The Welsh Labour Government has announced plans to lower the speed limit threshold in 20mph zones (Image: Getty)
A Senedd member has hit out at the proposal to cut the threshold for speeding offences, causing motorists to travel even slower to .
As the country continues to enforce on restricted roads, the Welsh Government plans to lower the speeding threshold by 2mph to 24mph.
Reacting to the decision, , Senedd Member for South Wales and former leader of the Welsh Conservatives, stated that it would put further pressure on motorists.
He warned: “Dropping this threshold would be utter madness. The is crackers enough without implementing a low threshold which is hard to match at low speeds.
“Labour’s failed should be dropped.”
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Currently, Welsh drivers can travel at speeds of up to 26mph without being prosecuted (Image: Getty)
Sometimes referred to as tolerances, speeding thresholds are enforced to avoid motorists being wrongfully accused of breaking the speed limit due to inaccurate equipment.
Currently, the threshold enforced throughout Wales in 20mph zones is 10 percent of the road’s speed limit plus an additional 4mph, meaning that drivers will only be prosecuted if they are caught travelling at 26mph.
However, in a bid to reduce the number of accidents taking place on the roads, the Welsh Labour Government plans to apply the same threshold found on faster-moving roads across the UK, meaning motorists could be fined for driving at 24mph.
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Restricted roads were lowered from 30 to 20mph across most of Wales in September 2023 (Image: Getty)
Previously, the road safety campaign group GoSafe stated that the higher tolerance on 20mph roads in Wales was introduced to help police officers tackle more extreme cases of speeding.
They explained: “While the public get used to the change in default limit, chief police officers have allowed us to increase this to 10 per cent plus 4mph in 20mph only, meaning we start to prosecute at 26mph in a 20mph limit.
“The increased enforcement threshold is scheduled to be reviewed by chief officers in March 2025, however, they will continue to monitor it and may review it before this date. Any change will be communicated in advance through official sources.”
No matter where a driver is travelling, straying over the speed limit is a serious offence that can come with a number of significant consequences.
Whilst it depends on how fast a motorist was caught driving and the type of road they were using, the minimum penalty a driver can face is a £100 fine and three points on their licence.
However, this can skyrocket to a maximum fine of £2,500, particularly if a driver was spotted breaking a speed limit on the motorway.