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Speed limit sign on a single-carriageway road indicating a speed limit of 50 mph (80 km/h). The limits are posted on both sides of the road. Sign at the Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border indicating that limits in Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) are given in miles per hour, unlike those in the Republic, which are given in ...
A speed limit is the limit of speed allowed by law for road vehicles, usually the maximum speed allowed. Occasionally, there is a minimum speed limit. [1] Advisory speed limits also exist, which are recommended but not mandatory speeds. Speed limits are commonly set by the legislative bodies of national or local governments.
All main countries/regions, except for the United States and the United Kingdom, use the metric system. Some mark this fact by using units on various signs. Note that some smaller English-speaking countries in the Caribbean also use miles per hour. Advisory speed limit signs in most countries list units, although New Zealand does not.
The United Kingdom has a well developed and extensive network of roads totalling about 262,300 miles (422,100 km). Road distances are shown in miles or yards and UK speed limits are indicated in miles per hour (mph) or by the use of the national speed limit (NSL) symbol.
A 2003 survey of drivers for the Department for Transport found that 58% break speed limits on 30 mph roads and 25% break them by more than 5 mph. 57% break speed limits on motorways and 20% break them by more than 10 mph. [4] In 2002 the Select Committee on Transport stated that "Most drivers and pedestrians think speeds are generally too high ...
Meanwhile, in Ireland, its recent speed limit transition from miles per hour to kilometres per hour didn't take effect until 20 January 2005, although distance road signs had already been labelled in metric since the 1970s. [7] The US territory of Puerto Rico uses a mix – speed limits are in mph but distance signs are marked in km.
The United Kingdom uses mostly imperial units on road signs for distance measurements and speed limits. [6] Vehicle weight limits are signed only in metric (TSRGD 1981) but older signs with height, width and length restrictions may show metric units in addition to imperial. For distances only miles and yards are used.
Speed limits in the United States vary depending on jurisdiction. Rural freeway speed limits of 70 to 80 mph (113 to 129 km/h) are common in the Western United States, while such highways are typically posted at 65 or 70 mph (105 or 113 km/h) in the Eastern United States. States may also set separate speed limits for trucks and night travel ...