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===Casualty reduction===
===Casualty reduction===
[[File:Killed on British Roads.png|thumb|350px|Total number of people killed on [[United Kingdom|British]] roads between 1926 and 2009]]
{{See also|Reported Road Casualties Great Britain|Road Traffic Safety}}
{{See also|Reported Road Casualties Great Britain|Road Traffic Safety}}
The 30&nbsp;mph speed limit in built-up areas was introduced in 1930 in response to high casualty levels.<ref name=Hansard1934/> The 70&nbsp;mph limit on previously restricted roads was introduced in 1965 following a number of serious motorway accidents in fog earlier the same year.<ref name=times1965/>
The 30&nbsp;mph speed limit in built-up areas was introduced in 1930 in response to high casualty levels.<ref name=Hansard1934/> The 70&nbsp;mph limit on previously restricted roads was introduced in 1965 following a number of serious motorway accidents in fog earlier the same year.<ref name=times1965/>

Revision as of 11:26, 28 October 2010

Speed limit sign on a single-carriageway road implying a speed limit of 40 mph (64 km/h) or 50 mph (80 km/h) depending on vehicle type

Road Speed limits in the United Kingdom define the maximum legal speed limit (which may be variable) for road vehicles using UK Roads. The speed limit in each location is indicated on a nearby traffic sign or by the presence of street lighting. Signs show speed limits in miles per hour (mph) or use of the national speed limit (NSL) symbol.

Since 1965 the maximum speed limit for all roads unless indicated otherwise has been 70 mph (110 km/h) which applies to otherwise unrestricted motorways and dual-carriageways and now only to cars (including car-derived vans) up to 2 tonnes maximum laden weight (MLW), to motorcycles, to buses, coaches and minibuses up to 12 metres (39 ft) in length and to goods vehicles not exceeding 7.5 tonnes MLW.

Speed limits in the UK are primarily set with an intention of reducing the number of road traffic casualties from traffic collisions. Speed limits are occasional also used with an aim to reduce the environmental impact of road traffic (vehicle noise, vibration, emissions), to reduce fuel use and to satisfy local community wishes.

Enforcement of UK road speed limits was traditionally done using police 'speed traps' set up and operated by the police but now increasingly use speed guns, automated in-vehicle systems and automated roadside traffic cameras. Some vehicle categories have various lower maximum limits enforced by speed limiters.

Since they have been introduced, speed limits have been opposed from various sources; including motoring advocacy groups, anti-motoring groups and others who either consider them to be irrelevant, set too low or set too high.

Current regulations

National speed limits

NSL sign on a single-carriageway road implying a speed limit of 40 mph (64 km/h), 50 mph (80 km/h) or 60 mph (97 km/h) depending on vehicle type

Default maximum speed limits apply to all roads where no specific lower numeric speed limit is already in force. The default speed limit is known as the national speed limit (NSL). The NSLs vary by road type and for vehicle types.[1]

National speed limits by vehicle type and road type
Built-up area Single carriageway Dual carriageway Motorway
Cars and motorcycles 30 mph (48 km/h) 60 mph (97 km/h) 70 mph (113 km/h) 70 mph (113 km/h)
Vehicles towing caravans or trailers
inc cars, motorcycles, goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes MLW 		30 mph (48 km/h) 50 mph (80 km/h) 60 mph (97 km/h) 60 mph (97 km/h)
Buses, coaches, minibuses up to 12 metres (39 ft)
Goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes MLW 		30 mph (48 km/h) 50 mph (80 km/h) 60 mph (97 km/h) 70 mph (113 km/h)
Goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes MLW 30 mph (48 km/h) 40 mph (64 km/h) 50 mph (80 km/h) 60 mph (97 km/h)

Numeric speed limits

50 mph (80 km/h) sign on a dual-carriageway road

Speed limit road signs are used to inform road users where speed limits other than the applicable national speed limit apply. For some types vehicles on some types of road speed limits lower than the signed limit apply.

