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new speed limit for lorries was introduced in 2015 to
improve business efficiency
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change has brought HGV speeds more in line with other
traffic, and reduced the number of speeding lorries.
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report shows speed increase may have improved road
safety
A change in lorry speed limits has saved businesses millions of
pounds a year and could have helped improve road safety.
A report shows that
allowing heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes to travel 10mph
faster, bringing them closer to the speed of other traffic, has
contributed to an increase of 1.5mph in average speeds on single
carriageway roads.
An increase of just 1mph would free up 650,000 driver hours and
save hauliers more than £10 million a year. The change, which
came into force in 2015, allows lorries to travel at up to 50mph
on single carriageways and 60mph on dual carriageway roads in
England and Wales. It means they are travelling at similar speeds
to other vehicles, instead of much slower – with the aim of
improving road safety. This report shows there is a possible
“statistically significant” improvement to road safety on study
roads; which will be further explored in the final report.
Roads Minister said:
I am pleased to see the improvement in safety while helping to
unlock the UK’s potential – encouraging growth and enhancing
productivity.
Increasing the speed limit for lorries has helped companies
save time and money, enabling them to re-invest this in their
business and buying newer and greener vehicles.
This move has also potentially improved road safety as it
appears to have reduced the risks some drivers take when
overtaking slow-moving vehicles.
The report also shows that the number of speeding lorries has
fallen by about 70%.
Since the change in speed limit was introduced, the average lorry
speed on single carriageways increased by 1.5mph to 45.6mph, and
other vehicles also saw increased speeds. On dual carriageways,
the average speed increase was 0.4mph, to 52.4mph.
A final report will be published in due course and will provide
further evidence on the effects of the change, particularly on
road safety.
