New data from GoSafe reveals that 112,699 drivers in Wales have been caught exceeding the 20mph speed limit since its introduction in September 2023. 🚗💨
The highest recorded speed was a shocking 89mph in a 20mph zone this January, though the average speed of offenders was around 28mph, according to the road safety partnership.
Offences peaked last summer with over 15,000 combined violations across north, mid, and south Wales in August alone, though figures show a decrease to around 9,000 total offences in March 2025.
Rod King, founder of campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us, said: “What we know is the level of enforcement is similar to what it was with 30mph, but we know the casualties are reduced and speed is reduced. The fact is, people in Wales are supporting this by lifting their right foot. They’re actually driving slower, communities are more peaceful, communities are easier to get around walking and cycling.”
However, opinion remains divided among motorists. Stewart Walker, a driving instructor from Wrexham, described the limit as “a national disaster for Wales,” adding: “If you’re going to introduce a new road safety initiative, you will need public support, and this hasn’t got it.”
Cardiff driver Georgie Bennett, 31, expressed frustration: “I just don’t think it [20mph] is necessary, I don’t think it’s necessary at all. I get it outside schools, hospitals, where elderly people live, I get that. But there are so many places where it just doesn’t need to be a thing, it just holds up so much traffic.”
In contrast, 77-year-old Derek Knight believes “there should be a UK-wide 20mph limit,” while another supporter named Katie said: “People will always push above what you give them. If you give them 20 and they do 25, that’s still better than giving then 30 and them do 35.”
Luca Straker from road safety charity Brake supported the lower limit: “The evidence is clear. In places where speed limits have been lowered, we see fewer collisions, and fewer deaths and serious injuries – and Wales has proven this again when collisions reduced by 26% after the implementation of 20mph as a default speed limit.”
Wales became the first UK nation to adopt the 20mph default speed limit on restricted roads in September 2023, though the controversial change prompted a record-breaking petition against it. Some councils are now reviewing the policy and considering whether certain roads could return to 30mph.
