NSW NRMA’s regional director Graham Blight recently told the media that the RTA’s hidden agenda is to drop the state-wide speed limit to 90km/h. Mr Blight’s allegations came as the RTA dropped the speed limit on the Newell Highway fell from 110km/h in places to 100 on December 1. Mr Blight suggests the RTA’s first step in this process is to get rid of 110km/h zones that aren’t on divided roads (read: freeways and motorways).
Will driving at 90 kays an hour make your trip safer? Probably not, but let’s just say the jury’s out on that. Crashes that start at 90km/h generally end better than those that kick off at 100 (or 110), but adding 10 per cent to your driving time opens the door even further to the other big long-distance killer – fatigue. Will driving at a reduced speed make the trip longer? Certainly – in time, if not in distance.
The reduction in the Newell’s limit wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. There was the RTA on one side and a vocal community, NRMA, business and even police opposition to the then proposal – which the NSW RTA simply turned a deaf ear to, and ultimately steamrollered over. The NSW Police’s western region commander Steve Bradshaw told the ABC: “Reducing speed [on the Newell Highway] won’t make much of a difference. Other things need to be targeted, like fatigue.”
The new speed limit adds one hour onto the 1060-kilometre trip from Victoria to Queensland along the Newell. It also means trucks and passenger vehicles are all limited to the same 100km/h speed – making overtaking a heavy vehicle in front all the more difficult.
In one of its more Orwellian statements, the RTA said the lower limit was a benefit to all road users. Here’s what an RTA spokesperson said about that recently: “It is expected that the reduction in the speed limit will also reduce the difference in travel speeds between the various road users on the open road and reduce the need for overtaking.”
Huh? Frankly, fewer things seem are less appealing than the prospect of driving behind a B-double for several hours along the Newell Highway for want of an extra 10km/h of overtaking ability. That extra 10km/h was an asset, not a liability, as every experienced long-distance driver knows.
Politically it’s easier to drop the speed limit than it is to spend money on engineering upgrades (and maintenance) on our roads – engineering deficiencies being another major killer that the NSW RTA fails to acknowledge, possibly because it is also the agency tasked with upgrading the roads.
Mr Blight says reducing the Newell’s speed limit to 100 is the first step in a campaign to reduce state-wide speed limits on all undivided highways to 100km/h and then to 90 kays. This allegation is based on comments Mr Blight says RTA members have made at NRMA meetings.
“There are a few fanatical guys within the RTA who are totally anti-speed and they have a campaign to get every speed limit in NSW down to 100. We had a guy from the RTA at our policy committee the other day who actually under a fair bit of pressure let it slip that now they might be thinking about 90,” he said recently.
There is certainly a number of so-called ‘experts’ within the RTA and in the other state regulatory agencies whose view is that road safety is something so complex that non-academics – ordinary people like us, if you like – simply are not cut out to understand it, nor is an average person’s view on road safety policy of any value.
In the RTA, the poster boy for this group of experts is Dr Soames Job, director of the RTA’s Centre for Road Safety. According to the Centre’s website, the agency exists to develop “new solutions to the biggest killer on our roads – speeding”. Dr Job says that there is no evidence adding one hour to the trip along the Newell will increase fatigue. Let’s hope he’s right, because even the RTA acknowledges that fatigue (not speed) is the number-one cause of serious crashes on the Newell.
Adding an hour to a remote trip will surely increase the potential for fatigue, not reduce it. If fatigue is the biggest contributor to crashing on that road (and the NRMA, the cops and the RTA agree that it is) then the RTA is playing a dangerous game. Dr Job doesn’t agree.
“There is no evidence that this is the case. Naive assertions such as this have the potential to cost lives in western NSW,” he said.
The NSW RTA is so impossibly arrogant that it is no longer even accountable to its own regulations and policies when it comes to reviewing speed limits. Its own Speed Zoning Guidelines (pp 16-17) state that stakeholder consultation is an essential part of the speed limit review process. You’d think that if senior police, who are at the coal face when things go wrong on the Newell, and the NRMA, which represents the Newell’s road users, and the local communities disagree strongly with the proposal, then maybe the RTA would re-think its position. And pigs might fly…
The first of those 90km/h signs will go up in NSW before you know it.
Sigh… and this will mean more speed camera revenue, no doubt. This report comes about just as the QLD government has announced they’ll introduce fully unmarked speed camera vehicles and point-to-point speed cameras like in the UK.
Makes the 0-100 km/h in 25 seconds Great Wall ute seem more attractive, lol.
Oh they’d love point to point in this country, while it is used in the UK, it’s not extensive, I was caught once in 7 years between juntion 33 and 34 of the M4 in Wales, been back here just over a year, don’t speed anywhere as much as I did in the UK yet already been pinged twice, luckily the first time was in my UK licence so I have only racked up 3 points. Reducing the speed limit won’t sort out accident problems, driver education will work. Drivers need to learn to concentrate, most people that get their licence get into the second nature frame of mind, because they drive so often they allow their concentration to lapse, then accidents happen.