Numeric speed limit exceptions by vehicle type and road type
Signed Vehicle type Speed limit if other than signed
Single carriageway Dual carriageway Motorway
50 Goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes MLW 40 mph (64 km/h)
60 Any Vehicle under 7.5 tonnes towing caravans or trailers; buses, coaches and minibuses up to 12 metres (39 ft) and Goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes MLW 50 mph (80 km/h)
Goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes MLW 40 mph (64 km/h) 50 mph (80 km/h)
70 Buses, coaches and minibuses up to 12 metres (39 ft) and Goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes MLW (modern vehicles also have speed limiters which limit speed further - see below) n/a 60 mph (97 km/h)
Cars, motorcycles and Goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes MLW and towing caravans or trailers n/a 60 mph (97 km/h) 60 mph (97 km/h)
Goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes MLW n/a 50 mph (80 km/h) 60 mph (97 km/h)

Speed limiters

Some classes of vehicles are required to have speed limiters which enforce a maximum speed by physical means. Older vehicles still in use do not have limiters fitted or have them set at a higher speeds.[2] New vehicles should be fitted with limiters as follows:

History

Early years

The first speed limits in the United Kingdom were set by a series of restrictive Locomotive Acts (in 1861, 1865 and 1878). The 1861 Act introduced a 10 mph (16 km/h) limit (automobiles were in those days termed “light locomotives”). The 1865 (the 'red flag act') reduced the speed limit to 4 mph (6 km/h) in the country and 2 mph (3 km/h) in towns and required a man with a red flag or lantern to walk 60 yards (50 m) ahead of each vehicle, and warn horse riders and horse drawn traffic of the approach of a self-propelled machine. The 1878 Act removed the need for the flag[3] and reduced the distance of the escort to 20 yards (20 m).[4]

Following intense advocacy by motor vehicle enthusiasts, including Harry J. Lawson of the Daimler Motor Company the most restrictive parts of the acts were lifted by the Locomotives on Highways Act 1896.[5] which raised the speed limit to 14 mph (23 km/h) and removed the need for the escort.[6] A celebratory run from London to Brighton was held soon after the act was passed and has been commemorated each year since 1927 by the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.[6]

30 mph (48 km/h) sign as used at the start of built-up areas

The speed limit for motor cars was raised to 20 mph (32 km/h) by the Motor Car Act 1903 which stood until 1 January 1931 when all speed limits for cars and motorcycles were abolished under the Road Traffic Act 1930.[7] Lord Buckmaster's opinion at the time was that the speed limit was removed because "the existing speed limit was so universally disobeyed that its maintenance brought the law into contempt".[8] Between 1930 and 1935 the number of annual road fatalities dropped from 7,305 to 6,502.[n 3] The same act also introduced a 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limits for UK coach services, UK bus services and most HGVs.[9] Buses were not necessarily fitted with Speedometers at this stage.[10]

A 'Road traffic (speedometer) bill' was debated in 1933 relating only to vehicles to which current speed limits applied.[11]

The Road Traffic Act 1934, created by Leslie Hore-Belisha, the then Minister of Transport, introduced a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) in built-up areas for cars and motorcycles which came into effect on 18 March 1935.[12] The definition of a built-up area was based on the presence of street lighting,[13] which had previously been mandated by the Public Health Act 1875.[14] The re-introduction of a speed limit for cars was in response to concern at increased road casualties.[15] The number of fatalities had increased to 7,343 deaths, half of the deaths were pedestrians and of three-quarters of these occurred in built-up areas.[16] Between 1935 and 1940 the number of annual road fatalities increased from 6,502 to 8,609.[n 3]

Speedometers were made compulsory for new cars in 1937.[17][18]

World War II

A 20 mph (32 km/h) night-time speed limit for built-up areas was introduced in 1940 as an attempt to halt the increase in the number of road casualties occurring during the World War II blackouts.[19] Following the introduction fatalities rose on speed-limited roads from 289 in March 1939 to 325 in March 1940.[20] For October 1940 the total number of deaths during daylight (when the speed limit didn't apply) fell, in relation to those for October 1939, from 511 to 462, whereas the figures for the black-out hours (when the speed limit did apply) rose from 501 to 684.[21] The highest number of deaths in any one year in the UK occurred the following year (9,196 people in 1941).[n 4]

1945 - 1969

On 1 October 1956, the 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limit for built-up areas became permanent under the Road Traffic Act 1956. The speed limit, which was introduced on a trial basis in 1935, relied on being renewed by parliament each year.[22]

