Drivers in Wales are being urged to not to rely on sat nav devices when a nationwide speed limit reduction is introduced on Sunday.

Most Welsh roads that currently have 30mph limits will change to 20mph – and the RAC has said motorists should “pay full attention” to road signs rather than electronic devices.

First Minister Mark Drakeford has said the change will protect lives and reduce the strain on the NHS in Wales – saving the country’s health service £92m a year.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s vitally important that drivers are fully aware of the arrival of the 20mph limit in Wales, and pay full attention to all road signage.

“And, until sat nav systems have been fully updated, they shouldn’t rely on them to know what the speed limit is on any particular stretch of Welsh road.”

He added that compliance with 20mph limits is “quite poor” and argued that it would be “more effective to target areas where they are most needed” such as residential roads or streets with high footfall.

“Even if compliance with new 20mph limits is poor, it should lead to an overall reduction in speeds which will have a positive effect on road safety,” Mr Williams said.

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Some of the new speed limit signs in areas such as Conwy, Gwynedd, Newport, Torfaen, Wrexham and Flintshire have been defaced, according to reports.

Meanwhile, the Welsh Conservatives, who are against the change, have highlighted government documents which estimate that increased journey times could cost the country’s economy between £2.7bn and £8.9bn.

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Mr Drakeford has addressed concerns over how the new speed limits will be enforced.

“It is not a change that is being introduced in order to make life difficult for people and therefore the enforcement authorities will approach it in that way,” he said.

“The approach will be a reasonable one in which we give people a chance to get used to the new regime.

“And then, as the police say, people who flagrantly and deliberately are not prepared to obey the rules that everybody else will be following, then that will be a different matter.”

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The first minister has also insisted that there are multiple upsides to the lowered limit.

“It will help make our streets quieter, reducing noise pollution, and slower speeds will give more people the confidence to cycle and walk around their local areas and encourage children to play outdoors,” he said earlier this month.

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