THE introduction of 30mph speed limits through Hampshire villages has been hailed a success by Hampshire County Council.

One year on from the introduction of the limits, the council’s statistics show the average speed of vehicles travelling through villages has dropped by nine per cent.

After a settling down period the number of vehicles passing through the villages and their driving speeds were monitored over a period of two months and overall it was found average speeds fell from 38.6mph to 35.2mph.

A study by the Transport Research Laboratory shows that for every 1mph reduction in average speed there will be a five per cent reduction in injury accidents.

Cllr Mel Kendal, executive member for environment at Hampshire County Council, said: “It is good to see that the majority of motorists are adapting to the lower speed limits in the county's villages.

“Monitoring of villages in the second wave of the scheme will be undertaken in the autumn and we expect to see similar, positive outcomes.

“County council efficiencies have led to a further £300,000 being identified for the Village 30 scheme and this will mean a further 23 villages having speed limits lowered to 30mph over the coming months."

He continued: "It is disappointing however, that one or two villages are not seeing the same levels of success as others.

“Earlier this year, the county council set aside funding to support the work of the Safer Roads Partnership, enabling two new mobile speed enforcement units to be commissioned, specifically with the aim of targeting villages where the casualty risks are the highest and where motorists are disregarding the new, lower limits.”

The council's Village 30 initiative was set up after revised Department for Transport guidance recommended a 30mph limit should be the norm in villages.

The move has been supported by a widespread road safety campaign across the county called Choose 30.

The Choose 30 message has been heard on the radio and seen on buses countywide.

It has also been promoted in the villages using bin stickers, posters, beer mats and sandwich bags.

Cllr Kendal said: "Setting speed limits at 30mph in our villages is bringing noticeable benefits to rural communities.

“Being able to get around your village more freely and with greater safety plays an important part in the enjoyment of village life.

“Our aim is to get motorists to be more aware of the village communities they are passing through and to moderate their driving to respect the 30mph limit in any village.

"Drivers are expected to adhere to the new speed limits and there are consequences for those who do not. “Anyone caught speeding will be dealt with in the normal way, which could result in a fine and penalty points or referral to a driver awareness course. I must stress, however, that the Village 30 scheme is not about punishing drivers, it is about reducing speeds to increase safety and improve the quality of residents' lives."