The maximum speed limit for goods vehicles was raised from 20 mph (32 km/h) to 30 mph (48 km/h) in 1957.[23]

Following a series of serious motorway multiple crashes in the fog in 1965, Tom Fraser, the then Minister of Transport, following consultations in early November with the police and with the National Road Safety Advisory Council (NRSAC), concluded that the crashes were caused by vehicles travelling too fast for the prevailing conditions. The NRSAC advised that a 20 mph (32 km/h) motorway speed limit should be imposed on motorway stretches affected by fog and that a general speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h) should be experimentally applied for the winter months.[24] On 25 November 1965 the government announced that a temporary 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limit would be applied to sections of motorway (there were 350 miles (560 km) of it at that time) affected by fog, ice or snow and that a general maximum speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h) would be applied to all otherwise unrestricted roads, including motorways, for a trial period of four months starting just before Christmas.[25] The four-month trial 70 mph (110 km/h) speed limit on 100,000 miles (160,000 km) of previously unrestricted roads and motorways was introduced at noon on 22 December 1965.[26] Also on that day, the power for the police to apply advisory speed limits of 30 mph (48 km/h) to motorways affected by bad weather was also introduced. The advisory limit was activated by the use of flashing amber lights placed at 1 mile (1.6 km) intervals along the motorways.[26] In April 1966 Barbara Castle, the new Minister of Transport, decided to extend the experimental 70 mph (110 km/h) limit for a further two months to allow the Road Research Laboratory (RRL) time to collect data as there was still no conclusive evidence of its effectiveness.[27] In May 1966 Barbara Castle extended the experimental period by a further fifteen months to 3 September 1967 as "the case is not proven" but there were signs of crash rate reduction.[28]

In July 1966 the speed limit for "public service vehicles" (notably buses) was raised from 40 mph (64 km/h) to 50 mph (80 km/h).[29]

The highest number of fatalities during peacetime was 7,985 in 1966.[n 3]

In July 1967 Mrs Castle announced that 70 mph (110 km/h) was to become the permanent maximum speed limit for all roads and motorways and that some sections may be further limited to 60 mph (97 km/h). She had accepted RRL evidence that the speed limit had reduced the number of casualties on motorways. She ruled out minimum speed limits for motorways which would also reduce the danger of slow traffic as being too difficult to enforce and likely to increase congestion off the motorways. The two major motoring organisations at the time, The Automobile Association and the R.A.C. welcomed the maximum speed limits for all-purpose roads, but the R.A.C. would have preferred more flexibility for motorways. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents suggested that a lower speed limit would be more appropriate for all-purpose roads and the Pedestrian's Association for Road Safety condemned the new limits as being too high, preferring 60 mph (97 km/h) limits for all roads.[30] Mrs Castle's decision and acceptance of the RRL research at face value was controversial. Peter Walker's motion in Parliament to annul the speed limit on motorways was negatived.[31]

1973 oil crisis

Due to the 1973 oil crisis, a temporary maximum national speed limit of 50 mph (80 km/h) for all roads, including motorways, was introduced on 8 December 1973.[32] The 70 mph (110 km/h) limit was restored on motorways in March 1974 and on all other roads on 8 May 1974.[33]

As an initiative to reduce energy consumption, the national speed limits for otherwise unrestricted single-carriageway and dual-carriageway roads were temporarily reduced to 50 mph (80 km/h) and 60 mph (97 km/h) respectively (motorway speed limits were left unchanged at 70 mph (110 km/h)) from 14 December 1974.[34] In November 1976 the temporary speed limits were extended at least until the end of May 1977.[35] In April 1977, the government announced that the national speed limits for single-carriageway roads was to be increased to 60 mph (97 km/h) and that the 70 mph (110 km/h) speed limit was to be restored on dual-carriageways on 1 June 1977.[36][37]

From 1977 - present day

A 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limiter requirement for mopeds was introduced in 1977.[n 2]

The 70 mph (113 km/h) speed limit was made permanent in 1978.[n 5]

The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 included legislation relating to speed limits.[clarification needed]

The first 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limits for residential areas were introduced in 1991[n 6] and then speed limiters for buses and coaches set at 65 mph (105 km/h) and also for HGVs set at 56 mph (90 km/h) in 1994.[n 1] It was made easier for local authorities to introduce a 20 mph (32 km/h) limit in 1999.[38]

