Injuries on 20 and 30mph roads drops, figures show

The Welsh government's 20mph policy has provoked anger from some since it was introduce last year

The number of people injured on 20 and 30mph roads in Wales fell by almost a third in the final quarter of last year, new data published by the Welsh government shows.

The figures show there were 463 casualties on such roads between October and December, down from 681 in the same period a year earlier.

The Welsh Labour government has credited the introduction of default 20mph default speed limits, which took effect last September, but Conservatives said more data was needed. Plaid Cymru, which supported the policy, said the figures were "encouraging".

Labour has since committed to a review of the new law.

The government also said the overall number of traffic collisions in Wales was also down marginally last year to 3,262, a drop of 1.6% compared to the previous year.

The number of fatal collisions on all roads dropped slightly in 2023, with 87 in total, compared to 90 the year before.

But the number of serious road collisions saw an increase, from 792 in 2022 to 891 in 2023.

There were 98 people killed in traffic accidents in the country last year, compared to 96 a year earlier.

Ken Skates, Wales' transport secretary, said the number of injuries on slower roads was the lowest on record outside of the pandemic, when fewer car journeys were being made.

"The data published today clearly shows that casualties on 20mph and 30mph roads have reduced since the introduction of 20mph," he said.

"We’ve still got a way to go, and we expect numbers to fluctuate over the next few years, but it’s encouraging to see that things are moving in the right direction."

Ken Skates has said that the process of reverting some roads from Wales' 20mph default speed limit to 30 will begin in September

But Mr Skates added that he recognised that some roads on which limits were cut to 20mph needed to be changed back.

A spokesperson for Plaid Cymru said: "Today’s announcement that casualties on our roads have decreased is welcomed.

"Plaid Cymru has been clear that the principle of making our roads safer for our communities is important, and there are encouraging signs that reducing the default speed limit is achieving this.

Plaid also said it supports an ongoing review into the 20mph policy "to see where it is working and where it may need to be tweaked".

Natasha Asghar, MS, Welsh Conservative shadow transport minister, said the figures could not be used by Labour to declare the 20mph policy a success.

"I have long said that 20mph makes sense outside sensitive areas such as schools, hospitals and places of worship," she said.

"It makes no sense on busy trunk roads where people and traffic do not mix."

"The Welsh Conservatives have been clear, that we would scrap Labour’s ridiculous 20mph speed limit and implement it in sensitive areas where it is needed," she added.