(click to show comment)
So Golfie, were did you stay in Scotland, cause it’s a beautiful place, isn’t it?
If this speculation is correct, then we have a major problem developing with the RTA ignoring police and community input.
(click to show comment)
The RTA works for the Government. The Government will get rid of this silly speed change when the public makes them aware they will be voted out at the next election for turning NSW into a police state.
Fortunately I live in QLD. Unfortunately, draconian laws like this will probably drive (no pun intended) more people north of the border.
“It is expected that the reduction in the speed limit will also reduce the difference in travel speeds between the various road users on the open road and reduce the need for overtaking.”
I guess in the world of RTA there are no hills or wide and heavy loads.
Lower speed + lower concentration levels + longer travel time = more potential for accidents!
Another out of touch government department…no surprise here!
I think this is the first time I agree with you Hungy. Perhaps the RTA should take note of this.
Great article telling it like it is..
Another example of supreme Government arrogance, and the power unelected bureaucrat’s wield over us.
We, the silent majority, have these travesties perpetrated against us because we remain silent.
If enough pressure is placed on the Minister then Dr Job can be put back in his safe little academic box, where everything is warm and fuzzy…
Great make journeys times longer do people crash and burn from fatigue…………
I suspect falling asleep at the wheel and hitting a tree at 90km/h won’t be that much different to hitting it at 110……….. or a head on at 180 won’t be much different to 220………… it’s going to #$%* you up.
Airbags are only 100% effective up to 60km/h
Driver ed is the way use fines to fund it, really the speed limit should be at least 140.
Regards
Whitbomb07
I have a better idea. How about we ban driving? Have they thought of that? That would save lives. I bet that if it went back to the horse and cart days, there would still be unrealistic speed retrictions. The RTA have become obsessive and blinded while sitting in their city Sydney office. I have no intention of living in NSW anymore.
im speechless , this is really getting beyond belief now … !! absolute morons.
people used to fall off horses and get killed, well they still do, but my point is no matter how slow you make people go they will find a way to kill them selves. 0 road toll polices are an expensive farce. I agree with the problem of unelected bureaucrats too, but the top level desk jockeys are appointed by ministers.
so the solution is to write to your local MP and ask them what they are doing about this abuse of power?
it’s not a very exiting solution but these policies must be fought on their own terms.
i think i’m gonna move out of australia
+1 – Everything is getting ridiculous in this country.
+1.
These guys at the RTA must be absolute dim wits. Good works guys, great way to move the country forward.
Think I’ll move to Germany. Those guys have the right idea.
Well done on telling it like it is CA – great article.
Goverernments have never know what is best for their people, and this is only further evidence of their inability to understand the needs of road-users.
So the question for us VOTERS is, how do we get rid of these clowns? Surely there’s only one way to send a message to narrow minded, egotistical, egocentric so called professionals? Make them unemployed… Maybe they could get a job as a trucky on the Newell!
But if the government was to change how could we as the VOTING public make sure their only access to the RTA is when they have to put rego on their BMW’s?
Enough is enough I say! Time to talk to my local member!
Wall to wall Labor state governments in the last decade has been one of the worst things for Australian drivers since Federation.
the federal governmnet has been labour for almost 11 years.
meant to say liberal under MIster Howard.
The states have control over the states road rules. But interesting side-fact John Anderson deputy prime minister under Howard said that rural limits should be increased up to 130kmh, but after he retired and the Liberals got voted out and it never really became an important issue. Ah what could of been.
Here, here.
The Liberal party in NT wanted to get rid of speed limits on NT roads – Labor overuled it.
Liberal party in SA wanted the Southern expressway raised to 110 and parklands roads increased to 60 – Labor overuled it.
Liberals in NSW wants parts of the highway to Newcastle increased to 130 – Labor overuled it.
And lets not forget the massive increase in rego costs, massive increase in speed cameras, the lowering of ticket tollerances, introduction of point-to-point speed cameras, decrease of rural and suburban speed limits, and an increasing road toll – all under state Labor governments.
I always vote labour, but not anymore, I don’t give a crap what they selling next time I’m voting for the libs.
It was *NOT* NT Liberal that wanted (or got rid of) its then speed derestriction (//), it was LABOUR, as usual, with effect January 1, 2007.
As they did in NSW back in 79.
Whilst fatigue is a factor, ITS INATTENTION which is the major cause. Driving well below the conditions promotes complacency, and carelessness. We should be increasing speed not decreasing.
Caradvice keep up the good work on this issue.
If Government is really interested in road safety then retest drivers every 10 years. Driving test, rules and medical. Get rid of the lowest denominator I say.
What I don’t understand is who the RTA think they represent.
