HL Deb 04 June 1984 vol 452 cc481-2WA
Lord Jenkins of Putney

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Although the relationship between speed limits and road deaths is not clear, whether they will estimate what reduction in road deaths would occur in the United Kingdom if the speed limit there was reduced to that now in force in Norway.

Lord Lucas of Chilworth

Such an estimate is not possible because of the difficulty of forecasting what effect a change in speed limits would have on actual speeds. Nor would it be meaningful because conditions vary so much between one country and another. Norway, with lower speed limits than this country, has a death rate of 2.1 per 10,000 motor vehicles, while the USA, which has lower limits still, has a rate of 3.1 per 10,000 motor vehicles. The United Kingdom rate is identical to that of the United States of America.