Speed limits by country

Main article: Speed limit

A road speed limit is the limit of speed allowed by law for road vehicles, either maximum limit or minimum limit. Speed limits are commonly set by the legislative bodies of national or local governments.

Contents

Overview

The following tables show various jurisdictions' default speed limits (where applicable) that apply to different types of vehicles traveling on three different types of road. Actual speed limits may range beyond these values. Speeds are listed in kilometers per hour. The enforcement tolerance is specified in km/h above the stated limit. For the United Kingdom and the United States, the speed limit is also listed in miles per hour in brackets[fn 1]:

Countries

country within towns automobiles & motorcycles (single carriageway) expressways/motorways (dual carriageway) Trucks or automobiles with trailer outside built-up areas/highways enforcement tolerance
 Albania[1][2] 40 80-90 110 60-70 80
 Argentina 40-60 80-110 100-130 80 110
 Australia 50-60[fn 2] 100-130[fn 2] 80-130[fn 2] 100[fn 3] 80-130[fn 3] 6 in Victoria,[3] 10% over speed limit in other states
 Austria 50 100 130[fn 4] 100[fn 5] 100[fn 6]
 Azerbaijan 60 90 110
 Belarus 60 90 110 ( 90) 70 90
 Belgium 20-50 90 (sometimes 70) 120 60-90 90
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 80 80 130 (motorways)
100 (expressways)		 80
 Brazil 40-70 80-110 80-120 80 (90 for buses) 80-100 7km/h when speed limit = or < 100 km/h and 7% when speed limit > 100 km/h
 Brunei 50 80 100 80 80
 Bulgaria 50 90 ( 80) 130 ( 100) 70 100
 Canada 30-80 60-100 70-110[fn 7] 60-100 70-110
 China 30-60 60-80 100-120 N/A N/A
— Macau 20-60 50-80 60-80 N/A N/A
— Hong Kong 50 30-80 70 (city) - 110 (some sections) 30-70 50-70
 Chile 40-60 80-100 100-120 100 100
 Costa Rica 45 60 80-100 60 80
 Croatia 50 90 130 (motorways)
110 (expressways)		 80 80 10% in all cases; additionally, outside towns there is no penalty for 10 km/h speeding
 Cyprus 50 80 100 80 100 20% unofficially (depends on police officer). tickets can be given from 1kph more than speedlimit
 Czech Republic 50 90 80 (urban expressways & motorways)
130		 80 90
 Denmark[4] 50 80 110-130 70 (80 for buses) 80
— Faroe Islands 50 80
— Greenland 50 80
 Estonia 50 90-110 90 90
 Finland 40-50 80-100[fn 8] 120[fn 8] 80 80
— Åland 50 70-90
 France 50 90
(80 in rain)		 110 (100 in rain)-expressways
130 (110 in rain)-motorways		 60[fn 9]-110 80[fn 10]-130
 Georgia 60 90 110
 Germany 50 100 No Speed Limit
(130 recommended)[fn 11]		 80
100		 No Speed Limit
(130 recommended)		 0%/not necessary on Autobahn
 Greece 50 90 ( 70) 130 ( 80) 80 (School buses 60) 80 (School buses 60)
 Hungary 50 90 110 (on expressway)130 (on motorway) 70 80 5 km/h
 Iceland 50 90 90[fn 12] 80 80
 India 50 80 80 65 50
 Indonesia 30-60 60-80 80-100 60-80 80-100
 Iran 50 70-110 70-120 70-110 70-110
 Ireland 30-50 80-120[fn 13] 120 80-100 80
 Israel 50 80-90 100-110 80 90 10
 Italy 50 (70 on urban fast traffic roads) 90 110 (100 in adverse weather)-expressways
130 (110 in adverse weather)-motorways[fn 14]		 70 80
 Japan 40 50-60 80-100
70-80 (single carriageway expressways)		 50-60 60-80
 Kazakhstan 60/80/100 90-100 110
 Korea, South 30-80 60-80 80-120 40-60 80 10km/h over, reduced penalties less than 20 km/h over
