Labour could mandate 20mph speed limits on all school streets as thousands call for safer roads

Labour could introduce more 20mph speed limits along major residential streets to help protect vulnerable road users and pedestrians, following calls from safety experts.

The move comes after road safety charity Brake sent a letter to the Future of Roads Minister Lillian Greenwood, which urged the Government to reduce speed limits drastically around school roads.

It comes as more than 85,000 children from more than 600 schools across the UK begin taking part in a national campaign to promote safer streets.

The need for action was highlighted in a recent report that revealed that more than 16 primary school children are harmed on UK roads every day.

The report found that 80 per cent of parents would like roads near schools to be 20mph, with a further 85 per cent of parents wanting the Government to do more to make their roads safer.

Labour could introduce more 20mph speed limits along major residential streets to help protect vulnerable road users and pedestrians, following calls from safety experts.

The move comes after road safety charity Brake sent a letter to the Future of Roads Minister Lillian Greenwood, which urged the Government to reduce speed limits drastically around school roads.

It comes as more than 85,000 children from more than 600 schools across the UK begin taking part in a national campaign to promote safer streets.

The need for action was highlighted in a recent report that revealed that more than 16 primary school children are harmed on UK roads every day.

The report found that 80 per cent of parents would like roads near schools to be 20mph, with a further 85 per cent of parents wanting the Government to do more to make their roads safer.

Luca Straker, campaigns manager at Brake, said: "We all want children to be able to travel to and from school safely. But, sadly, every day, more than 16 primary school children are harmed on our roads.

"We know that excess speed is a factor in about a quarter of fatal crashes - and the physics is pretty straightforward: the faster a vehicle is travelling, the harder it hits and the greater the impact."

Meanwhile, 55 per cent of parents said they would like their children to walk and wheel to school more due to roads being too busy.

The research also highlighted how 6,069 children aged between four and 11 were harmed on UK roads in 2023, with 28 children fatally injured and a further 1,077 suffering serious injuries.

Straker added: "We have good evidence to show that by lowering the speed limits on our roads, we reduce the risk of people being harmed.

"In September 2023, the Welsh Government took a bold step in reducing the default speed limit on roads in built-up and residential areas to 20mph. Within the first year, collisions on these roads had reduced by 26 per cent."

While the 20mph limits have contributed to fewer casualties, drivers responded negatively to the measures, with the Welsh Government receiving the largest petition calling for the end of the lower speed limits.

The petition, which received 469,571 signatures, prompted the Government to react by allowing roads to return to 30mph if local councils found them to still be safer at higher speeds.

Referencing the impact of 20mph roads in Wales, Brake said that if the UK were to follow suit, it could even result in cheaper car insurance.

According to car insurance company Esure Group, it saw a 20 per cent drop in claims for car incidents in Wales, which equated to lower premiums, saving drivers roughly £50 on car insurance.

David McMillan, CEO of Esure, explained that as an insurer, they support initiatives for safer roads and cleaner air. "We’re proud to sponsor Brake’s Kids Walk for 2025, our fifth year supporting this event," he shared.

Last year, Esure founder Rod King MBE explained that the reductions in casualties across Wales confirmed on a national scale the "benefits from lower speeds, not only reducing casualties" as well as the benefits to drivers with reduced insurance premiums.

He shared: "These premium reductions have been delivered in Wales because 20mph is now the norm for urban and village streets.

"English drivers will continue to face higher premiums until the current patchwork of 20mph limits by exception is consolidated into 20mph as a norm."