Does lowering speed limits have an impact on road deaths and injuries in Europe?

Lower velocity limits successful cities are reducing roadworthy deaths and injuries without expanding congestion oregon travel times, a caller Eurocities survey reveals.

Around 75% of European cities which person introduced 30 km/h limits successful targeted areas person reported less roadworthy deaths and injuries.

The survey was based connected responses from 38 cities successful 19 European countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Germany.

These figures travel arsenic the EU aims to scope zero roadworthy deaths by 2050, successful an inaugural known arsenic "Vision Zero".

Most cities person prioritised reduced speeds successful circumstantial zones, specified arsenic residential areas, historical centres oregon schoolhouse zones, portion 57% of cities said that much than fractional of their roadworthy web is present operating with velocity limits beneath 50km/h, according to the report.

It said that the surveyed cities' implementation of velocity reductions was done successful a gradual, targeted mode alternatively than a one-size-fits-all approach.

What was the interaction of velocity limits?

Around 19,400 deaths occurred connected European roads successful 2025, with car drivers and passengers representing 44% of each fatalities, according to the latest preliminary figures from the European Commission.

The outgo of roadworthy crashes successful the EU has been estimated astatine 2% of GDP annually, with life-changing injuries often meaning imperishable disability, chronic symptom and mislaid livelihoods, the Commission said.

But it seems that lowering velocity limits is so helping to crook the tide: the Eurocities survey shows that much than 9 successful 10 of the surveyed cities reported immoderate affirmative effects connected roadworthy information successful the abbreviated and mean term.

The cities' authorities said they saw less accidents, fatalities and superior injuries for each roadworthy users, alongside little conveyance speeds and reduced sound pollution.

Despite immoderate claims that 30 km/h velocity limits pb to accrued postulation congestion and higher congestion costs, the velocity bounds showed nary wide antagonistic effects connected congestion, postulation volumes oregon travel times, and lone limited, manageable impacts connected nationalist transport, according to Eurocities.

However, the alteration has faced pushback: during readying and rollout, astir fractional of the cities reported governmental opposition, portion much than a 3rd faced absorption from the public.

After implementing their velocity limits, 65% of the 38 European cities surveyed observed nary setbacks, with the governmental absorption and the nationalist absorption dropping significantly.

"Once radical acquisition the benefits of safer, calmer streets, enactment grows quickly, and absorption fades," Michele Campaniello, seat of the Eurocities Task Force connected 30km/h, said.