In March 2009 it was reported that the government was consulting on reducing the maximum speed limit on rural roads to 50 mph (80 km/h) to reduce the number of road casualties.[39]

In February 2010 the Department for Transport proposed that the speed limit for all vehicles able to carry more than 8 people should be set at 65 mph.[40]

Enforcement

Main article: Road speed limit enforcement in the United Kingdom

Speed limits are not self-enforcing. In 2008 "Exceeding speed limit" was recorded as one of the contributory factors in 5 percent of all accidents (in 14 percent of all fatal, in 7 percent of all serious and in 5 percent of all slight accidents).[n 7]

Speed limit enforcement is used to check that road vehicles are complying with the speed limits. There are many methods available for the authorities to attempt to enforce speed limits including the highly controversial speed cameras,[41][42] roadside 'speed traps', police car pacing and vehicle activated signs.

Justification

According the the Department for Transport "speed limits play a fundamental role" in the effective management of traffic speeds in relation to the safety of both drivers and all other road users.[43] Speed limits can also be used to reduced vehicle emissions, reduced traffic noise, an improvement in amenities, improved conditions for pedestrians, improved conditions for cyclists, and a reduction in perceived risk by local people.[44]

Casualty reduction

See also: Reported Road Casualties Great Britain and Road Traffic Safety

The 30 mph speed limit in built-up areas was introduced in 1930 in response to high casualty levels.[15] The 70 mph limit on previously restricted roads was introduced in 1965 following a number of serious motorway accidents in fog earlier the same year.[25]

In 2009 the government consulted on reducing speed limits on rural roads to 50 mph to attempt to reduce the number of casualties. The president of the AA is quoted as stating that a "blanket reduction of speed limits would not make roads safer, given that many accidents on rural roads involved only one car" and that speed limits thatare too low can result in a greater number of accidents.[39]

The Department for Transport believes that effective speed management involves many components but that speed limits play a 'fundamental role' and are 'a key source of information to road users' particularly as an indicator of the nature and risks posed by that road to both themselves and other motorised and non-motorised road users.[43]

The Parliamentary Select Committee for Transport Safety published a report title 'The Ending the Scandal of Complacency' in 2007 which highlighted how casualty levels rise with increasing speed and recommended reducing speed limits on streets with high pedestrian populations and on dangerous rural roads. The report highlights that when two cars crash at 60 mph a driver there is a 90% chance of death which falls to 65% at 50 mph. While recommending 20 mph speed zone the committee that these zones 'should not rely on heavy-handed enforcement measures'.[45]

The World Health Organisation published a report in 2004 highlighting that a total of 22% of all 'injury mortality' worldwide were from road traffic injuries in 2002[n 8] and that the speed of vehicles was 'at the core of the problem[n 9] Road incidents are said to be the leading cause of deaths among children 10 – 19 years of age (260,000 children die a year, 10 million are injured).[46]

Many factors contribute to traffic collisions, traffic speed can be one. In 2008 "Travelling too fast for conditions" (but within the prevailing speed limit) was recorded as one of the contributory factors in 8 percent of all accidents (in 9 percent of all fatal, 9 percent of all serious and 8 percent of all slight accidents).[n 10]

The UK government publishes Reported Road Casualties Great Britain each year based on road traffic casualties data (STATS19) which has been collected since 1926 when there were 4,886 fatalities in some 124,000 crashes.[47] The highest number of road fatalities recorded in a single year in GB was 9,196 in 1941.[n 11] The highest number of fatalities during peacetime was 7,985 in 1966,[n 3] at the time when the 70mph and 60mph speed limits were being introduced and also a legal drink drive limit and the associated Breathalyzer.

In 2008 the figure for fatalities in Great Britain had reached its lowest value since the records began, at 2,538.[n 12] In 2008 motorways accounted for 136 fatal, 848 Fatal and serious and a total of 7,249 injury crashes. For other roads the figures for each speed limit were as follows:[n 13]

A roads Other roads
Speed limit Fatal Fatal and serious All Fatal Fatal and serious All
20 2 26 167 11 178 1,138
30 336 5,509 42,637 458 8,869 66,302
40 132 1,377 9,959 78 678 4,168
50 98 665 3,982 25 147 745
60 530 3,191 14,222 351 2,965 13,985
70 180 987 5,872 4 22 165

Energy reduction

During the 1973 oil crisis a temporary maximum national speed limit of 50 mph (80 km/h) was introduced on all roads, including motorways to reduce fuel consumption.[32]

Advocacy

Since they have been introduced various groups have campaigned on the subject who either consider them to be irrelevant, set too low or set too high.

