Welsh Road Safety Hits Record High Following Speed Limit Changes

Serious crashes on 20mph and 30mph roads in Wales have reached their lowest levels since records began, according to newly released data from Statistics Wales. 📊

The provisional figures for the final quarter of 2024 reveal a continued decline in serious casualties, with collisions on roads affected by the Welsh government’s 20mph policy decreasing by 19% in 2024 compared to 2023.

Welsh police forces reported 3,993 road casualties in 2024 – the lowest figures ever recorded outside of 2020’s pandemic restrictions. Collisions on 20mph and 30mph roads resulted in 1,751 casualties, down 20% from the previous year and marking an all-time low.

The data comes as Wrexham became the first council in north Wales to revert two roads back to 30mph following revised government guidance. The B5605 Wrexham Rd/High Street in Johnstown and the A525 Bryn-y-Grog Road are the first of 52 locations where speed limits will be changed.

Transport Secretary Ken Skates acknowledged implementation challenges while defending the policy’s core objectives: “The main objective of the policy is to save lives and reduce casualties and there is widespread evidence to prove it,” he said. “However, this is about getting the right speeds on the right roads, building from the broad consensus that 20mph is right where people live, work and play.”

Skates previously estimated the cost of reverting selected roads across Wales could reach £5 million.

The 20mph default speed limit, introduced in September 2023, sparked significant public debate with nearly half a million people signing a petition calling for its reversal.

“The key is that we are making those safe changes now – those sensible, pragmatic changes now in response to what the public have asked for,” added Skates.