The Scottish Government’s new speed limit in towns and villages across Scotland has been labelled “a ploy against drivers” after new figures revealed more collisions occur on 20mph roads than on 40mph, 50mph and 70mph routes across the country.
New statistics from the Scottish Government show 570 crashes resulting in injuries happened on 20mph roads last year marking a five-year high.
This compares to 254 crashes on 40mph routes where people were hurt, 165 injury collisions on 50mph roads, and just 268 on 70mph dual carriageways that resulted in a driver or passenger being injured.
It comes as the Scottish Government set a new national strategy to drop the speed limit on most of Scotland’s urban roads to 20mph by the end of 2025 with the aim of reducing collisions on routes across the country.
Councils were given millions of pounds worth of funding by the Scottish Government to enforce the 20mph speed limit with new signage and road markings.
Scottish Conservative transport spokesman and Highlands and Islands MSP Tim Eagle said: “These damning figures expose that simply lowering the speed limit to 20mph on roads is a ploy against drivers which will not reduce injuries and collisions in built-up areas across Scotland.”
“Rather than allowing councils to develop their own road safety measures tailored to specific areas like outside schools, SNP ministers arrogantly think they know best with their one-size-fits-all approach.”
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“Yet despite all of the SNP’s spin, 20mph zones account for the third highest number of vehicle crashes that result in an injury, with more collisions than in 40mph, 50mph and 70mph areas.”
“John Swinney has forced his party’s anti-motorist scheme onto our councils which have had to take the brunt of implementing these new speed limits just about everywhere.”
“Rather than trying to penalise motorists with this green agenda, the Scottish Government should concentrate on dualling trunk roads like the A96 which would dramatically reduce collisions.”
