Driving speed limit to be dropped

March 11th, 2009

Last year the Department for Transport announced that some 3,000 people were still being killed on roads in Britain and a further 28,000 seriously injured.

In a bid to reduce the number of accidents on our roads the government looks set to reduce the national speed limit from 60mph to 50mph on many of our roads. Jim Fitzpatrick, the roads minister, is quoted in The Times as saying:

There will be some in the driving lobby who think this is a further attack and a restriction on people’s freedom,” he said. “But when you compare that to the fact we are killing 3,000 people a year on our roads, it would be irresponsible not to do something about it. I’m sure that the vast majority of motorists would support the proposals.

Other measures that the goverment is also looking at include imposing six penalty points on motorists who break speed limits ‘excessively’ and punishments for those who use their mobile phone while driving. The Daily Mail also reports that as a fifth of all road deaths are caused by drivers on illegal substances, there is also the suggestion that a ‘drug-drive limit’ may be introduced.

Entry Filed under: traffic, cars