Advocacy groups include Association of British Drivers, The Automobile Association, Living Streets (originally Pedestrians' Association), RAC Foundation, RoadPeace, Royal Automobile Club (originally the Automobile Club), Safe Speed and others.

Criticism

In 1965, at the end of what was planned to be a four month trial of a blanket 70 miles per hour (110 kilometres per hour) speed limit on previously unrestricted roads and motorways, before and after evidence began to emerge of their impact on travel speeds and casualty rates. Cheshire police reported that radar speed checks on the Cheshire section of the M6 suggested that cars were being driven about 10 mph (16 km/h) faster (but usually below the new limit) than they were before without it and that crash rates were about the same. On the Staffordshire section of the M6 there had been a noticeable reduction in accidents although the weather had been finer than for the previous year. On the Northamptonshire section of the M1 the crash rate had remained about the same. In Worcestershire, the downward trend in crashes on the M5 that had started before the speed limit was introduced had continued.[48]

Research in 1998 showed that 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limits were not effective at reducing traffic speeds (they reduced traffic speeds by about 1 mph) and delivered no discernible reduction in accident numbers. On the other hand, self enforcing traffic calming - as used in "20 mph speed zones" - achieved average speed reductions of 10 mph with child pedestrian accident reductions of 70% and child cyclist accident reductions of 48%.[49]

In March 2008 Portsmouth City Council introduced a 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit (reduced from 30 mph (48 km/h)) on 410 km (250 mi) of the city's 438 km (272 mi) of roads. The scheme cost £570,000 to implement. The Department for Transport commissioned a study to evaluate the impact of the speed limit reduction, using before and after data for traffic speeds and casualty data. The main findings of the study were that at 0.9 mph, the reduction in traffic speed was not statistically significant and that although there was actually an increase in the number of crashes resulting in killed or seriously injured (KSI) road casualties in the year following the implementation of the new speed limit, that was not statistically significant either. There was no overall change to the number of KSI casualties and there was a 15% reduction in the number of slightly injured road casualties.[50]

Local authorities recognise that speed limits on their own do not necessarily reduce traffic speeds and that other measures will need to be taken if they require speeds to be reduced below the level at which drivers will naturally drive for any given location.[44]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Department for Transport (2008), p.181 "Speed limiter settings lowered to 65 mph for new buses and coaches and to 56 mph for HGVs."
  2. ^ a b Department for Transport (2008), p.179 "Mopeds redefined to 30 mph maximum design speed"
  3. ^ a b c d Department for Transport (2008), p. 106 table 2
  4. ^ Department for Transport (2008), p. 106 "The highest record road death figure was 9,196 in 1941"
  5. ^ Department for Transport (2008), p.179 "60 and 70 mph speed limits are made permanent"
  6. ^ Department for Transport (2008), p.180 "First 20mph zones introduced"
  7. ^ Department for Transport (2008), p.54 "It was reported in 14 per cent of fatal accidents and these accidents accounted for 362 fatalities, 15 per cent of all deaths."
  8. ^ World Heath Organisation (2004) p. 34 fig 2.1
  9. ^ World Heath Organisation (2004) p. 76
  10. ^ Department for Transport (2008), p. 45 "The factor travelling too fast for conditions was a contributory factor in 8 per cent of accidents. Again the proportion of accidents where it was reported rose with the severity of the accident and 9 per cent of fatal resulting in 224 fatalities, 10 per cent of all deaths (Excluding accidents and casualties in accidents which had exceeding the speed limit reported as a contributory factor)"
  11. ^ Department for Transport (2008), p.106 "The highest record road death figure was 9,196 in 1941"
  12. ^ Department for Transport (2008),p.6 "2,538 people were killed"
  13. ^ Department for Transport (2008), p.108 Table 3.

