The Association of British Drivers (ABD) is leading calls for the government to pass the control of speed limits to the police rather than local councils.

The organisation has criticised the coalition's localism agenda which, it says has transferred most powers to local authorities with police "experts" being ignored. It says that this has led to drivers lacking respect for the limits and criminalising some drivers with artificially low limits.

Brian Gregory, ABD chairman said: "Speed limits are a vital road safety tool. Setting them incorrectly, ignoring expert advice and established scientific principles is a dangerous game. Any objections to limits these days, even by police traffic officers, are simply overruled in a rubber stamping exercise."

Brian McDowell, an ABD representative, says that the main problem is that councillors see speed limits as vote winners but their knowledge of what causes accidents to occur is lacking. He said: "Having amateurs set speed limits is akin to giving a small child your car keys".

http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/1692.html