ETSC statement on Dutch 100 km/h motorway speed limit proposal
Commenting on the Dutch government’s plans to decrease the speed limit on motorways during daytime from 130 km/h to 100 km/h, Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council commented:
“Higher speeds are always associated with a higher frequency of collisions and more severe consequences. So a reduction in speeds on Dutch motorways will save lives. That’s to be welcomed, especially as motorway deaths in the Netherlands reached their highest level in a decade last year. (1)
“However, it is important to point out that almost 40% of deaths on motorways in the EU occur during hours of darkness. (2) Switching back at night to 130 km/h – a relatively high limit by European standards – cannot be recommended from a safety point of view.
“It should go without saying that enforcement will be critically important to the effectiveness of this measure. But in recent years the Netherlands has cut back on enforcement of traffic offences. We hope the new measure will go hand-in-hand with a boost to police checks.”
(1) https://etsc.eu/more-enforcement-needed-to-reverse-decline-in-dutch-motorway-safety/