References

Documents referenced from 'Notes' section
  • Department for Transport (2008). "Reported Road Casualties Great Britain: 2008 Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-01-09.
Other references for article
  1. ^ "Rule 124: Speed Limits". The Official Highway Code. TSO. 2007. p. 41. ISBN 9780115528149. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "A GUIDE TO SPEED LIMITER REQUIREMENTS" (PDF). Department for Transport.
  3. ^ "MVRUS - Legislation: A summary of important legislation". UK Department of the Environment.
  4. ^ "Highways and Locomotives (Amendment) Act 1878 section 29". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 2010-10-09. shall precede by at least twenty yards the locomotive on foot
  5. ^ "The early years of the automobile in Britain". Dailmer. Meanwhile British Motor Syndicate began a public relations campaign to lobby for the repeal of the "Highways and Locomotive Act", still the main obstacle to the introduction of the car in Britain {{cite web}}: Text "accessdate-2010-10-09" ignored (help)
  6. ^ a b "History". London to Brighton Veteran Car Run 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  7. ^ "New Motoring Law". The Times. 1930-12-01. p. 14.
  8. ^ "MOTOR VEHICLES AND SPEEDOMETERS". Hansard. Retrieved 2010-05-02. It is sufficient to say that the reason why the speed limit was abolished was not that anybody thought the abolition would tend to the greater security of foot passengers, but that the existing speed limit was so universally disobeyed that its maintenance brought the law into contempt
  9. ^ "Road traffic Act 1930" (PDF). opsi. p. 102. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
  10. ^ "MOTOR VEHICLES AND SPEEDOMETERS". Hansard. Retrieved 2010-05-02. My Lords, the Motion that stands in my name is directed to secure that motor vehicles that are now under statutory restriction as to the pace at which they are permitted to travel should be compelled to carry a trustworthy speedometer so that the driver of the vehicle may know when he is exceeding the limit.
  11. ^ "ROAD TRAFFIC (SPEEDOMETER) BILL". Hansard. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  12. ^ "Speed Limit To-Day". The Times. 1935-03-18. p. 12.
  13. ^ Department for Transport (2006-08-08). "DfT Circular 01/2006: Setting Local Speed Limits". Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2007-02-10. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. ^ "History - Government and Public Health". BBC Bitesize. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  15. ^ a b "Road accidents". Hansard. 1934-07-16. Retrieved 2010-05-03. I presume that my hon. and gallant Friend refers to the weekly records of persons killed or injured in road accidents which have been obtained since the middle of March. I regret that the most recent returns have shown an increase in the number of accidents, but while I do not wish to detract from the seriousness of the situation it must be borne in mind, in comparing the figures for successive weeks, that there is now a seasonal increase in the amount of traffic on the roads combined with an increase in the number of new registrations.
  16. ^ "How the Thirties saw Britain fall in love with the car... and become a nation of road hogs". Daily Mail. London. 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  17. ^ "Road Safety History 1922 - 1937". RoadSafetyUK. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  18. ^ Schlesinger, Fay (2009-03-29). "Pensioner booked for speeding... in a 1923 Model T Ford that doesn't even have a speedo". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  19. ^ "Speed Limit in Black-Out". The Times. 1940-01-24.
  20. ^ "More Deaths on the Road: Disappointing Result of Speed Limit". The Times. 1940-04-13.
  21. ^ "Rising Death-Rate on the Roads: 1,146 Persons Killed Last Month". The Times. 1940-12-19.
  22. ^ "New road rules next week". The Times. 1956-09-28. p. 10.
  23. ^ Grahame Boyes (2004). "The British Road Haulage Industry since 1954" (PDF). Journal of the Railway & Canal Historical Society. Railway & Canal Historical Society: 514–524. Retrieved 2010-05-05. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  24. ^ "Saving motorists from themselves". The Times. 1965-11-11. p. 16.
  25. ^ a b "70 M.P.H. Limit For Four Months". The Times. 1965-11-25. p. 12.
  26. ^ a b "Most Drivers Stay Within 70 M.P.H. Limit". The Times. 1965-12-23. p. 8.
  27. ^ "More Experience Needed". The Times. 1966-04-07. p. 13.
  28. ^ "70 M.P.H. limit for another 15 months". The Times. 1966-05-18. p. 1.