I admit that I am an advocate for greater driving safety. But to my mind going slower is not going to solve the problem. Lower speed limits are an excuse for an unwillingness to build higher quality roads and improve the quality of our existing road infrastructure.
At the same time the government continues to rake in millions of dollars in vehicle registration and infringements without investing anything in proper driver education and not just for young people. I think many of us could do with a re-education of road use.
The RTA’s policy unfortunately fails to acknowledge that for the most part people will travel at a speed they consider to be reasonable and safe for a given piece of road regardless of the posted speed limit.
This is clearly evident if you travel around the Northern coast of NSW. I refer to the area around Port Stephen’s for example where there are roads (which are divided duel carriageways) sign posted 90KM. It is near new road and easily capable of a 110KM limit. And that is exactly the speed many people drive on it. The problem is these cars are now traveling 20km faster then those who are diligently following the posted 90KM speed limit. And that is more dangerous than I can describe.
Now I have no idea of the RTA’s justification for the 90km speed limit however I can tell you as someone who uses that road a lot, if it were posted a 110km zone whilst you would never avoid the inevitable accidents that will occur from time to time, what you will do is reduce what is surely a major contributing factor to accidents that currently exists on on those roads.
I would argue that if 110km was good for cars of the 1970′s, then with the improved performance and safety of the modern fleet found on Australian roads combined with some proper driver training and testing that we could even consider raising speed limits. Who knows, beter drivers, better cars and less time spent on the road might actually save some lives…..
I dont even think the infrastructure is to blame. Many drivers have no idea about the new road rules that constanly come out. If the governmnet does not want to ramp up education then at least inform us about the new road regs. Send e mails, they dont cost anything. Do some thing to educate new and old road users about how to drive. If we all knew everything about the road and how our cars reacted on it then we’d be a lot safer.
Who the hell wants to live in this nanny-state country anymore. What a joke.
Just last year I was sitting in traffic doing 140kmh on a LA freeway, it was so safe being able to drive at a comfortable speed in which I was awake and alert. It was also less stressful not having to check my speed constantly (a very Aussie trait I have found out from overseas friends).
Too Right James, I drove in the UK watching my speed for 6 months while everyone else belted past me. Slowly I increased it over time, until I got to the point I was barrelling along well above the speed limit on excellently built Motorways and as you say feeling safe and alert and when traffic wasn’t to bad, getting to my destinations in good time.
Tip, only time it’s worth driving on the M25 is on New Years Eve, I swear I drove for 15 miles at 125 mph and barely saw another vehicle, it was magic. Couldn’t do that here without getting busted.
What a joke – It’s as if the Govt want us to stop using the roads and use other transport methods instead. 90kph – so easy to fall asleep at such a low speed. Much safer to do 150 and concentrate on the road. These so called experts must have their brains removed as part of their employment contract.
I just had a look at the RTA’s crash statistics for Nov 2009. Speed was involved in 43% of fatal crashes in the last 12 months but that includes vehicles that crash on a corner when they are not exceeding the speed limit. It also includes crashes that involve speed and alcohol. Fatigue was 18% yes, and 82% no or unknown. Alcohol was 21% yes, 56% no and 23% unknown. If someone crashes with a BAC of 0.04 alcohol is not involved according to the statistics. And how can there be 23% unknown?
The UK Dept of transport, says that only 3% of accidents are caused by exceeding the speed limit. Most accidents are caused by inattention, ironically going slower typically leads to less attention being paid to the road, so an argument could be made to INCREASE limits.
I feel sorry for the police that might need to enforce this. The new limit has the potential to reduce the respect people people have for their job to the level of parking inspectors.
That is actually a really good point, the image is becoming less about protecting the community and more about raising revenue for the government. I wonder how this image also affects morale and recruitment.
they’ll always get more respect than a parking inspector, but for the wrong reasons. parking inspectors dont have guns, baton’s and capsicum spray strapped to their waist!
When speeding fines provide as much revenue as they do, have a guess what the Governments own statistics will say the biggest killer is? No surprises there…
After reduced speed limits will be more revenue camera’s and hey presto, MORE CASH through INDIRECT TAXATION.
It’s time to let your local MP know enough is enough, and sending him/her an email won’t cost you a cent, and you can even set your email account to send one automatically every day!
While drivers licences continue to fall out of Corn Flakes packets, the Governments hands are drenched in our blood…
CA, you guys should do an online poll as sort of a petition on how many people believe this is the correct decision, because as the article states the stakeholders(us) have a small say in this. When you guys get enough hits send it off to the RTA.
I remember when living in the N.T. when we had open speed limits on the open road then the Federal Government told them to pull in line with other states or else no road funding the NT Roads Minister said “Our object is to get people off the roads as quick as possible” anyhow they dropped it to 130Km/h which is what I drove at when the speed limit was open oh by the way you could still got booked back then for dangerous driving at high speeds you had to prove you weren’t driving dangerously but if you were driving a FJ holden at 130km/h you had no chance but with cars these days that may never happen
laurie
ps CA well done
The RTA is a law unto itself. They are ruthless and selfserving, this comes as no surprise.
