Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential safety benefits of (a) lowering the default speed limit on single carriageway roads and (b) only allowing higher speeds on rural roads which have passed a safety assessment.

An assessment of the potential safety benefits of lowering the default speed limit on single carriageway roads was contained in a report prepared for the Department for Transport: TRL Report 397 by Sexton and Johnson: An Evaluation of options for road safety beyond 2010, which can be found at TRL | An evaluation of options for road safety beyond 2010.

No separate assessment was made of only allowing higher speeds on rural roads which have passed a safety assessment.

Setting national speed limits in Wales and Scotland is a matter for the Welsh and Scottish Governments. When setting local speed limits traffic authorities are asked to take into account the relevant national guidance.

There are no current plans to lower the default speed limit on single carriageway roads or allow higher speeds on rural roads which have passed a safety assessment.