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Portsmouth set for 20mph limit

Tue, 13 Jun 2006

Portsmouth has become the first city in the UK to impose a blanket, city-wide 20mph speed limit, in an effort to cut the number of road deaths in the city.

The new speed limit, which will come into force in 2007, is designed to reduce accidents as well as reduce noise levels caused by traffic and bring down air pollution levels.

Now residential areas where there was previously a 30mph zone will become 20mph zones – a move that could reduce the number of car insurance claims made in the city as a result of a reduction in car accidents.

However, even road safety campaigners have expressed their reservations about the plans, with many saying that a lower speed limit may actually increase the number of accidents, as drivers concentrate less on the road in front of them and more on their speedometers.

Paul Smith of the Safe Speed road safety campaign commented: "It is extremely dangerous to crash into things at 20mph, and crashing at 20mph is far more dangerous than not crashing at 30mph.

"Real road safety improvements involve making crashes less likely."

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