Soon they’ll be advocating that all vehicles be preceded by a person carrying a red flag just like the old old days.
This will solve nothing.
How about spending the millions of dollars in purchasing 90Km/h signs, man hours to change it plus policy writing, running vehicles etc on actually improving training schools & improving driver awareness..Oh wait, that’s too hard isn’t it?
No, no, no, no, no. The RTA – and the state government – must not be allowed to get away with this. There is no justification for this, except perhaps a sneaky underhanded one – speed camera revenu will soar.
Just ignore the reduced speed limit and continue to drive at a safe speed for the conditions. If you get fined, don’t pay it. When they send the automatic notifications, throw them in the bin. The sherrif’s office is already so far behind (try 5 years) trying to catch up with existing fines, they will never catch up.
If the majority of people go on a fine strike, it might make a difference. It is already happening in Victoria. I’m pretty sure the government is chasing something over $500 million dollars in unpaid fines. That tells me that a lot of people know revenue raising when they see it.
If this continues, i’m off to the US. My sister has already moved there. On a recent trip over there I was driving on the freeway back from Lake Tahoe (posted 65MPH) sitting on 85MPH in the left (fast) lane when i looked in the rear vision mirror to see a California Highway Patrol car sitting right behind me. I though oh-oh and pulled into the middle lane and he just drove straight on. Gee. maybe I was driving in a safe manner given the conditions :o ?
Discretion ? Don’t see it used here much.
If you go, can I come to? This nanny-state left-wing wowser country is ruining the one of the few things I have left in my life which I enjoy – driving.
If thay lower the limit to 90 all over nsw then i moving out of nsw.What a joke when i was in germany on the motor ways even on the unlimted speed sections every time we came across road works sections we had to slow down to 120 for the road works.I told everyone there that we cant even drive at 120 on our free ways and thay could not belive this.Just think 20 or 30 years ago we were driving faster on our hwys in cars with no abs or air bags and no crumple zones on crap tryes and thay didnt handle half as good as thay do now and the roads were smaller and more windy.So now are cars are far more supireor the roads have improved heaps and all safety have inproved every thing is miles better and we are going slower and slower go figure
Spot on Topdog, also drivers licences have become more stringent. 30 years ago I just filled out a form, now you have practical and theory tests. Im just shocked they are considering decreasing the limit. 110kph was brought in 40 years ago and look how far we have come….
I work in Government, and I’ve seen this kind of attitude.
Sometimes, you get someone in a policy area who has a personal view. And its dangerous.
They kind of get on this train of thought where they won’t listen to other options than the ones they thought up, and they won’t tolerate anyone who disagrees. Not the stakeholders, the subordinates, not even their superiors.
ALERT!!!
Yes, I’ve seen this too, in the course of a reasonably long public service career. Never underestimate just how much damage a zealot with determination can do – especially if she/he has top-level backing. And this Soames Job is saying just what the state government wants to hear, that’s the dangerous thing.
What else do people expect from State Labor Government departments?
Most of the people posting on here would have repeatedly voted these monkeys into office. You get what you vote for. And remember, your taxes pay for these muppets.
It has nothing to do wjth safety, it’s all to do with money. The lower the speed limit the more chance there is to catch people “speeding” more fines = more revenue !!This way the Government is seen to be doing something about the problem with little outlay.
If the Government and RTA were serious they would channel funding into driver education throught the schools teaching driver attitude and awareness.
The other thing that irks me is that websites like this one and motoring organisations like NRMA waffle on endlessly about this problem but no one ever seems to put any pressure on the authorities to make any changes!!!!!
the best thing to do would be to get dozens of drivers and organise a protest drive. all drive at 40kmh an hour on a main highway, get the media involved so that we would have public sympathy.
this makes me sick! simply a revenue raising move…nothing more.
(click to show comment)
I’d be pretty annoyed if the Victorian government introduced similar changes as I regularly drive from Melb-Geelong.
Disappointing and over-bearing. Would agree with the majority that this is a means of revenue-raising and not improving road safety. Common sense ought to apply – max speed limits need to be set to a point which is appropriate for the road, and not have a blanket limit set.
Ridiculous, but ascribing the view of some fanatics in the state RTA to every government in Australia or acting like the RTA would change if the government changed (the NSW gov has been a joke for years… and the reason they haven’t been unelected is the opposition were an even bigger joke) is also ridiculous.
The trouble is that for ALL politicians, the easy copout is always best. The RTA says “speed kills”, that’s uncontroversial. Policy of being anti-speed is an easy uncontroversial thing to do. They won’t interfere with the RTA, that risks being labelled “pro-speed” and “pro-killing people”. But if the RTA goes too far, that’s different. If they campaigned for the max speed limit to come to 90, a lot of people rebel, suddenly it’s the easy and popular thing for a politician to do to say “no, and while we’re at it, let’s look at reducing deaths caused by things other than excess speed”.
