The road where the Duke of Edinburgh crashed his car is having its speed limit cut due to a number of “serious accidents”.
In 2019, Prince Philip flipped his Land Rover Freelander on the A149 in Norfolk after colliding with a Kia. He was 97 at the time.
The duke, who said he was dazzled by the low sun, was uninjured – but two women in the other vehicle had to receive hospital treatment.
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Broken glass and car parts on the A149, where the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road accident
He apologised for his involvement in the accident near the Queen’s Sandringham Estate, voluntarily surrendered his driving licence, and did not face charges.
Norfolk County Council said the speed limit on the A149 will be cut to 50mph following a consultation carried out last year – a reduction from the current 60mph.
The change will affect the main road between Babingley and the Dersingham roundabout, and between Snettisham and Heacham.
The southern section of the A149, between Babingley and the roundabout with the B1440, has seen eight personal injury accidents over the last five years, with one categorised as serious.
The northern side of the road, which runs between Paper Hall Farm and Heacham, has seen even more crashes over the same period – with 10 personal injury accidents recorded, including one fatality and two other serious collisions.
The new speed limit will come into effect this autumn and 50mph signs will be installed.
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Prince Philip driving near Balmoral Castle in Scotland in 2018. Pic: Peter Jolly/REX/Shutterstock
Councillor Martin Wilby, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “Sadly this part of the A149 has seen a number of serious accidents due to excessive speeds so I welcome this change to help make the route safer for the more than 14,000 vehicles that use it every day.
“We hope this safety improvement will help to complement other recent changes along the road between King’s Lynn and Hunstanton that has seen average-speed cameras installed and changes to road signs and markings.”
The duke’s incident happened at the Babingley crossroads.
He died aged 99 on 9 April this year, just two months before he would have turned 100.
