Speed Limit Information

Speed is a significant factor in road accidents in the United Kingdom. This is particularly the case in urban areas, where speeding vehicles can adversely affect the quality of life for many communities.

Speed limits were introduced to ensure greater road safety. Measures for influencing the speed of vehicles generally fall into two categories: legislative and physical. Speed limits fall into the first category whereas traffic calming measures would fall into the second.

It is estimated that for each 1mph reduction in average speed, accident frequency is reduced by five per cent. It is clear that there is a need to worry about speed because the consequences of driving too fast are so severe.

Make sure you know the speed limits by downloading this useful publication in PDF format from the Department for Transport website.

If you would like a speed limit to be lowered, raised or extended, please contact Lancashire County Council on 0845 053 0011. Your request will then be passed to an officer for assessment. The police view on a change to a speed limit is important and will be sought. Account should also be taken of the characteristics of the road, such as its alignment, the level of activity alongside the road, the accident record and the degree of severance caused to a community by the speed of vehicles.

In urban areas, speed limits should fit into a rational and easily understood hierarchy if they are to be observed by drivers. Before deciding to change an existing speed limit, the highway authority must consider all the relevant factors such as:

• expected accident savings
• improvement to the environment
• improvement in amenities
• reduction in public anxiety
• improved facilities for vulnerable road users
• delays to traffic
• costs of implementation
• costs of engineering measures and their maintenance
• costs of enforcement, especially where the speed limit is regarded as unreasonable by drivers

If it is considered that a change in the speed limit is warranted, then a new Speed Limit Order has to be made. This involves a statutory legal process that takes approximately nine months to complete.

If you wish to report a damaged or missing speed limit sign, please contact  Lancashire County Council on 0845 053 0011, e-mail at highwaysareaeast@lancashire.gov.uk or visit Lancashire County Council's website.

Did you know...?

The presence of street lights is the way we recognise a 30mph speed limit and it is the reason why you do not see, apart from where the limit starts, 30mph speed limit signs. Some believe this to be an odd way of indicating a speed limit, but really it is simple. If there are street lights and no signs to the contrary, the speed limit is always 30mph.

The stopping distance at 30mph is 23 metres (or 75 feet). Straying above the legal speed limit to 35mph increases your stopping distance by 6 metres (or 20 feet). Going above the speed limit by a few miles an hour may not seem a big deal, but it could be the difference between having a near miss and causing a fatal accident. It's 30 for a reason.