Driving law proposals to increase motorway speed limits to 100mph on motorways and 80mph on dual carriageways have been rejected over road safety fears. DfT has spoken out after 42,000 drivers, motorists and road users called for the speed limit to be hiked.

Responding ahead of the General Election on July 4, the DfT said: “Speed limits are set to achieve a balance between a transport system that is an engine for economic growth but one that is also greener and safer and improves the quality of life in our communities,” says Birmingham Live.

The DfT response continued:

“The Government has undertaken no recent assessment on increasing national speed limits and we have no current plans to undertake such an assessment on the basis of traffic flow or other factors.

We recognise that technology is moving on rapidly and that vehicles are much safer than when the current speed limits were first introduced. But it is complex to model whether the economic benefits from reduced journey times would be realised because of the interaction of different factors, including any increase in road safety risk with resulting increase in collisions and travel time delays during closure and clearance of the road, and increased fuel consumption at higher speeds.”

Responding to the rejection, a motorist told Birmingham Live: “I can’t understand their logic as the big factor with speed is the safety aspect. And it sounds like they just gave us a straight up answer without looking at the facts. That cars have much better stopping distances and the fact that pretty much every car out there now has a 5 star safety rating.

“And it will help the economy a bit as thanks to the tories Britain is on the verge of death. And starmer and the Labour Party isn’t going to help either as he’s ruled out the possibility of reversing Brexit. One of the main things we can do is increase the motorway speed limit.”