Opposition: NT speed limits should be scrapped
29 Dec, 2007
20 Comments 
Soon after the Northern Territory Government introduced speed limits on its highways, the territory has recorded its worst road toll in a decade, prompting calls for limits to be scrapped.
Despite introducing a 130km/h limit for the region’s four main highways - the Stuart, Arnhem, Barkly and Victoria - and implementing a demerit point system, fatalities in 2007 have climbed to 57.
The toll has increased from 44 in the same period last year, and 35 in 2004. A report in 2006 found that NT roads had a death rate three times that of the rest of the country, which prompted the Government to slap limits on major highways in a knee-jerk reaction.
But with the road toll now worse, the opposition Country Liberal Party (CLP) said it was time for new NT Chief Minister Paul Henderson to reverse the controversial changes.
According to Australia Associate Press, a statement by CLP transport spokeswoman Fay Miller included data suggesting that drink drivers and people not wearing seat belts were the main reason for road fatalities - not speed.
“Now the evidence is in. (Mr) Henderson has the option of correcting a mistake of his predecessor and get rid of the open road speed limit. The opposition was highly sceptical that Territory Labor’s attack on our way of life would have a positive impact on the road toll,” said Ms Miller. “It is a great shame that one of the qualities that made the Territory unique has been sacrificed without an obvious benefit.
“Making such a far-reaching change to the character of the Territory on a hunch was reckless policy making.”
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December 29th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Proof (Again) it’s not speed that is the biggest problem.
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December 29th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
well derrr…. hurraaahhhh for common sense in the NT parliament - I am moving…
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December 29th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
The pollies are clueless and fuled by greed with this money making machine……little wonder there are so many unlicenced drivers now, the insurance companies love using these under less than 15kmh over infringements to skyrocket your premiums as well, they are loving it.
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December 29th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
So much for the speed kills mantra.
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December 29th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
booking people for speeding is a great business - why would anyone want to give it up!!
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December 30th, 2007 at 12:53 am
Living in Darwin just talking to people around they knew the speed limits were not a good idea..
The only way someone will reverse them is if they promise it in the next local election and people will then vote for them..
Demerit points are not working either.. can we take them away too?
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December 30th, 2007 at 4:04 am
Speed doesn’t kill, wreckless drivers behind the cars that cant take high speeds do.
You could do more to save lives if you made a total ban on spoiled P platers driving i.e. WRX’s, HSV’s, Rice Racers…etc using their parents for insurance reasons.
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December 30th, 2007 at 6:45 am
I don’t think that th P platers driving less powered cars would make too little difference. Even in a thrashed 1400cc cars you can kill driven by a d1ckhead. I believe education is the key, banning them will just push them to drive without insurance and license. Thats what happened in Pommieland. When they do get caught they don’t give a toss and just carry on driving.
Regarding the increase in fatals in NT that may just be a coincidence over the reletively short period. Leave limits and apply them.
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December 30th, 2007 at 11:26 am
In Melbourne around northern suburbs, many ppl have died with passengers in cars due to high speed over powered cars they cant handle.. Just talking from experiences.
I think when NT put speed regulations on this highway they pretty much killed off an industry as well. German manufacturers used to use this strip to test their cars in the harsh conditions at full speeds… They now left and took it to America.
Australia kills all the fun…
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December 30th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Elitist, you can’t insure a car under your parents name anymore, it goes by the youngest driver listed on the policy.
Please check the facts behind your statements.
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December 30th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
G’day, being able to drive & enjoy vehicles that can obtain & maintain speeds of up to 250kmh (electronically limited) used to be an absolute pleasure to drive in the N.T. Hell even taking the family Commodore or Falcon to 160kmh could keep the smile on mums & dads faces over the long distance trip. Very obviously from the new statistics, our new 130kmh speed limit is not helping to save the lives it was claimed it would.
I wonder if the new Chief Minister will have the backbone to reverse this decision and allow the world motoring industry back in to the N.T.?
