High-speed driving should stay on the track

13 August 2010

The article fromThe National Times in Australia explains that: 'Cutting a vehicle's speed works because it allows the driver to perceive a hazard and take action over a shorter distance before hitting the hazard, and the vehicle can be stopped in a shorter distance, reducing crash energy. The evidence that this strategy works is undeniable as are the laws of physics. For example, when Victoria raised its speed limit from 100 km/h to 110 km/h in June 1987 on its rural and outer Melbourne freeway network, the injury rate (including fatalities) increased by 24.6 per cent. When the 100 km/h limit was reintroduced, the rate decreased by 19.3 per cent. A more stunning result occurred when Victoria expanded its mobile speed camera operation in 1990. Its road toll halved within three years. A second increase in covert camera operations and reduced enforcement threshold in 2002 resulted in a further 25 per cent fall in road deaths.'

More example of good research-based interventions are available in the Speed Manual  available through gTKP.  It explains simple, effective and low-cost solutions to excessive and inappropriate speed that can be implemented on a national or local level.