The RTA going too far is probably the best thing that could happen, at the moment the status quo is too comfortable for anyone to mess with.
have these guys been past the blue mountains or even the hay plains, 90km/h would kill more people because they would just fall to sleep because it takes so long to get anywhere. A way to reduce green house gases though the slower the car to less it drinks, think about it! Good on you Mr Rudd
I travel over 40,000kms per annum on NSW roads predominantly. Mainly city / metro. I have an impecable licence. But, I have not doubt that with the introduction of the new Safety Camera’s it is only a matter of time before I get caught for what will be a momentary lapse of judgment as opposed to deliberate speeding.
The RTA is out of control in NSW. First we had the “anti hoon laws” that limited vehicle height changes to 2 inches up or down. Lower a Hyundai Excel 2 inches? Legally? Bwahahahah. Raise a Nissan Patrol by 2 inches? So what. That was postponed…
Then there was talk of not allowing children under a certain age to travel in the front seat regardless of height and weight and in contravention to manufacturer specifications that allowed children over a certain height / weight to safely sit in air bag fitted passenger seats
Then there was that pearl of wisdom that required all kids under 10 (?) to be in a properly fitted car seat. Which lunatic come up with that one? Your taxi’s boot would be full of car seats! Most cars cant accomodate 3 car seats in the back. Again…some morons bright idea
The NSW Government has had more minsiters for roads than I have had hot dinners and all of them should be taxed under ETS for creating too much carbon.
The RTA highrachy needs to be culled and replaced with people that actually have a clue. These constant suggestions that “Speed was a factor in the accident” simply means one of both of the vehicles wasnt stationary. There is no credibility at all!
Even the police I have spoken to reckon the RTA are lunatics. The 40kmh school zones are a perfect example. As one Highway Patrol officer told me “We are told to police these places but you dont see a kid all day”. Why? Because the schools entrance is in another street! But, the RTA would rather totally ruin the flow of traffic in the guise of safety so some politician can claim they had a positive effect on the safety of children.
Its really at a point where the RTA simply makes change for change sake – to pander to politicians and raise revenue.
There was a door to door survey conducted a while back with the subject being whether the policing of vehicles on our roads should be conducted by the RTA or Police, as it largely is now. The lady that conducted the survey (Took about 40 minutes) said that everyone she had surveyed (Over 200!) had unanimously said the police should be responsible for it as no onbe trusted the RTA / Government to use an ounce of discretion and their approach. The results of that survey were published and it clearly showed that people wanted the RTA to take over that role. It was total rubbish if the person I spoke with had any credibility.
So what can we all do? The NRMA is meant to be dealing with these nutters – the lack of signage on the new Safety Cameras suggests that the NRMA is a toothless tiger and the RTA are not interested in road safety – simply revenue raising. Yeah yeah…i know the theory, if you dont speed you wont get caught. I know that and I dont, but the RTA is hell bent on catching anyone for the slightest indiscretion whether there is a risk to people or not generally. Look at the placement of speed cameras. Bexley road…10 years I travelled that road and i never saw a single accident, but it is a spot where people tended to roll past the speed limit. So, they capitalise on it.
The RTA and minister for roads (Whoever it is this week) have no credibility at all and they should simply be ousted. The motorists are sick of being the milking cow for a broke State Government.
Off my soap box now
Has anyone noticed that all the limits in NSW are inconsistent?
There are roads around sydney that are 70km/h in residential built up areas but then
in the same conditions its 60 or even 50?
I believe all limits need to be higher, the faster you drive on a straight or slightly curved freeway to a point makes your car more rigid in steering and therefore is more likely to keep you on the road..
…. ridiculous… completely and utterly ridiculous and it leaves me speechless for now….. and angry….
Reminder, as some don’t read;
The ‘talk’ in fact, relates to the possibility of reducing the “RURAL DEFAULT” speed limit to 90km/h (or 80km/h).
When NSW had speed derestriction (//) up to July 1979, we use to instill with that allowance an 80km/h “prima facie” limit, because 80km/h was considered the most appropriate rural speed for the overall remote road network.
It is not a signal that NSW will have a state maximum 90km/h speed-limit for rural highways/freeway, as most designated highways will continue to have 100-110km/h POSTED speed limits.
Perhaps one day once our inter-city freeways are fully median barriered – we could see POSTED speed limit higher than the existing 110km/h.
NRMA fella needs to pull his head in on this, he_is_wrong.
I just did the run from Melbourne to Brisbane on the Newell first time since they changed the speed limit and it now takes me 20 hours instead of 17 hours. Bring it back to 110.
Keepleft, you are right – but it’s the trend that worries me. I think it is quite possible that we will see a drop in the allowed speed limit on major roads currently rated at 100/110.
