Skip to main content

France to reduce national speed limit?

The French government is considering lowering the national speed limit from 130km/h to 120km/h on motorways and from 90km/h to 80km/h on roads. The move, being led by Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls, comes after the recent announcement of a drop in the number of deaths on roads in France during the first half of 2013.
July 15, 2013 Read time: 1 min
The French government is considering lowering the national speed limit from 130km/h to 120km/h on motorways and from 90km/h to 80km/h on roads.

The move, being led by Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls, comes after the recent announcement of a drop in the number of deaths on roads in France during the first half of 2013.

Valls has said that he wants to see the number of roads deaths fall below 2,000 a year by 2020. Speed limits may also be further reduced in cities.

A full set of formal proposals are due to be unveiled by Valls this autumn.

Related Content

  • Cutting speed to cut crashes and boost safety
    February 10, 2021
    Cutting speed can help cut crashes and boost safety.
  • Swiss Government plans more flexible motorway speed limits
    January 21, 2014
    The Swiss Government may extend the use of flexible speed limits, which apply only at certain times, on motorways. In future flexible speed limits could affect 450kms of the country’s motorway network, up from 170kms now. The Government believes that this would lead to a better use of road capacities. Studies have shown that when people drive more slowly they leave smaller gaps between their vehicles and the ones in front. This improves efficiency. According to current plans, the maximum speed will be redu
  • Rise in road deaths in France and Germany for start of 2014
    June 2, 2014
    The latest official data from France and Germany reveals a worrying increase in road related fatalities for the first quarter of 2014. This follows a period of several years in which the casualty statistics have improved. The preliminary figures from Germany's Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, reveal that the number of people killed road traffic crashes in Germany rose by 4.2% to 640 in the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period in the previous year.
  • France a star in road safety
    September 3, 2012
    In the past, France had a poor road safety record. This has turned around to make the country a success story