Volvo Cars will electronically limit its new vehicles to a top speed of 180km/h from 2020 onwards, as it pushes to make its vehicles safer. The company has a long-held goal of eliminating deaths and serious injuries in its new cars, but now recognises advances in technology and design aren't enough to achieve this target...
The Federal Opposition has promised to establish a National Office of Road Safety, should it win the 2019 Federal Election. The proposal was announced at the Labor Party's national conference in Adelaide, with the party arguing "after decades of decline, the road toll is again heading in the wrong direction"...
A new advertising campaign aimed at curbing driver distraction will hit screens shortly, with research showing the number of people caught using the phones illegally on the roads has climbed 20 per cent in the last four years. According to research from NRMA Insurance, a whopping 41,809 people were caught using their phones during FY2017/18, up from 35,370 in FY14/15...
No state or territory is on track to meet its road-toll reduction target under the National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS), according to new road trauma benchmarking from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA). Developed in 2010, the NRSS is aiming for a 30 per cent reduction in road fatalities by 2020. We've seen a 10...
A report from the New South Wales Auditor General has called for the removal of warning signs before mobile speed cameras, arguing they "reduce the perceived risk of detection". The report, simply titled Mobile Speed Cameras, highlighted the combination of "covert and unconcealed" mobile speed cameras in Victoria – where warning signs aren't required – as a model to hit more motorists with speeding fines...
National insurer AAMI has revealed the results of its 2018 Crash Index, which lists the ten most common car accident locations in each capital city. The data was collected through analysis of motor accident insurance claims across the country from 1 of August 2017 to 31 July 2018. AAMI spokesperson, Ashleigh Paterson, said there are a number of factors linking the locations...
New South Wales has passed revised drink driving legislation, hitting drivers with harsher penalties for 'low-range' offences. Under the new laws, low-range offences will be met with a $561 fine and instant, roadside three-month license loss. The same penalties will also apply to first-time 'drug presence' offenders. Beyond low-level offences (0...
Almost half of Australian drivers aren't confident driving next to cyclists, according to a new survey from Ford Australia. The study of almost 2000 people found 49 per cent of drivers are uncomfortable alongside cyclists, while 18 per cent of respondents admitted to road rage or being actively aggressive toward cyclists...
Nearly three-quarters of Australian motorists are worried about mobile phone use, and more than half are calling for a strong police presence to tackle the problem. According to a study of 1500 NRMA members, illegal phone use tops the list of safety concerns on the road, with 72 per cent of respondents listing it as a concern, topping drunk drivers (56 per cent) and speeding (55 per cent)...
Collingwood and Fitzroy residents in Melbourne will be subjected to a 30km/h speed limit trial from 'late September', as Yarra Council seeks to make life easier for pedestrians and cyclists in residential areas. The new limits, which are a first in Australia, will be applied to the residential zone bordered by Alexandra Parade, Hoddle, Johnston and Nicholson streets...
Almost 40 per cent of Australian motorists have eaten takeaway behind the wheel, while nearly a third have driven in thongs, according to new research from finder.com.au. The firm's Safe Driving Report 2018 reveals 38 per cent of drivers have eaten while driving, 31 per cent have driven in thongs, 20 per cent have sent a text and 14 per cent have smoked...
Mobile phones and driving don't really mix: it's illegal to touch your smartphone in the car, even while stationary, and distracted driving is a known killer. A new study from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) put subjects through their paces using their mobile phone, hands-on and hands-free, to further explore the technology's impact on driver behaviour...
Young drivers are almost twice as likely to be killed in a traffic accident than their parents, according to new data from Australian Roads. The research says traffic injuries are the second-biggest killer of people aged between 15 and 24 in Australia. It also said the ability to perform basic safety checks is "becoming extinct" among younger drivers...
Low-cost vehicles sold in developing markets are rarely paragons of safety, because making key body stress points from high-grade materials, and adding lots of safety equipment, is expensive. Yet there appears to be a significant differential in crash safety that should worry anyone who believes in big car-makers taking some semblance of corporate responsibility for people who buy their cars, and who wants published crash scores mandated globally...
Proposed changes to Victorian drink-driving laws would see first-time offenders lose their licence for three months. Anyone caught driving with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) between 0.05 and 0.069 face licence cancellation and disqualification for three months, while all drivers caught over the 0.05 limit will be forced to have an alcohol interlock fitted to their cars for six months...
With over one million caravans and trailers registered in Australia — plus another 12 million in the USA — it's crazy to think that advanced braking technology isn't yet the norm. Tech giant Bosch is looking to change that, this month taking the wraps off a system that implements stability control for trailers. No surprise, caravan owners are the brand's target market...
Road trauma could be “significantly reduced” by widespread adoption of the latest active safety and connected features, according to a study from the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC). The study examined the potential benefits of technology like forward collision warning and lane-keeping assist being fitted to every vehicle on Australian and New Zealand roads...
An independent review says Victoria's Graduated Licensing System is saving the lives of young drivers in the state. Luke Donnellan, minister for roads and road safety, announced the results of the study this week - including the statistic that drivers who have been through the new system are 20 per cent less likely to be involved in a serious collision in their first two years of driving...
Long-time road safety advocate, and former Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) chairman, Lauchlan McIntosh, has been appointed chairman of the Global New Car Assessment Program (Global NCAP)...
Independent crash-testing authority, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), has voiced its support for the Federal Government's inquiry into the effectiveness of the National Road Safety Strategy as part of the 2017-18 Budget. The strategy aims to reduce road deaths and trauma on Australian roads by at least 30 per cent between 2011 and 2020...
