The need for speed?

Published: 28/02/2014

The debate surrounding speed increase on UK motorways has reopened following recent figures from a study in Denmark.

According to a report by the Danish Road Directorate Vejdirektoratet, the number of road traffic accidents has decreased after the speed limit increased.

In 2011, the speed limit on rural roads in Denmark increased from 80km/h (50mph) to 90km/h (56mph). The two-year study found accident numbers fell during this period with experts believing the increased speed limits reduced the risk of overtaking.

Vejdirektoratet spokesperson Rene Juhl Hollen explains:

“If there is a large difference between speeds, then more people will attempt to overtake, so the more homogeneous we can get the speeds on the two lane roads, the safer they will become.”

The results are supported by Danish motorway figures where fatalities have dropped since the speed limit was increased to 130km/h (81mph) almost ten years ago.

Content correct at time of publication