New road safety statistics show a significant reduction in collisions and casualties across Wales, with the strongest improvements recorded on roads subject to 20mph and 30mph speed limits.
The latest figures, covering the period from April to June 2026, reveal a 19% decrease in road collisions and a 20% reduction in casualties across Wales compared with the same quarter in 2025.
The data also highlights the continued impact of Wales' default 20mph speed limit policy. On roads with 20mph and 30mph limits combined, collisions fell by 22% while casualties dropped by 20% year-on-year.
When compared with the same period in 2023, before the introduction of the default 20mph speed limit, the figures are even more striking. Collisions on 20mph and 30mph roads combined have declined by 37%, while casualties have fallen by 35%.
According to the Welsh Government, these are the lowest road collision and casualty figures recorded using this reporting methodology, excluding the exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Welcoming the latest statistics, Wales' Deputy Minister for Transport, Mark Hooper, highlighted the role of the policy in improving road safety across the country. He said:
“These latest figures are extremely encouraging and provide more evidence that the 20mph default speed limit is helping to make our roads safer.
“Every one of those figures represents someone who has avoided injury, or death, on our roads.
“I want to thank the police forces across Wales for their continued work in recording this data and keeping our communities safe. We will continue to monitor these trends closely, as part of our ongoing evaluation of the policy, but today’s figures are a strong sign that things continue to move in the right direction.”
The figures are likely to strengthen the Welsh Government's case for retaining the default 20mph policy, which has remained the subject of public and political debate since its introduction. The latest evidence suggests that lower speed limits continue to contribute to safer communities and fewer serious incidents on local roads.
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