The Welsh Assembly Government plans to give councils �1.5m to cut speeding on roads at key danger sites.

The aim is to reduce traffic accidents around schools, leisure centres and homes.

Transport Minister Sue Essex announced the "Slower Speeds for Safer Streets initiative" at a school in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, around which a 20mph limit has been introduced.

Possible outcomes

Lower new speed limits More road signs Coloured road surfaces Narrowing of many roads

It came as the Association of Chief Police Officers debated plans to offer improvement courses to drivers caught just a few miles over legal limits.

UK motorists could be forced to pay for and take a �200 course as an alternative to prosecution.

Welsh forces have offered the courses since 1999 to drivers convicted of more serious offences.

Wales' 22 local authorities will receive a portion of the new �1.5m assembly money this financial year.

Councils can use the cash to introduce lower speed limits, add signs, colour road surfaces and narrow roads.

'Safer streets'

But Ms Essex put the onus on them to spend her money wisely - though it amounts to just �68,181 for each authority if divided equally.

"I am looking to local authorities to come up with innovative schemes which will result in a reduction of speed limits in communities that are most vulnerable," she said in a statement.

"We need to make our streets safer for the vulnerable members of our community.

"This is just the start to the campaign for making Wales a safer place to live and work."

She is due to detail in January a broader "Road Safety for Wales" which, she said, would include more cash for councils.