National speed limit sign: what it means

National speed limit sign: a white circle with a black diagonal stripe
Image: Crown copyright, OGL

The national speed limit sign means the national limit for that type of road and vehicle applies: for a car, 60 mph on a single carriageway and 70 mph on a dual carriageway.

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What it means

The sign has no number because the limit depends on the road and on your vehicle. The table in rule 124 gives the limits. For cars and motorcycles they are 60 mph on single carriageways and 70 mph on dual carriageways and motorways.

Some vehicles have lower limits. A car towing a caravan or trailer, for example, has a national limit of 50 mph on a single carriageway and 60 mph on a dual carriageway or motorway.

Where you see it

Where a lower limit ends, for example as you leave a town or village. On roads with street lights (other than motorways), smaller repeater signs remind you that the national limit still applies (Know your traffic signs).

A common mistake

Thinking it always means 70 mph. On a single carriageway it means 60 mph for a car, and rule 125 says a limit is the absolute maximum, not a speed that is always safe.

Quick quiz

You pass a national speed limit sign on a single carriageway road, in a car with no trailer. What is the limit?

  1. 50 mph
  2. 60 mph
  3. 70 mph
Show answer

B. 60 mph. Rule 124: for cars and motorcycles the national limit on a single carriageway is 60 mph. Source: The Highway Code, rule 124, GOV.UK; The Highway Code, rule 125, GOV.UK; Know your traffic signs: speed limit signs, GOV.UK; The Highway Code: traffic signs, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Compare with

Next in regulatory signs: 30 mph speed limit sign. See all regulatory signs or the full road signs list.

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Sources

  1. The Highway Code, rule 124, GOV.UK
  2. The Highway Code, rule 125, GOV.UK
  3. Know your traffic signs: speed limit signs, GOV.UK
  4. The Highway Code: traffic signs, GOV.UK
  5. Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Traffic sign images are Crown copyright, from the Department for Transport. Sources and image credits.