 Latvia 50 90 90-110 80 80-90 Up to 10 km/h over the limit is tolerated on highways
 Lebanon 50 100
 Liechtenstein 50 80 80
 Lithuania 50 70-90 110-130 70-80-90 90
 Luxembourg 50 90 130 (110 in rain) 90 90
 Macedonia 50 80-100 120
 Malaysia 40-60 70-90[fn 15] 110 70-80 80-90
 Malta 25-45 60-80 60
 Mexico 30-70 80-110[fn 16] 100-110 95
 Netherlands[5] 50 (built-up areas)
30 (residential areas)		 80 80-130 (130 on some highways)[6][fn 17] (motorways)
100 (expressways)		 80-90[fn 18] 80 3%
 New Zealand 50 100 100 90 90 4 km/h (school zones and holiday periods) or 10 km/h (otherwise) when enforced by police. Speed cameras have no tolerance but only ticket fastest 15%.
 Norway 50 80-90 100[fn 19] 80 (80 buses, 100 express buses) 80
 Pakistan 40-70 60-100 120 70-80 100 (90 buses)
 Philippines 60 80-100 80-100 80-100 80-100 Vehicles in expressways are allowed to exceed the speed limit up to 120 km/h.
 Poland 50 (60 at night)[fn 20] 90 (single carriageways)
100 (dual carriageways)		 100 (single carriageway expressways)
120 (dual carriageway expressways)
140 (motorways)		 70 80 10 km/h on motorways and expressways
 Portugal 50 90-100 120 70-80 100
 Romania 50
70 (some DN stretches)		 90
100 (E-roads)		 130[fn 21] (motorways)
100 (expressways)		 80
90 (E-roads)		 90 (expressways)
110 (motorways)		 10 km/h
 Russia 60/80/100 90-100 110 ( 90) 70-90 90 10 km/h
 Serbia 50 80 120 80 100
 Singapore 50 80-90 90 60 60 10
 Slovakia[7] 50 90-130 130 90 90
 Slovenia 50 90 130 (motorways)
110 (expressways)		 80 80 7 km/h up to 100 km/h, 8 km/h between 100 and 150 km/h and 9 km/h above 150 km/h
 Saudi Arabia 40-80 100-125 120 80 80
 South Africa 60 80-100 120 80-100 80-100
 Spain 50 90-100[fn 22] 120 (from July 1st 2011) 70-80[fn 23] 80-90[fn 24]
 Sri Lanka 50 70 100 40 70
 Sweden 30-60[fn 25] 70-100[fn 25](110) 110-120[fn 25] 120 limit currenly unenforced[fn 26] 80 80
 Switzerland 50 80-100 120 80 80 0
 Taiwan 40-60 50-80 100-110 60-80 80-90
 Thailand 60-80 90 120 80 100
 Turkey[fn 27] 50 90 ( 80 if L3) 120(motorways)( 100 if L3)
110 (expressways 90 if L3)		 80 90(motorways)
85(expressways)		  %10 over the limit, except for motorways which have zero tolerance
 Ukraine[fn 28] 60 90 ( 80) 110 (dual carriageway)
130 (motorway)
( 80)		 70-90 80 20
 United Arab Emirates 50-60 100-120 100-140 50-80 100-140 ( 80)
 United Kingdom[fn 1] 48 (30 mph)[fn 29] 97 (60 mph)[fn 29] 113 (70 mph) (both Motorways and trunk Dual-carriageways)[fn 30] - 129 (80 mph) proposed for Motorways only from 2013[fn 31] 64–97 (40-60 mph) dependent on class[fn 32] 97-113 (60-70 mph)[fn 32] dependent on class (Motorways)
80-113 (50-70 mph), ditto (trunk Dual-carriageways)		 3–14 km/h(2-9 mph) dependent on limit and jurisdiction[fn 33]. Patrol officers use own discretion (normally 10% + 2mph).
— Gibraltar 30-50
— Isle of Man[fn 1] 48 (30 mph) No Speed Limit N/A N/A
 United States[fn 1] 40-89 (25-55 mph) 89 (55 mph)[fn 34] 89-129 (55-80 mph)[fn 35] Restrictions only in few states, typically 10 mph lower. 89-113 (55-70 mph)[fn 35] Dependent upon state and enforcement officer's discretion. Typically ~5MPH over in speed limit zones 50 and under and ~10MPH in zones 55 and over (highway speeds.) But can be as little as 1 MPH.[8]
 Venezuela 50 80-120 No Speed Limit 40-60 60-120
 Vietnam 50 ( 40) 80 ( 60) 80 ( 60) 70 70
 Zimbabwe 60 80-120 80-120

