Police chief admits they’re not punishing drivers for breaking 20mph speed limit

20/12/2023

A leading police chief has admitted that his police force is still not taking enforcement action against drivers breaking the new 20mph speed limit. Wales became the first nation in the UK to introduce the limit in September. The issue has proven to be a controversial one throughout Wales, with many motorists and politicians complaining that the limit should have remained at the 30mph level.

Since the limit was changed, the Welsh Government [1] has said it has taken an “education-focused” approach when it comes to penalising speeding drivers. According to GoSafe Cymru – Wales’ Road Casualty Reduction Partnership – it has issued 95 fines across the whole of Wales since the start of November, but it is not known how many of those have been for breaches of the new 20mph speed limit. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here [2].

DON’T MISS: Mark Drakeford is barred from dozens of pubs in Wales [4] Enforcement was reintroduced at the start of November on roads which had already been 20mph before September 17, when the new limit came into effect. And from December 17, all roads, including those with a new 20mph limit, will be subject to enforcement.[5]

However, the Chief Constable of South Wales Police [6], Jeremy Vaughan, told ITV News [7] that his force has been “recording data but not taking enforcement action”, adding that a different approach would be taken in the new year and that the force is “still in the process of analysing the data” since the new speed limit was officially brought in on September 17. “Our job is to take enforcement action where we have to and where necessary to do that,” said Mr Vaughan. “So in some circumstances, people will see that into 2024 we’re going to try to do so, in the most appropriate way.” He was asked about the exact speed that would trigger a fine in 20mph zones, and replied by saying: “For the rest of the road traffic legislation, it tends to be 10% plus two. But of course, we’re still working through the details of that because the 20s are newer legislation.”

GoSafe Cymru has said that its aim is to improve road safety and not to “catch people out”, and that enforcement is carried out in areas where there is deemed to be a risk of harm to drivers and members of the public.

References

^ Welsh Government (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^ e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^ ‘I drove around Carmarthen at 20mph and was left mystified’ (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^ Mark Drakeford is barred from dozens of pubs in Wales (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^ subject to enforcement. (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^ South Wales Police (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^ told ITV News (www.itv.com)