Vehicle Damage Claims Drop in Wales After Speed Limit Change
Vehicle damage claims in Wales have decreased by 20% at one leading car insurer since the implementation of a nationwide 20mph speed limit last September. This follows Wales’s pioneering move as the first UK nation to introduce this legislation for built-up areas.
The Welsh government said there was “generally universal support” for 20mph zones in areas near schools, built-up areas such as housing estates, and outside hospitals but there were other areas where people felt the measure was not suitable.
Rob Clark, the head of motor underwriting at esure, stated, “We can see a clear drop in vehicle damage claims in Wales since the 20mph speed restriction was introduced in September 2023. During a time when we usually see these claims rise, they dropped and have continued to do so in the first quarter of 2024. The restriction is clearly having an impact.”
The Welsh government has since adjusted the scheme, allowing local authorities more flexibility to amend limits in certain areas, following a petition signed by half a million people. However, the Conservatives in Wales’s Senedd have strongly opposed the initiative.
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, has expressed support for the concept of widespread 20mph zones but has also called for greater local authority control to review their implementation, citing concerns about inconsistent application.
Initial findings from 2022 trials indicated a 3mph reduction in average speeds. Furthermore, data released by Transport for Wales in February of this year highlighted an average speed reduction of 4mph on the main roads monitored since the nationwide rollout.
Rod King, founder of the campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us, commented on the esure data, stating that it “confirms on a national scale the benefits from lower speeds not only reducing casualties and danger but also providing a benefit to drivers in reduced insurance claims.”
He added, “The reductions are both statistically significant and timely in showing the reduction in road danger from implementing 20mph limits on a national basis. Statistically, some of those crashes which never happened would have resulted in death or injury for the road users involved. The national 20mph limits has already saved lives and injury.”
