With concern growing over a spate of road accidents on country roads in recent months – several involving grey nomads – new research has shown that cutting speed limits could be the most effective way to reduce the carnage.
The Centre for Automotive Safety Research says that, since speed limits were reduced from 110km/h to 100km/h on some rural roads in South Australia back in 2003, there has been a 27.4% reduction in the number of casualty crashes on those roads.
The study estimated that 15 lives have been saved and around 230 casualties avoided.
“It’s been shown again and again and again, by this study, that lowering speed limits works,” said co-author, Craig Kloeden. “Even small changes in speed can have big effects on safety,”
The 2003 change affected around 1000 rural arterial roads in South Australia, but it is understood the state government and local councils are now looking to reduce the speed limit on more roads.
When asked about why places like Germany have a lower per capita road toll than Australia despite no speed limits on many of its autobahns, Mr Kloeden told motoring.com.au that autobahns had protected sides and separated traffic flows, so higher speeds were more appropriate.
He said to get Australian roads to that standard ‘would cost billions of dollars’.
“Given South Australia’s limited population and long sections of roads with low traffic, you get the same effect from lowering the speed limit,” he said.
* Do you think the speed limit all rural roads should be no more than 100km/h? Comment below.
Do you think the speed limit all rural roads should be no more than 100km/h?
No I don’t, in parts of the NT, Qld, and WA the distances between towns and settlements could mean boredom setting in and no saving in accidents.
My view is that on many of these outback roads the speed limit should not exceed 100KPH. What more does one want, at the end of an hour you have covered 100 klms. Surely that is enough distance in an hour.
What the hell is the hurry. If you need to be in a certain at a specific time, then set the alarm at 30 min. early.
Dead on time does not make sense to me.
Jay&Dee
Given that Germany can fit into the Australian continent comfortably a good few times, of course it would cost billions to up the standard of Australian roads. If the design and maintenance of Australian roads was kept up to date, less accidents would occur. Lowering the speed limits encourage people to fall asleep and also frustrates drivers on long haul trips including truck drivers. Australia has some of the longest rural roads in the world.
We travelled for five months in our MH on European “autobahns”. This is the difference – driver attitude. Although the speed limit may be 130KPH, in practice very few drive at this speed. We were quite comfortable at 95KPH in the truck lane. Never experienced aggro . . .
Back when I lived in the Eastern Wheatbelt of W A I drove at 100 MILES PER HOUR not 100 km/h younger and sillier but we knew how to drive. It was an open limit . we all drove fast. skinny roads, we had to get over when another vehicle came towards us, so maybe we were more alert. dunno but I have slowed down; still drive at the max allowed though
I believe it really depends on the road and has to be taken case by case.
A few years ago they reduced the speed on the Newel Highway between the Victorian boarder to the Queensland border as they believed speed was the problem. After leaving it that way for a few years there was more deaths then ever before, due to fatigue.
A lot of our rural road are, at best, ordinary. Due no doubt, to the righting of the dollars spent on renewal and maintenance. You just have to compare city roads to the rurals and you can see the difference. One has only watch a new freeway being built, where so much time and effort is spent on the “beatification” of the edges of the roadway and bridges and then the last bit is spent on the actual road surface, is just disgraceful. I am sure if the priority was give to the road surface first, our roads would be better built to allow for better management of speed limits.
Lastly there is nothing more infuriating than having a 100kph 2 lane highway upgrade to a multi lane divided road and the speed limit reduced to 80kph.
As I see it the problem is not necessarily the speed limit but the insistance by many drivers that they HAVE to drive at these speeds rather than understand the limit is the MAXIMUM speed allowed. As a Grey Nomad towing a small van I see no need to exceed 90kph … better fuel consumption, arrive more relaxed, able to take more notice of road and weather conditions, able to safely observe the countryside travelling through ….. Why are people so impatient??
Having just returned from USA on holidays and driving on freeways highways posted at 75mph and hanging with the traffic sitting on 85-90mph and a police car just cruised past us in the faster lane.
The trucks and slower moving vehicles had there own lane.
Nobody died no children were harmed etc etc.
The “revenue raising” in Australia is well beyond a joke and too many people whinge and whine…
I am a firm believer that a lot of the accidents on country roads are from drivers that have no understanding of what a vehicle will and can do in the bad conditions that a country road puts in front of you every time you drive them.
Our licensing system is only targeted at driving on a well maintained pavement road.
The current vehicles with all the electronic junk gives people a false sense of security and for someone that can actually drive a vehicle it is to the point of being unnerving when it kicks in. eg On a slippery clay surface good luck getting an abs vehicle to stop you quick.
Higher limits mean that other drivers can safely overtake slower vehicles, spending less time on the wrong side of the road.
1) The author has totally ignored the experience in the NT – lowered lints, increased deaths. Fact!
2) While deaths may have decreased in that area of SA, where is the evidence of causual linkage? After all, everyone who drinks water dies. Is drinking water the cause of fatalities?
3) Differential speeds can be positive. If a car/caravan combo travels at 90 when the posted limit is 110, cars will be able to pass it more quickly (and safely).
4) The onus is on a driver delaying traffic to allow others to pass (safely) as soon as possible. I liked the idea in some US states that if you have five vehicles behind you, you MUST pull off to let them pass. It’s not too difficult to check every few minutes.
BTW, if anyone thinks 90 towing is too slow, just remember you’re controlling around twice the weight you normally drive, and you have far less control over the towed vehicle.
Since 2003 the annual road toll in SA has dropped from around 156 to around 97 – a 38% reduction. And in period 2003 – 2014 total road deaths in SA were 1422 – so a saving of 15 is only 1%. Seems to me Craig Kloeden is not being completely transparent
I have located Report CASR 115 and done some of my own analysis. That suggests the reduction in casualty crashes due to the speed limit change was possibly only 10% or less and not the 27.4 % claimed.