I think we are being softened up for such an approach and need to be on our guard. And, it’s a prefectly logical progression for a government that has (in what amounts to an almost criminal abdication of duty) named speed as the top factor in road deaths.
Recently, in the ACT, Policing Superintendant Mark Colbran said he was in favour of dropping the speed limit. He said “Research shows that if you lower the speed limit for a truck or car from 100 to 90km/h you’re only going to add about 15 to 20 minutes on a trip from Sydney to Melbourne”.
Don’t for a minute think police in NSW think any differently. And by the way, he’s wrong – by my rough calculation dropping the speed limit to 90km/h on the Hume would add at least 50 minutes to a Sydney/Melbourne trip.
You’re right. The Hume highway stretch from Campbelltown, Sydney to Campbellfield, Melbourne is about 800km (according to Google Maps). That’s 8 hours if you travel at 100kph the whole way (which you probably wouldn’t, due to townships, roadworks etc). All other things being equal, changing the speed limit to 90kph would take you 8 hours and 56 minutes.
If I’ve done the calculations right, for Supt. Mark Colbran’s figures to be correct, the speed limit would have to be lowered to 96kph…
Cracker Nights are officially gone.
Driving responsibly at speed has just about gone.
Everything else that could be conceived as fun is taxed to buggery.
I think I’ll go back to the US or Canada, most of the expat Aussies I met while living over there, miss the lifestyle here in OZ, but hated how everything fun is taxed to buggery and stupid laws put in place by a long line of Labor Governments, I will never forgive Labor for that useless mongrel Keating.
90 kilometre speed limit, they might as well make it 50 k everywhere and declare the place a Pacific Island Banana Republic, Bloody Madness.
I don’t think it would matter what government was in power, they’re all the same. Full of bloody crap! It’s just the depth that varies : )
The biggest problem, as pointed is inattention, but to suggest a direct correlation between speed and concentration is ridiculous. Each person has absolute control of cognitive functions (and with that absolute responsibility and culpability), and if they don’t they shouldn’t be driving.
Inattentive drivers manifest themselves through a wide variety breaches of driving rules and safety. People who have the attention span of a Goldfish, and react to having to take time on the roads as if someone had just killed their dog (despite risking everyone else on or near the road.
Inattentive drivers will be just that regardless of the speed limit or where they are driving or for that matter before they even get in to the car.
Those who are unable to focus at 90Km/h substantively show they are incapable to focus at 110 or 120km/h.
The biggest problem with the speed limits and the focus on vehicles speeding is that, even by their own admissions, the relative state authorities know that Speeding is responsible for under half of the toll
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/road.....index.html
Add to that the way that they are reported, ie you have just had your photo taken at 68km/h in a 60 zone, you go through a “GREEN” light and the car on your left goes through a red light and colides with you. Whilst this is purley a case of an inatentive driver running a red light and also failing to give way to the right, it will fall under the speeding statistics. (trying to find the publication that was from). If a driver is drunk and or under the influence of drugs, traveling over the speed limit, and has an accident it is also listed as speed accident when the main cause is actually the intoxication. Until the public generates a backlash against this type of dictatorship then we will continually have these people doing htese things.
Conspiracy theory side of it?? If you drive somewhere, use Cash folding to pay your way, and don’t contact anyone by internet or mobile phone then Govco cannot keep tabs on where you are. If they make driving to hard / inconvenient, put up lots of cameras and toll booths, and keep the fuel cost high you will be more inclined to fly thus allowing them to know where you are. Booking online for your accomodation is also a good way, make it cheap so you use it and give them warning..
(Now this is just a theory being bandied about, it is not to put hte wind up anyone nor is it to incite anything other than thought. It is not known to be the views of anyone representing this Forum nor is it to convert anyones oppinion it is just a hypothetical point please accept it as a thought provoker only)
Total madness!
Drivers all over Australia are falling asleep at the wheel because of low speed limits on long straight country roads. Reducing the speed limit further will only cause more deaths on our roards.
The simple way to avoid spending money on deteriorating roads is to lower the speed limit. What a world we live in. Adding more time to travel on highways will increase fatigue, which is the biggest killer already. Don’t believe the crap about speed. It is propoganda to raise revenue. if this tripe is intriduced they will increase their revenue further.
State governments have become dependant on this revenue and now they are looking at ways to increase it. Up here in Queensland they have now changed the rules so any old rust bucket can house cameras. So much for the legislation that says they must be visible.
It’s a disgrace. We need to abolish state governments for starters.
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Report No. FHWA-RD-92-084 October 1992
U.S. Department of Transportation Research, Development, and Technology
Federal Highway Administration Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, Virginia 22101-2296
The objectives of this research was to determine the effects of raising and lowering posted speed limits on driver behavior and accidents for non-limited access rural and urban highways. Speed and accident data were collected in 22 States at 100 sites before and after speed limits were altered. Before and after data were also collected simultaneously at comparison sites where speed limits were not changed to control for the time trends. Repeated measurements were made at 14 sites to examine short – and long-term effects of speed limit changes.
