On This Day: 70mph speed limit imposed on motorways

DECEMBER 22, 1965: Britain’s 70mph top speed limit was imposed on motorways on this day in 1965 – in what was supposed to be only a temporary measure.

The trial was introduced due to the high number of accidents while drivers were free to go as fast as they liked after the first highway – the M1 – was opened in 1959.

The two-year experiment by the Department of Transport was deeply unpopular and led to protest campaigns by motoring groups such as the RAC and AA.

Silent British Pathé footage shows hundreds of – mostly male - drivers attending a demonstration at Newport Pagnell service station on the M1 in Buckinghamshire.

But by 1967 – when Transport Secretary Barbara Castle made her decision to make the speed limit permanent – polls showed 61 per cent of Britons were in favour.

This was due to studies by the Government’s Road Research Laboratory that showed casualties had been cut by 20 per cent and 60 lives had been saved.

However, motoring groups and manufacturers still doubted the report’s finding and demanded the speed limit was scrapped.

Lord Chesham, executive vice-chairman of the RAC, then said: 'There are enough red herrings in this report to fill the hold of the largest Grimsby trawler.'

Today, Britain’s top speed limit is one of the slowest in Europe and there have been repeated calls to increase it.

For example, France, Holland, Austria and Denmark are among 17 countries on the continent where motorists can legally drive at 80mph (130km/h) on their motorways.

Notably, Germany has no speed limit on the majority of its autobahn, although drivers’ insurance is voided if they crash while going over 80mph.

The British Government had intended to raise the speed limit - but allegedly ditched the plans amid fears that it would alienate women voters.

Former Transport Secretary Philip Hammond had in 2011 claimed the 70mph limit had been 'discredited' and a rise to 80mph would boost the economy.

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But Patrick McLoughlin, who now fills the Cabinet post, said in June this year that the move was no longer a priority.

Polls have shown a majority of drivers would support the move, but significant numbers of women were against it.

Speed limits for motorists were first enforced in Britain in 1861.

The 1965 'red flag' amendment to the Locomotives Act (since early cars were called 'light locomotives') required vehicles to drive at 2mph in towns while a man walked 60 yards in front either waving a banner or carrying a lantern.

But limits, which later rose to 20mph, were abolished  in 1931 after being 'so universally disobeyed that its maintenance brought the law into contempt'.

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Three years later, a top legal speed of 30mph was introduced in built-up areas, which still left drivers to go as fast as they liked on country roads.

This remained the case until 1965.

Ministers decided to act because the establishment of motorways combined with cars that were capable of ever faster speeds alongside increases in traffic.

There are now a variety of speed limits in operation depending of the type of road and vehicles.

For cars, the National Speed Limit is 70mph for multi-carriage highways and 60mph for single track roads in non-urban areas.