelerator or switched off at the start of a journey. Experts propose that this technology should remain active at all times.
Phil Jones, former chairman of the Welsh Government's 20mph Task Force Group, suggested the introduction of "pace cars" with permanently enabled speed limiters. These could be public fleet vehicles or vehicles from the general public who opt in. He argued that such vehicles could influence overall traffic flow and adherence to speed limits.
Matson shared that TfL retrofitted its vehicle fleet with ISA, which reduced speeding incidents by 63%. She added that new buses in London are equipped with ISA that cannot be deactivated, suggesting this could be a national requirement for all vehicles. Jones also proposed "low-cost" road modifications, such as narrower lanes and the removal of center lines, to passively reduce vehicle speeds and create more space for walking and cycling.