The results of the study indicated that lowering posted speed limits by as much as 20 mi/h (32 km/h), or raising speed limits by as much as 15 mi/h (24 km/h) had little effect on motorist’ speed. The majority of motorist did not drive 5 mi/h (8 km/h) above the posted speed limits when speed limits were raised, nor did they reduce their speed by 5 or 10 mi/h (8 or 16 km/h) when speed limits are lowered. Data collected at the study sites indicated that the majority of speed limits are posed below the average speed of traffic. Lowering speed limits below the 50th percentile does not reduce accidents, but does significantly increase driver violations of the speed limit. Conversely, raising the posted speed limits did not increase speeds or accidents.
Let’s move to Germany!!
Communist bastards.
This story is nearly a month old and I don’t recall seeing it mentioned anywhere else. Why is that so? I am beginning to suspect that it is just a beat up and no other website or blog, newspaper or TV has pick up on it.
Can someone refer me to other reports (apart from the NRMA), as I would love to be proved wrong.
I think you will find the Powers-that-be are ignoring the NRMA so they are trying something different. I back the NRMA they always speak good sense.
Hello Sam,
I don’t really go much for conspiracy theories, if that what you are refering to. Also, I have nothing negative to say about the NRMA either, except it should never have been de-mutualised, but that’s another topic altogether. The road service the NRMA provide is still quite good and the insurance is competitive.
What I was saying is that I haven’t seen any reports in any other media and I would like someone to provide some references or links to help me out. Until then, I am inclined to think that it is just a beat up. The response where certainly predicable and I mainly agree with them too.
Perhaps major media don’t give a crap about “regional” issues.
But look to the local papers along the Newell, and there’s many articles about it.
I blame it on the floride in the water
This is not a new thing, for example on the drive across the Hay Plain the speed limit was reduced from unlimited to 100 years ago. They even have cops out there in the middle of nowhere booking people for speeding. If you have not been there we are talking dead flat and straight roads for miles at a time, a couple of slight bends and then straight again. You can see the trucks coming from kilometers away.
Yeah and the cops pull over every interstate plated car that they can – speeding or not. Crossed it 5 times, pulled over 3 times (for nothing, and never fined or cautioned for anything either).
Now I dont mind a police presence, but what about the huge Semis that pass you when you are ding 110 km/h? Speedlimited to 100 km/h, yeah right.
What a joke reducing the speed is not going to stop accidents, may be they should teach people how to drive properly.
TufGuy, the speed limt on the very great majority of the Sturt Hwy west of Hay is thankfully still 110, with many rest areas. And unfortunately the majority of the crashes ARE fatigue related. I certainly do not agree with dropping some of these outback 110 limits down to 90 or 100, as a matter of fact, I believe that the vison out on the Hay Plain would easily allow 130 as a safe, reasonable limit. Yes, any subsequent crash would be bigger, but crashes can and do happen anywhere. If a particular roads crash history is directly related to fatigue, as the Newell and Sturt are, why lower speed limits and thus increase potential for fatigue? At the RTA’s rate of dropping speed limits, we’ll end up back to the 19th century where a man had to walk in front of a motor vehicle waiving a red flag….
It’s not s much the roads that are the problem as much as the people who drive on them!!Until the Government puts their speeding revenue into driver education it wont matter what the speed limit is there will always be some dickhead doing the wrong thing!!!
You don’t have to be doing the wrong thing to have a crash. Blown tyre, animals, glare, medical condition, children running out…….
well i don’t think it will work. every time i drive i always get tired from sleep deprivation and i find it quit hard to stay focused and awayke
“not so much the roads that are a problem..” Really, my opinion is that much of NSW roads are woefully maintained and are in such a shocking state to be a significant cause of deaths on NSW roads.
Why don’t some of these RTA and NSW Government fat cats take a quick trip over to Germany and experience what has to be the best road system in the world, bar none. And while you’re there, check out the speed limits and levels of driver eduction which makes 160km/h more than safe on these PROPERLY built roads.
To the RTA and the NSW State Government Wake up, and take a good look at the state of our roads and blind freddy would be able to work out a decent fix-it plan.
But you and I both know, that will never happen. The massive number of people killed on our roads were killed by going too fast according to the RTA, and not for one minute would they ever attribute one lost soul to poor roads.
If they had their way, the RTA would rather we all go back to the horse and cart, which will allow them to post a zero road death count the year.
I’d like the RTA to tell us exactly how many people have died on NSW roads in the last 100 years. I’ll say a prayer for each one of them and pray that the RTA start building roads as good as those in Germany.
Surely there must be a way to make them accountable? Oh sorry, I forgot this is NSW, where the government agencies can not held accountable regardless of how incompetent they are.