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d Signs are posted in mph, a situation unlikely to change in the near future.
  2. ^ a b c Default speed limits in Australia vary between states and territories. See Speed limits in Australia for more details.
  3. ^ a b No special limit applies for automobiles with trailers. A 100 km/h speed limit applies for heavy vehicles with a gross vehicle mass of 12 tonnes or more. A 100 km/h limit applies for buses with a gross vehicle mass of 5 tonnes or more. In some Australian states, Road Trains are limited to 90 km/h. In some cases, over steep descents or other potentially dangerous stretches of road, heavy vehicles may have other special speed limits as indicated by signage.
  4. ^ A provisional increase to 160 km/h was in place on a 12 km stretch on the A10 (between Spittal an der Drau and Paternion) in May and June 2006. The 160 km/h speed limit was displayed only during the day (from 5 till 22) and under optimal conditions. In the night (from 22 till 5) the speed limit could be only up to 110 km/h. In bad weather or traffic conditions the displayed speed limit could be lowered. In very poor conditions, the rate was reduced to 80 km/h.
  5. ^ Cars with heavy trailer: 80 km/h; lorries with heavy trailer: 70 km/h.
  6. ^ Cars with heavy trailer: 100 km/h; lorries with heavy trailer: 80 km/h.
  7. ^ Speed limit is 110 km/h in several provinces, 100 km/h in others. It's 70 km/h in Montreal's Metropolitan Expressway. It's 80 km/h-90 km/h in Toronto's Municipal Expressway System.
  8. ^ a b During winter, when conditions are often bad, all Finnish motorways have a speed limit of 100 km/h or less. Also most roads with 100 km/h speed limit in summer have 80 km/h limit during winter.
  9. ^ Speed limit is 60 km/h for trailers on 2-lane non-priority roads.
  10. ^ Speed limit is 80 km/h for lorries and trailers transporting dangerous goods.
  11. ^ 130 km/h is the recommended maximum speed on motorways, as indicated by a blue sign. Many sections of the German motorway network are now covered by speed limits, usually ranging from 80 to 130 km/h (140 km/h as speed limit is being tested in Lower Saxony -some politicians are against it, because 140 km/h is over the recommended maximum speed, depending on local conditions (i.e., frequent traffic, terrain, etc.). It is usual for drivers involved in crashes who were exceeding the 'recommended' speed limit to be held to be at least partly at fault, regardless of the circumstances of the crash, and insurance companies have the right to withhold payment. Already more than 50% Autobahns now have a (partially variable) speed limit. Vehicles also must be able to go faster than 60 km/h.
  12. ^ Iceland does not have expressways/motorways in the traditional sense. There is only one such road, with three and four lanes and no traffic lights. It is within city limits, and the maximum speed is 80 km/h.
  13. ^ 100 km/h is default limit on all National Routes regardless of design standard when local limits do not apply; regional and minor routes have an 80 km/h limit. All limits are signposted either way.
  14. ^ Two and three-lane motorways (autostrada): 130 km/h; since 2003 on some three-lane autostrade a 150 km/h limit was introduced, but is not operative).
  15. ^ The speed limit on Malaysian federal and state roads has been reduced to 80 km/h during festive seasons, starting from the 2006 Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
  16. ^ Some two lane Federal highways are posted at 110 km/h provided they have a paved shoulder.
  17. ^ 120 km/h is the default but substantial sections 100 km/h (in densely populated regions) and 80 km/h (major city ring roads).
  18. ^ In the Netherlands, only cars or vans pulling a trailer with a total weight of less than 3.5 metric tons are allowed to drive 90 km/h, except where a lower speed limit is posted. Vehicles of other categories (i.e. trucks), as well as cars or vans with a trailer weighing more than 3.5 tons are restricted to 80 km/h.
  19. ^ A provisional increase of the speed limit on motorways from 90 to 100 km/h was made permanent when the number of accidents decreased.
  20. ^ 50 km/h in built-up areas during the day (from 5 till 23) and 60 km/h at night (from 23 till 5)
  21. ^ Speed limit is 130 km/h, but no legal sanction is established for driving within 10 km/h over the speed limit.
  22. ^ 100 km/h on: a) one-way roads, b) roads with more than two lanes, or c) roads with shoulders at least 1.5 m wide; 90 km/h elsewhere.
    On two-way roads, cars and motorbikes are allowed to go 20 km/h over the speed limit in order to overtake a slower vehicle in a shorter amount of time.
  23. ^ On roads with a speed limit of 100 km/h for cars and motorbikes: 90 km/h for buses, vans and vehicles with a trailer weighing 750 kg or less, 80 km/h for trucks and vehicles with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg.
    On roads with a speed limit of 90 km/h for cars and motorbikes: 80 km/h for buses, vans and vehicles with a trailer weighing 750 kg or less, 70 km/h for trucks and vehicles with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg.
  24. ^ 100 km/h for buses and vans, 90 km/h for trucks and vehicles with a trailer weighing 750 kg or less, 80 km/h for vehicles with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg.
  25. ^ a b c Sweden is during 2008/2009 introducing new speed limits, where the regular limits 30, 50, 70, 90 and 110 km/h are complemented by 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 km/h. Please see this document for more information In general speed limits of 110 and 120 km/h apply on freeways only (4 lanes). However speed limits of 110 km/h remain on fence-divided 2-3 lane highways in the northern part of the country. Parts of the east-coast European Route E4 north of the city of Gävle towards Haparanda is an example of this. All other 2-3 lane highways previously zoned at 110 km/h have been lowered to either 90 or 100 km/h respectively.
  26. ^ The 120 km/h limit is currently unenforced by the police due to lack of clarity in the legal text, per Teknikens Värld, 3 January 2012.
