“It’s simple, slower speeds save lives! Every year in Wales we
see the devastating impacts road traffic collisions have on
children and their families. They are the biggest single cause of
serious injury in children who are typically walking or cycling.”
Those were the words from University Hospital of Wales’
Paediatric Emergency Consultant, Dr David Hanna. He was speaking
to the Chief Medical Officer for Wales during a visit to the
hospital, ahead of the introduction of a 20mph default speed
limit on restricted roads across Wales from Sunday 17 September.
Twenty people are killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads
every week, according to the latest police recorded collision
data. That’s more than 1,000 lives lost or seriously affected by
collisions every year, with huge impacts on their families and
friends.
International evidence also shows that on average, a person is
around five times more likely to be killed when hit by a vehicle
travelling at 30mph compared to 20mph.
And, according to Dr Hanna children are at more risk than adults.
He added:
“Children have less road awareness than adults and can be
difficult to see. They also tend to be struck higher on the body
than adults due to their smaller height, and more likely to
suffer severe injuries as a result. So, the 20mph limit will help
reduce the number of collisions and severity of injuries.”
Speaking at the visit to the Emergency Unit at the UHW, Chief
Medical Officer for Wales, Frank Atherton said:
“We’re now just over a month away from the biggest change in
community safety we have seen in Wales for a generation. Reducing
speeds not only saves lives, but helps us to build stronger,
safer communities.
“Evidence from across the world shows that vehicle speed is one
of the main reasons why people do not walk or cycle, with one in
three Welsh adults saying that 20mph would increase their
likelihood to walk or cycle more.
“So, not only will slower speeds save lives and reduce injuries,
it will also help to keep people healthier and reduce the burden
on the NHS.
Dr , Consultant in Environment
Public Health, Public Health Wales added:
“Making the change from 30mph to 20mph could result in 40% fewer
collisions every year, with 6 to 10 lives saved and between 1200
to 2000 people avoiding injury. In casualty prevention this would
save an estimated £92m in the first year alone.”
Notes to editors
Notes to editors:
In 2022 police forces in Wales recorded Police recorded road
collisions dashboard):
- a total of 3,312 road collisions and more than half (51%)
occurred on 30mph roads (where people and vehicles mix
- in total there were 4,442 casualties (93 fatal, 921 serious
and 3,428 slight)
- the proportion of severe collisions (KSI collisions)
increased with the speed limit of the road. For example, around a
third of all collisions on 50mph and 60mph roads were KSI
collisions, compared to around a fifth on 30mph roads.
