New calls have been made for the Department for Transport to increase the UK motorway speed limit by 10mph. A petition on the parliament website claims that because road safety standards in car construction have improved so much it makes sense to change the current limit from 70mph to 80mph.
The petition, which can be seen here says: “We want the Government to increase the speed limit on dual carriage and motorway to 80 MPH.
“We believe modern cars are better equipped than ever with safety features that make them much safer than before. We think that the roads are safer when they are less congested, and that there might be fewer accidents on the roads when the cars are traveling at higher speeds.”
If the petition reaches 10,000 signups, it will prompt an official Department for Transport response, and if backing surges to 100,000 signatures, it could secure a parliamentary debate.
The push might not be so outlandish – it was official government policy once in the coalition government. In 2011 Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has announced his intention to consult on raising the national speed limit on motorways from 70 to 80 miles per hour.
It began a consultation on the issue with a view to implementing any change in early 2013.
The policy at the time said: “Vehicles have changed dramatically since the current national speed limit was set in 1965. Technological advances mean that cars are significantly safer then they were – contributing to a fall of more than 75% in the number of people killed on British roads since 1965. That is why the government feels it is now time to look again at whether the speed limit set in 1965 is still appropriate.
“Road safety is a top priority for the government and action is being taken to tackle uninsured driving and help police enforce against drink and drug driving. However, the government believes safety cannot be the only consideration when setting speed limits. Previous analysis shows that raising the motorway speed limit would generate significant economic benefits, worth hundreds of millions of pounds per year from savings of travel time.”
It estimated that 49 per cent of drivers break the current 70mph limit and the change would mean fewer motorists breaking the law. At the time Mr Hammond said: “Increasing the speed limit on motorways from 70 to 80 miles per hour for cars, light vans and motorcycles could provide hundreds of millions of pounds of benefits for the economy and I will put forward formal proposals for making these changes later this year.”
However the plans were dropped in 2013 by his successor Patrick McLoughlin due to a lack of government and cabinet support, with safety concerns and road pollution outweighing potential economic benefits.
The plan was revived in 2019 by Transport Secretary Grant Shapp but it sparked a storm of protest. The RAC said without compelling evidence that a change in the limit would not adversely affect safety, the current limit “should be retained”.
One of the reasons cited by Grant Shapps to revisit motorway speed limits was the growth of electric vehicles and the resulting fall in emissions.
However the RAC said an 80mph speed limit is “fundamentally an issue of safety”.
Nicholas Lyes, RAC head of policy, said at the time: “The transport secretary raises a valid point in relation to the possibility that overall emissions could be lower if a move to an 80mph limit was accompanied by a large increase in the numbers of electric vehicles using these roads.”
“However, any move to raise speed limits on motorways is fundamentally an issue of safety. Part of the problem is that at present, there is a high proportion of drivers that break the 70mph limit, and drive nearer to 80mph.
“If the speed limit were to be changed to 80mph, there is a risk that the new default becomes even higher.”
To view and back the petition click here.