Advisory 20 m.p.h. speed limits in residential areas are to be introduced in Northern Ireland as part of a 10-year road safety strategy announced yesterday by Ms Angela Smith, the British Minister with responsibility for the environment.
The strategy aims to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 33 per cent overall and by 50 per cent for children.
On average, 150 people die and 1,600 are seriously injured on Northern Ireland's roads each year, mainly due to excessive speed.
Measures in the strategy include the introduction of a safety camera scheme to combat excessive speed and red light running; more use by the PSNI of roadside screening devices for drink and drugs; and fixed penalty notices for not wearing seat-belts.
Further traffic calming measures are also planned, including the introduction of "advisory" 20 m.p.h. speed limits in residential areas, as well as the establishment of "traffic clubs" for pre-school children and a practical child pedestrian safety training scheme.
Welcoming the publication of the strategy, the PSNI Assistant Chief Constable, Mr Duncan McCausland, said the level of deaths and serious injuries on roads in the North was the worst in the UK.