§ Mr. Fordasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what technical reasons led him to fix the 50 mph speed limit; and, in particular, whether he took into account the position of diesel and petrol injection engines and vehicles designed to cruise at an economic speed of 60 to 70 mph.
§ Mr. Tom BoardmanThe speed limit of 50 mph was selected as one which offered a reasonable saving in fuel consumption by reducing wind resistance, consistent with the performance of the modern motor vehicle. Whilst some vehicles may be designed to provide the maximum efficiency at a speed in excess of 50 mph these form only a very small proportion of the 13 million passenger vehicles currently on the road.