Are 20 mph Zones Pointless?
There are often 20mph zones around schools, but some Liberal Democrats have recently called for the introduction of a 20mph speed limit in all residential areas. This would effectively be replacing the current 30mph limit by a 20mph limit, but the Association of British Drivers (ABD) doesn’t feel that there is any evidence that this would reduce deaths or injuries from road traffic accidents.
There are places that have imposed blanket 20mph zones and have not seen any benefits in terms of reducing accidents. In fact, this is something that the Department for Transport have said in the past. It just doesn’t make sense either in theory or in practice, so a nationwide introduction seems counter-intuitive.
We all want safer roads, and things like introducing a 20mph speed limit do seem like they would be a quick fix. Unfortunately it is better to spend time researching these methods until we find ones that actually work to reduce the rate of injuries and deaths. Imposing this would result in substantial costs, both in implementation and in on-going costs to drivers in terms of increased travel times.