The roads we use are not appropriate for the vehicles we use on them. A head on collision at 60kmh is enough to kill. We need the Federal Government spending the money they collect on fuel excise on better roads, they only spend about 25%. Highways should be at least 2 lanes each way with more than a white line down the middle to prevent head on accidents.
Despite New South Wales being Australia’s most populous state it has less population density than Utah here in America. And Utah is 98.9% nothing. You mean to tell me, they want to to have you guys go a measely 55 MPH in that?
Whats wrong with the rest of the world? We are raising speed limits here, and you guys are dropping them, how?
In America the Government doesnt pay the bill when you have a crash and need to go into hospital.
Its in the interest of the our Government that you do not crash and you do not go to hospital so that they then save money!
soon we will be driving at 80kmph even on highways and more people will die from falling asleep while driving then ever befor so they will then reduce it again down to 70kmph and even more will die… so what will they do then… lets see.. reduce it again and again untill we will be driving at 10kmph after then maybe ban cars off the roads all together to save lives!
They need to fix the roads & give proper driver training.
If they keep going, we may as well go back to the horse & cart days :-(
if you believe they are doing it for safety reasons
then I Quote “YOU ARE A BLOODY IDIOT” (credits to QLD TV adds for this quote)
Revenue and Job justification are 2 words that spring to mind.
basic law of physics “moving objects will collide” was valid for the horse and cart days and still valid now, so only logical solution
is from vid_ghost ” ban cars off the roads all together to save lives!”
or maybe “ban idiots from government”
Ridiculous!
I was thinking they would rise the speed limit on freeways to 130km/h due to Fatigue it’s going down to 90km/s.
This is a joke!
A major step in the right direction particularly if it applies to undivided single lane roads with speed limit of 100kph and or above where annually more than one third of all of this states fatalities occur. Today we are sharing these roads with far more motorists than when these speeds were first implemented. It can be argued that even then this speed limit was unrealistic in providing a safe environment on roads where the opposing traffic including of course heavy vehicular traffic is in most cases two to three metres apart at best with no physical protective barrier. The majority of countries in the western world are now lowering or in the process of lowering these particular speed limits with corresponding reduction in the road toll and an acceptance by the motoring public.
Facts are:
Number of vehicles increasing on our roads.
Type of vehicle is capable of travelling much further and at greater speed than when the original speed limits were set.
Original speed limits were set when we didn’t have crash testing so we did not know the effect of a crash at speed as there was no one left alive to tell us anyway.
A crash at 80kmh into a solid object is barely survivable. Extensive injuries cost more long term than if the person was killed outright.
A sideways crash at 40 kph is not survivable.
All high speed roads need to be divided roads with a separation of probably 300-400 metres or more so that a vehicle has time to wash off speed (remember the accident recently where a Magna crossed from a lane in one direction then throgh the bush and came out in front of a truck going the other way on the opposite direction road. It was a mangled mess.
Years ago people went approx 1 to 2 hours drive from home for a holiday on a long weekend which if living in Sydney took them to the central coast. Today with better roads and cars they travel to Forster or Taree or even Pt Maquarie and have fatigue related accidents. Also the argument that cars have accident on corners and are not doing the speed limit is not very strong as not all corners support the speed limit and it is up to the driver to judge the speed of the corner. Many corners which can be miss judged have an advisory speed limit sign which is set to the lowest common denominator such as a high van.
So faced with a rising road toll and medical costs for treating long term injured people, not enough workers to create divided roads nor enough money to construct them instantly, what should be done. Well reducing the risk is one thing we can all do and that is not ignore the laws of physics and drive at sensible speeds, have refreshment breaks and not try to drive too far at any one time. Fly if you need to go a long distance and you dont have much time then hire a car at the destination if you need to get around there. Stay Alive.
“engineering deficiencies being another major killer” right on!!! Cars continue to develop and become safer with better tires, suspension, brakes ABS ISC etc… yet the RTA keep reducing speed limits ???? Are they simpletons or what?
This is a systemic problem that these arrogant public servants are never answerable to any electorate and can never get fired for ANY reason! So long as the simple minded RAT idiots blame ‘speed’ for every single death (and not the appalling state of the roads that can go 3 or 4 decades without even a resurfacing…) then we’ll soon be forces (by 1,000s of self funded speed cameras) to drive around at 40 kph.
As it stands right now Sydney metro roads are UNUSABLE during school safety zone hours because it takes twice as long to travel the same distance due to major highways across the city must reduce to 40 kph for going on 1.5 hours just in case some random kid runs across a 6 lane highway. In fact you rarely see a school kid during these hours, sometimes you can’t even see the school itself from the restricted zone.
In my experience most kids have more respect for crossing the road than most adults and are less of a risk as pedestrians.
The totally unrestrained NANNY NATION if full effect!
Interesting debate. I’d prefer a high speed limit, no one wants to take an extra 30 mins for a trip because of a 90km speed limit