20mph zones WORST for road crashes causing injury, Tories reveal

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 13:05 EDT, 9 September 2026 | Updated: 13:05 EDT, 9 September 2026 Slashing the speed limit on the majority of Scotland’s urban roads to 20mph has been branded ‘a ploy against drivers’.The Scottish government is spending more than £10million to implement a 20mph limit on thousands of roads across the country, which ministers claim will make built-up areas safer for everyone.But figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives show more collisions resulting in injuries occur on 20mph roads than 40mph, 50mph and 70mph routes across the country.Scottish Government statistics show 570 crashes resulting in injuries happened on 20mph roads last year, 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.Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Tim Eagle said that councils should be allowed to introduce their own speed restrictions. Scottish Conservative MSP Tim Eagle has suggested councils be able to set their own speed limitsHe 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 such as outside schools, SNP ministers arrogantly think they know best with their one-size-fits-all approach.‘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.’The Highlands and Islands MSP added: ‘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 instead concentrate on dualling trunk roads like the A96 which would dramatically reduce collisions.’Transport Scotland said 20mph speed limits dramatically cut the number of serious injuries to pedestrians.A spokesman said: ‘We all want our local streets to be as safe as possible and the £41million that the Scottish Government is investing in road safety this financial year shows just how important that aim is to us all.‘Research shows that if someone is hit by a car at 20mph, they are seven times more likely to survive than if they were hit at 30mph.‘Reducing speeds in busy streets is a big part of the work we are doing to lower the likelihood of serious incidents, whilst also having the benefit of making local areas a better place to live and work.’Last year, the Scottish Government dropped plans to reduce the national speed limit on single carriageway roads from 60mph to 50mph.