Crashes on 20mph and 30mph roads at 'record low'

Serious crashes on 20mph and 30mph roads in Wales are the lowest since records began, according to new data.

Statistics Wales has released provisional data for the last quarter of 2024, showing a continued fall in the number of serious casualties on record.

The Welsh government's controversial 20mph policy saw most 30 mph roads change to 20 mph from 17 September 2023, and the figures showed collisions along these roads decreased by 19% in 2024, compared to 2023.

It comes as Wrexham reverted the first two roads in north Wales back to 30mph, with Transport Secretary Ken Skates previously estimating the cost of switching some roads back to 30mph across Wales could cost up to £5 million.

Welsh police forces reported road collisions that caused 3,993 casualties in 2024 - these were the lowest figures recorded apart from 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The collisions on 20mph and 30mph roads resulted in 1,751 casualties, also the lowest figure ever recorded and down 20% from the previous year.

The data doesn't include accidents which weren't reported to the police, or if they happened on private land, or where no injuries were recorded.

The 20mph default speed limit prompted almost half a million people to sign a petition calling for it to be scrapped in 2023.

Mr Skates launched a review in 2024, which gave Welsh councils the power to revert some stretches of 20mph road back to the previous limit of 30mph.

Wrexham council became the first in north Wales to revert two roads back to 30mph on Wednesday, following the publication of the revised guidance by the Welsh government.

The two roads - the B5605 Wrexham Rd/High Street, in Johnstown, and the A525 Bryn-y-Grog Road - are the first of 52 locations where the speed limit will be changed.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Skates admitted "mistakes were made" in the implementation of the 20mph speed limit and said it was "very difficult to answer" whether the current Welsh government would have made any changes to the policy.

Mr Skates said the main objective of the policy is to save lives and reduce casualties and there is "widespread evidence" to prove it.

"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," he said.

He added he was pleased that Wrexham council has managed to "strike a balance" by making changes following feedback from local people.

"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," he added.

Additional reporting by Brendon Williams