Speed Recommendations

May 2022

Local, regional and national authorities throughout Europe have been recommended to reduce speeds on motorways and in urban areas.

The announcement by the European Commission is part of a wide-ranging package of energy saving measures designed to help reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas, and support existing EU policies on climate change.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) says lower speeds always reduce the risk of collisions occurring, as well as their severity. Ellen Townsend, Policy Director of ETSC said:
“Slowing down on our roads will help Europe transition away from Russian oil, save lives and reduce harmful pollution.  But now it’s up to more governments, regions and cities to quickly take action."

The ETSC says there are several precedents for action on speed. When Sweden reclassified the speed limits on its rural road network to address safety, the environment and other goals, full compliance was estimated by the Swedish Transport Administration to save around 150 lives annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 700,000 tonnes (equivalent to emissions from 240,000 passenger cars).

Brussels and Paris have recently reduced the urban speed limit to 30 km/h. Analysis by the Brussels region showed toxic emissions, noise and crashes all declined since the lower limit was introduced, and journey times were largely unaffected. Research, carried out in the UK, has shown that these lower speeds flatten out the extra acceleration needed in stop/start driving and can reduce CO2 emissions, and therefore fuel consumption, by 25% on typical cars. 

Safety remains a compelling justification for reducing speed. It is a contributing factor in most crashes; reducing average speeds across the EU by just one per cent could save 2100 lives a year.

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