  29. ^ "Safer by bus?". Autocar. 127 (nbr 3744): page 5. date 16 November 1967. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "60 M.P.H. limit for some roads?". The Times. 1967-07-13. p. 1.
  31. ^ "Effectiveness of 70 mph limit". The Times. 1967-11-07. p. 15.
  32. ^ a b "Driving over 50 mph banned from tonight". The Times. 1973-12-07. p. 4.
  33. ^ "50 mph limit to end". The Times. 1974-05-07. p. 1.
  34. ^ "Slower driving". The Times. 1974-12-13. p. 20.
  35. ^ "Fresh look at 50 mph - 60 mph speed limits". The Times. 1976-11-18. p. 30.
  36. ^ "Speed limits will be raised from June 1". The Times. 1977-04-07. p. 4.
  37. ^ "Speed: Know your limits" (PDF). Department for Transport. p. 8. Retrieved 2010-05-02. [dead link]
  38. ^ "Traffic Advisory Leaflet 9/99" (PDF). Department for Transport. June 1999. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
  39. ^ a b Gray, Sadie (2009-03-09). "Rural speed limits may be reduced to 50mph". The Independent. London.
  40. ^ "Changes to bus and coach speed limits proposed". Coach Broker. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  41. ^ "Effectiveness of speed cameras in preventing road traffic collisions and related casualties". BMJ. However, owing to the highly controversial nature of the debate about speed cameras in high income countries, we would expect any published negative studies to be highly publicised.
  42. ^ "Speed Cameras". Icons of England. Speed cameras are highly controversial and attacks on them regularly make the news.
  43. ^ a b "DfT Circular 1/06, new guidance on setting local speed limits" (PDF). Department for Transport. Retrieved 2010-10-07. Effective speed management involves many components designed to work together to encourage, help and require road users to adopt appropriate and safe speeds. Speed limits play a fundamental role. They are a key source of information to road users, particularly as an indicator of the nature and risks posed by that road to both themselves and other motorised and non-motorised road users. Speed limits should, therefore, be evidence-led, self-explaining and seek to reinforce people's assessment of what is a safe speed to travel. They should also encourage self-compliance and not be seen by drivers as being a target speed at which to drive in all circumstances.
  44. ^ a b "Roads - Speed Limits". Bath & North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 2010-04-03. [dead link]
  45. ^ "The Ending the Scandal of Complacency: Road Safety beyond 2010: Further Government Response to the Committee's Eleventh Report of Session 2007–08" (PDF). PACT. Retrieved 2010-10-07. The proposals in our consultation document aimed at achieving lower speeds in streets with high pedestrian populations and on the more dangerous rural single carriageways with poor casualty records, for example, are based on problems which we have identified in the system (p.4) ... For example, in a head-on collision in which two cars crashed at 60 mph a driver would have a 90% chance of dying. This is reduced to 65% at 50 mph. That is why we are making sure that highway authorities have the accurate risk information and the support they need to alter speed limits and zones where this is the right thing to do.
  46. ^ "UN raises child accidents alarm". BBC News. 2008-12-10.
  47. ^ "Road Casualties Great Britain: 2006 - Annual Report" (PDF). Department for Transport. p. 92. Retrieved 2010-01-09. Road accident and casualty data was first collect on a national level in 1926. That year there were 4,886 recorded deaths in some 124,000 accidents." [dead link]
  48. ^ "M6 Radar Shows Faster Family Driving". The Times. 1967-04-27. p. 6.
  49. ^ "Written Answers to Questions: Road Accidents". Hansard. House of Commons. 2003-01-31. Retrieved 2010-04-23. TRL research on urban speed management methods published in 1998 (TRL Report 363) found only an average 1 mph drop in speeds and no discernible accident reduction in accidents in 20 mph limits using only signs. Advisory speed limits are not normally approved in England and Wales. However, the more successful 20 mph zones that use self enforcing traffic calming features achieved average speed reductions of around 10 mph which produced a 70 per cent. reduction in child pedestrian accidents and a 48 per cent. reduction in child cyclist accidents.
  50. ^ Atkins (2009-09-29). Interim Evaluation of the Implementation of 20 mph Speed Limits in Portsmouth (PDF) (Report). Department for Transport.
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