People are angry that the 20mph limit reduced their insurance premiums

-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)


Many people have reacted angrily after an insurance company said it offered lower premiums for people living in and near 20mph zones.

Earlier this week the insurance company Esure said that drivers in areas with the 20mph limit are likely to see an average of £50 off their premiums compared to people who don’t.

While this might sound like good news, some people were very angry because their car insurance had gone up overall. Despite it being made clear that they company doing this was Esure, many were incredulous.

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Commenting on WalesOnline's Facebook page Chris Bielski said: "What insurance company is doing this???? I live in Wales and mine has increased."

This was echoed Graham Hadlow who said: "Which insurance company is this? I’ll be sure to get a quote. Insurance has increased year on year - I’m sure this has been encouraged by the government to ensure that fewer people can afford to own a car."

There is not doubt that many people have seen their car insurance rise in recent years. WalesOnline asked Esure CCO Peter Martin-Simon why this was. He said: “Quite a lot of people have seen insurance prices go up in the last two years in particular. A lot of that is based on it going down a lot through Covid. You also have to to take into account that inflation has increased energy costs for body shops as well as car repairs. BMW headlamps for example can now take 18 months now which drags the waits out.”

Tracy Swift took issue with the cost of implementing the 20mph limit. "Check out how much the tax payers payed towards the twenty mile an hour signs," she said. "And tax payers payed for it, only to realise that it was a total waste of money."

Despite the whole policy costing £32m to introduce, there is strong evidence that it is already recouping that money for the taxpayer.

If you compare the number of casualties in 20 and 30mph zones in the first quarter of 2024 with the same period in 2023:

  • The total number of casualties has gone from 510 to 377 - a 26% fall.

  • The number killed and seriously injured has gone from 101 to 78 - a 23% fall.

  • If we break that down further, the number killed has gone from 11 to five - a 55% drop.

  • Slight injuries are down from 409 to 299 - a 27% reduction.

It is estimated that this saved over £19.9 million in just three months. Other people expressed their fury that they had to drive a bit slower. Anwar Taylor said: "They think we got nothing better to do than drive like a slug in traffic all day. If the Govt cut the tax on petrol and diesel we would save more than double what the so called experts are saying."

Dean Rees added: "I’ve been overtaken in my car by pushbikes in 20mph zones . Yet I’m the one that gets penalised when I go over the limit . It’s basically a ploy to get people out of their cars and onto public transport. There are far too many cars on the road and the infrastructure is not built for it ."