Speeding
Excess of inappropriate speed is a major cause of road crashes.
The faster you drive, the longer it takes you to stop.
North Yorkshire’s rural roads can conceal many dangers, you never know what could be around the corner so you must take extra care.
- Don’t assume that it’s safe to break the speed limit on rural roads just because there is less traffic.
- Be aware that there could be unforeseen and dangerous hazards such as slow-moving vehicles or animals.
Vehicles have different limits depending on their size, weight and the type of road they are travelling on.
| Type of Vehicle | Built-up areas* mph |
Single Carriageways mph |
Dual Carriageways mph |
Motorways mph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and motorcycles (including car-derived vans up to 2 tonnes maximum laden weight) | 30 | 60 | 70 | 70 |
| Cars towing caravans or trailers (including car-derived vans) | 30 | 50 | 60 | 60 |
| Buses, coaches and minibuses (not exceeding 12 metres in overall length) | 30 | 50 | 60 | 70 |
| Goods vehicles (not exceeding 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight) | 30 | 50 | 60 | 70** |
| Goods vehicles (exceeding 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight) | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 |
* The 30 mph limit usually applies to all traffic on all roads with street lighting unless signs show otherwise.
** 60 mph if articulated or towing a trailer.
Reporting a Speed Concern
We want everyone to be able to use our roads safely whether they cycle, walk, drive or ride and whether they use the roads for work or leisure.
Working with all partners, we have developed a Speed Management Protocol so that residents can raise concerns about speeding and see how they will be assessed and responded to. This is the same whether the complaint is from a parish or district council, a resident, or has been raised as a concern by a local police officer or school governor.
To find out more about the protocol or to report a site where speeding is causing concern, follow this link Speed Management Protocol (SMP) | North Yorkshire Police
Community Speed Watch
Community Speed Watch
This is a scheme set up for the public to let us know about locations where they’re concerned about speeding.
We’ll assess the location and if we think it’s a good and safe place for monitoring to happen, trained members of the community will visit the location to record the details of offending vehicles.
What’s captured:
Anyone caught speeding will be sent a letter from us informing them of their offence.
We also monitor the data so we can take action against repeat offenders or those severely breaking the speed limit.
Join the Scheme
If you’d like to join a Community Speed Watch group near you, or want to know more about the scheme, click the button:
Report a location
If you want to share a location where speeding is a concern you can do that online.
Please note: any information you give will be shared with other agencies and organisations who are members of the York & North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership and they may contact you to ask for more information.
