In 1865 an Act of Parliament, aimed at steam traction engines, had limited the speed of ‘locomotives’ on roads to 4 miles per hour and decreed that they had to be preceded by a man on foot holding a red flag. Under heavy pressure from motorists, this law was repealed in 1896, allowing motor vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 14 miles per hour. A new national speed limit was introduced in 1904, imposing a maximum of 20 miles per hour on all public highways.