  27. ^ In June 2010, a motion has taken by the Turkish Grand National Assembly to increase the speed limit in double lane highways in rural areas from 90 km/h to 110 km/h. New law is expected to be valid from July 2010.
  28. ^ New speed limits in Ukraine effective from 2009 April 22
  29. ^ a b UK roads only have three blanket limits for non-towing private vehicles (separate from those for trucks, buses and towing vehicles). 30 mph (48 km/h) in towns (including dual carriageways), 60 mph (97 km/h) on non-urban single carriageway roads, and 70 mph (113 km/h) on all dual-carriageway roads and motorways (including rare single-carriageway motorway sections, and sliproads), which apply without needing signs. Any other limits in force must be clearly posted. For example, 20 mph (32 km/h) limits are common in residential estates and city-centre areas and outside primary schools, whereas 40 mph (64 km/h) limits are common on major urban through-routes, including many 2-lane single-carriageway residential urban roads, and usually come with both zone start/end signs and small repeaters (with 30 mph areas also usually having start/end signs for clarity, but rarely repeaters; 60/70 sections tend to be marked with struck-circle "de-restriction" signs, but very occasionally zone-start and repeaters for clarity or preserving the higher limit on limited-access routes that would otherwise technically class as an urban road). Higher limits in urban areas are usually reserved for limited-access dual carriageways. Lower limits are common on dual carriageways superseded by motorways or of poor quality, even some major intercity routes. Permanent, mandatory lower motorway limits are rare but do exist, e.g. 50 mph (80 km/h) is generally applied on tidal flow sections, in tunnels, some bridges or sections of substandard alignment and junction structure. Variable, legally-enforceable limits for traffic control (including hard-shoulder running at up to 50~60 mph) are being gradually introduced (at time of writing, on sections of the M25, M42 and M6) and may go as low as 20 mph (32 km/h) in 10 mph steps. Any other speed signs on motorways are usually advisory-only but may be used for proportioning liability in accidents.
  30. ^ All non-urban, all-purpose (i.e. not limited to motor traffic, except in the case of "A(M)" roads) dual carriageways are subject to the same 70 mph limit for light vehicles as motorways, but lower limits (50 and 60 mph) are in place for heavy trucks, buses/minibuses and towing vehicles. These roads take the place of motorways where a high-traffic trunk route is required but building a motorway would be impractical for reasons of cost, land take or geography. In the latter case, steeper or more winding alignments and less forgiving junctions than would be found on motorways necessitate lower limits for some stretches - as low as 30 mph in some cases, e.g. around Penmaenbach on the A55 in Wales, or a less severe 60 mph restriction on some parts of the A38 and A45.
  31. ^ Announced 29th September 2011 and reported in most national newspapers on the 30th, along with expanded plans for 20 mph (32 km/h) urban limits. As seen in The Guardian, Daily Mail and Independent. There has been some suggestion that the higher limit may only apply to electrically powered vehicles, as reported in Autocar.
  32. ^ a b Generally in the UK, lorries over a laden weight of 7500 kg are mechanically or electronically speed-limited to 56 mph (90 km/h) because of overriding European law, even on motorways where they are legally permitted (under UK law) to travel at 60 mph. Some heavier machines are further limited to 53  (85 km/h) for the same reasons, and carry warning plates to this effect. Some lorries or trucks between a laden weight of 3500 kg and 7500 kg are also speed-limited to 56 mph (90 km/h) on all roads. On non-motorway roads, heavier trucks are legally limited to 40 (single-carriageway) or 50 (dual carriageway) mph (64 and 80 km/h), medium trucks and buses/commercial van-based minibuses to 50 and 60 mph (80 and 97 km/h), though the latter are further divided by being allowed to respectively travel at 60 and 70 mph on motorways (97 and 113 km/h). Light commercial vans are subject to the same 60/70/70 mph limits as private cars and motorcycles, and towing cycles/cars/vans subject to medium truck 50/60/60 limits.
  33. ^ No blanket national guidelines exist, but most regional police forces are mooted to allow a 2 mph, 10%, or 10% + 2 mph tolerance (upper limits, IE these are the minimum speeds that will attract penalty), with no clear information on which level is in place in each jurisdiction. A driver on a 60 mph road may be able to sustain 61.9 or 67.9 mph without penalty either side of a border. 20 mph zones typically have a 5 mph tolerance to allow for poorer speedometer accuracy, increased difficulty of keeping to a constant low speed (and that these roads were typically under 30 mph limits until recently), and an understanding that the nature of a road attracting a 20 mph limit means drivers will need to be more vigilant and not "clock watching". Patrolling police officers not using static speed traps are free to make their own judgments depending on traffic, road conditions and driver behaviour - speeds in excess of 80 mph are often left unchallenged on free flowing trunk routes, but dangerously swift yet technically legal driving can still be prosecuted under separate statutes (dangerous driving, undue care and attention, etc), e.g. 60 mph on that same road in traffic and freezing fog. (Unofficial data)
  34. ^ The lower speed limit in large inner-cities may be as low as 45 mph (72 km/h) for example on I-90/94 which goes through Chicago. In many urban areas, controlled-access highways typically take 5 - 15 mph off the speed limit. For example, in Cleveland and Cuyahoga county, the speed limit is 60 mph (97 km/h). Once out of the county, the speed limit returns to 65 mph (105 km/h).
  35. ^ a b The state of Hawaii posts a 55 mph (89 km/h) speed limit on many Interstate highways.

