The Government is committed to ensuring that speed limits are complied with and enforced as a means of reducing deaths and injuries on our roads. Speeding is a traffic offence with potentially serious consequences and driving at excessive speeds continues to be a problem that results in accidents, fatalities and serious injuries. That is why there is a speed management policy in place to achieve appropriate vehicle speeds as part of an overall strategy to reduce casualties on the roads. The emergency services excepted, the Government do not believe there is ever a time when it is right to break the posted speed limits.
The Government helps drivers adhere to the speed limit by providing information about speed limits and ensuring limits are correctly signed. Law-abiding drivers who drive within the speed limit have nothing to fear from speed enforcement . The only drivers who need fear prosecution are those who break the law and in doing so put themselves and others at risk.
The following national speed limits apply to cars and motorcycles on all roads unless the road is signed to the contrary.
Motorways
70 mph
Dual Carriageway roads
70 mph
Single Carriageway roads
60 mph
Street lit roads (Restricted roads)
30 mph
Lower maximum speed limits apply on certain roads to certain traffic classes of vehicles. Drivers of these vehicles are expected to be aware of this and follow these special limitations without having to be reminded by specific speed limit signs for particular vehicles.
Full details of the speed limits for roads are set out in the Highway Code (www.Highwaycode.gov.uk)
Further information is also set out in the document Speed: Know Your Limits
(http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/speedmanagement/speedknowyourlimits)
It should however also be remembered that speed limits are not, in any way, target speeds. They are maximum speeds and lower speeds should be adopted in certain conditions.
All changes of speed limit are required to be signed and motorists are advised to look out for speed limit signs:
The police can enforce speed limits by using any equipment that has been type approved by the Home Office and do so in a number of ways including the use of:
- hand-held equipment
- in-car equipment
- fixed, mobile and speed-over-distance cameras
The Department has issued guidance on the use of speed cameras in the form of DfT Circular 1/07 - Use Of Speed And Red-Light Cameras For Traffic Enforcement: Guidance On Deployment, Visibility And Signing.
Non-compliance with the guidelines does not provide any mitigation of, or defence for, an alleged offence under current UK law committed by a driver or registered keeper.
The law requires only that the speed limit should be properly signed. There is no requirement in law for cameras to be yellow or made visible. If a camera is not visible, for whatever reason, or it is not signed or coloured this will not invalidate any offence detected by the camera.
The Department is unable to comment on individual cases of alleged speeding. Any questions should be directed back to the office issuing the notice of intended prosecution. If you believe your fixed penalty is unsafe you should ask to have your case heard in court.
Cameras are not placed to raise revenue. The fine income from safety cameras is not retained by the police. The bodies responsible for deploying cameras have no incentive to place cameras other than to improve road safety.
The ultimate aim of safety cameras is to reduce casualties by ensuring compliance with speed limits and slow drivers down so that none are caught speeding. If this happens there will be a very significant further reduction in the number of people killed and injured on our roads.