To recommence it’s research & spending on hot weather & high speed testing - this revenue for the N.T was lost when the previous Chief said NO to open speeds. Show some real leadership for once and allow the Territorians a change to enjoy our wide open spaces, at the speed we decide.
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December 31st, 2007 at 8:08 am
Makes sense to me ….at least you guys wont fall asleep behind the wheel in boredom,as a proffessional driver myself ive never had fatigue driving “actively” !!! but passively is a different story
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December 31st, 2007 at 8:26 am
Cheers Boggy and Territory Guy. I see the other side now but I don’t necessarily agree. Simple “Speed Kills” but remember “What if”. What if some doing 120K’s moved into the path of a 250kmh german driving a Merc flat out. Waht if.
The economics of providing a free area to test in can’t be a great earner, can it?
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December 31st, 2007 at 8:56 am
No Name, if you employ the “What if” situations, then you can also assume that anything can happen. But what people with common sense would do is to reduce the fatalities and not rely on chance as much as possible.
Sure it happens once in a while the occasional accident involving high speed loss of control. But as the stats mentioned in NT, it’s not the speed that kills, but the people not wearing seat belts (can be fatal even at 60km/h), drink driving, or maybe fatigue.
I live in WA and many accidents here (on the news) involved speed and drink driving. I can testify because I see a lot of cars just taking off at full throtle form traffic lights, trying to either show off or maybe just in a hurry.
Solution for australia….subsidise Race Days…
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December 31st, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Quite possible that the government isn’t as stupid and inept as we like to think. That this wasn’t a “knee-jerk” reaction, but rather them just capitalising on people’s deaths to implement the limits/demerit points for ulterior motives. In such a case they wouldn’t be about to reverse the decision in a hurry.
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December 31st, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Sounds like some are spending too long behind the wheel at the lower speed to do the same distance.
I question the campaign of derestricted speed limits & anti speed cameras,missed the point that the weak link is in the drivers seat.
Poorly maintained clapped out 10-15 year old Commodore or Falcon at 160km/h NO THANKS,but some will do it spurred on possibly by what they read here regardless of what the speed limits are.
Better roads first then do something about driver attitudes.
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December 31st, 2007 at 5:04 pm
RANT ON: The money generated by world car makers for high speed testing is huge. Every single person on a test team, up to 30 or 50 people at times, needs somewhere to eat and sleep, and be entertained.Multiply that by even just 10 car makers over 3 months of the year and you have more than a few million in revenue. Plus all the transport costs that come our way. I have driven on the NT hwy’s and the only thing i would recommend is dual carriage ways all the way along the stuart Hwy. The speed has never been a problem in the NT its the idiots that run red lights and cause accidents, the morons that get drunk and walk in front of traffic and get squashed.(both of which i have seen up there as a tourist) But to end this rant, speed has never been a major issue up there, its driver training, education, drink driving, not obeying normal basic road laws, and common sense. oh wait that sounds the same for all areas of australia! RANT OFF.
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January 9th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Sure we had the ONLY unrestricted & undivided highway in the world, but the thing is that traffic is so little & the road so straight that a driver can see the road cut into the horizon. Easy to see any traffic coming on.
We had our WORST toll in 10 years under speed limits, with a police traffic branch & a point system to boot. It just goes to show what little southern rules do for our top end roads.
we need to think smarter, not harder. We had a good thing going with open limits, i just think it maybe needed a bit of fine tuning.
www.keepntlimitfree.org is working toward restoring open speed limits on our awesome Territory highways.
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January 13th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
The reason why accidents happen is not because of unlimited speed, but the fact that many motorists drive like crap. After acquiring the licence (especially the P), drivers get rowdy, feeling like they own the world, cutting off others whenever they want and doing all those arrogant movements on the road. Some others are just plain idiots, thinking they’re safe while they’re actually not.
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July 15th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Road toll for 2008
The road toll for the Northern Territory for 2008 to 14 July is 37.
For the same period last year (2007) the road toll was 23.
For the same period without speed limits (2006) was 18.
Speed limits = 37
Without limits = 18
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