Statistics published today by the U.K. Department for Transport (DfT) show that in 2022 85% of the car drivers in Great Britain broke the law by driving faster than the speed limit in 20mph zones. On roads with a 30mph maximum, 50% of car drivers broke the law, reveals the annual DfT report on speed limit compliance.
The measurements are based on speed data from a sample of Automatic Traffic Counters (ATCs) around the country. These exclude locations where external factors might restrict driver behavior, such as at junctions, on hills, beside sharp bends or where speed cameras are visible, says the DfT report.
Well, if it wasn’t for otherwise good citizens breaking laws they know to be wrong, those laws would never get changed.
I don’t think that law is going to get changed by repeatedly breaking it.
I also don’t think it is a bad law. The probability of a pedestrian being fatally injured at 20mph is lower than at 30mph; older studies showed a nearly tenfold reduction; not sure what the figures would be now with the trend towards larger and heavier vehicles (and the offset by pedestrian-friendly design - EuroNCAP score for this). For residential and pedestrian heavy areas I think 20mph is appropriate.
It is also worth bearing in mind that several areas in the UK have already committed to 20mph for residential areas.
I think the more likely outcome is going to be changes to roads and enforcement.
Here’s a .pdf factsheet from RoSPA that looks at 20mph zones.