Country specific

Europe

In some countries in Europe, traffic calming is gradually becoming a regular part of urban traffic management, after a long evolution of opinions and attitudes towards car use and vulnerable road users. From 1980 regulations for 30 km/h zones were enacted and have been widely applied. New urban policies have been defined with a view to encouraging a switch from car use to public transport and non-motorised modes (cycling, walking), with the additional condition of lower speeds to improve safety of vulnerable road users, for example national policies such as "Sustainable Safety" in the Netherlands or "Vision Zero" in Sweden.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Kodiak Rigorous i Republics st Shqipërisë" (in (Albanian)). Sq.wikibooks.org. 2010-11-15. http://sq.wikibooks.org/wiki/Kodi_Rrugor_i_Republik%C3%ABs_s%C3%AB_Shqip%C3%ABris%C3%AB/9. Retrieved 2010-11-25. 
  2. ^ DEATHTRAP
  3. ^ http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/victoria-speed-limit-tolerance-level-revealed/story-e6frfkp9-1111113899196}
  4. ^ "LBK nr 1100 af 08/11/2006". retsinformation.dk. https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=2455#P43. Retrieved 2011-11-26. 
  5. ^ Postbus 51: Verkeer, voertuigen en wegen (in Dutch)
  6. ^ [1] (in Dutch)
  7. ^ "V obci sa bude jazdiť 50, pokuty budú vyššie". SME.sk. http://www.sme.sk/c/3453118/v-obci-sa-bude-jazdit-50-pokuty-budu-vyssie.html. Retrieved 2009-11-16. 
  8. ^ Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2010-08-23). "Metropolitan Police Department: Speeding Laws, Fines and Safety Tips". Mpdc.dc.gov. http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1240,Q,547984,mpdcNav_GID,1552,mpdcNav,. Retrieved 2011-11-26. 
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