Huge change proposed that could see every British driver affected

Road safety body PACTS has proposed reducing UK speed limits by 10mph, which would see dual carriageways drop from 70mph to 60mph and single carriageways from 60mph to 50mph, as well as blanket 20mph zones across towns and villages

While largely driven by legislation, car manufacturers are continuously striving to make their vehicles safer. Whether through improved crumple zones, enhanced airbags or better seating, the goal is to make any potential accident more survivable.

Yet there remains one factor entirely beyond their control: speed. This is precisely why speed limits exist across the globe.

The faster a vehicle is travelling at the point of impact, the greater the energy involved, and consequently the higher the likelihood of serious injury to those caught up in it.

In recent years, 20mph zones have sprung up across the UK in villages, towns and cities where hazard levels are particularly high.

Now, a proposal put forward to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee by the independent Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) could shake things up considerably.

Alongside suggesting blanket 20mph zones — largely to cut costs on signage — the advisory body also declared it was in favour of slashing national speed limits by 10mph.

This would mean dual carriageway speed limits dropping from 70mph to 60mph, while single carriageways would fall from 60mph to 50mph.

However, Auto Express reports that regarding the reduction of speed limits on dual carriageways from 70mph to 60mph, the body caveated it by saying this would be the case “where the infrastructure would not support the survivability of people travelling at those speeds if they were involved in a collision”.

While cuts to speed limits on dual carriageways and single carriageways would have a significant impact on motorists, focus remained firmly on the blanket 20mph zones.

PACTS executive director Jamie Hassall suggested it was a matter of reframing the debate.

He said: “It’s about getting everyone in the country to understand what the benefits are.” Those benefits included helping children travel to school more safely, something he maintained the public were broadly in favour of, reports the Express.

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This is far from the first time a reduction in speed limits has been on the agenda.

Following the war in Iran sending oil prices soaring to their highest level since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, suggestions emerged that drivers should begin travelling at slower speeds.

Indeed, think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) went as far as proposing that speed limits should be lowered to assist motorists — a measure that ultimately never came to fruition.

Nevertheless, the think tank did suggest that the public ought to be advised on how to drive more economically.

Speaking earlier this year, senior economist at the think tank William Ellis told the Guardian: “The UK cannot afford to sit back and let another energy shock drive up inflation and damage the economy.

“The UK economy and public finances are expected to take a significant hit from the Iran conflict, regardless of whether the government intervenes.”