Australia's road safety landscape is on the brink of a significant transformation.

With the number of road-related accidents on the rise, experts called for a national reassessment of how drivers move on the road.

This sparked a discussion about ensuring the safety of all road users.

According to experts, 2023 became the deadliest year on Australian roads in a decade.

The Northern Territory saw a 170 per cent increase in road deaths within a year.

In addition, The Northern Territory and Western Australia currently have the highest default speed limits at 110 km/h.

On the other hand, the rest of Australia has a default speed limit of 100 km/h.

Researchers proposed lower speed limits for the safety of drivers and pedestrians across Australia. Image Credit: Shutterstock/Matthew Philip

These figures are not just numbers; they represent lives lost and families shattered.

With the alarming rise in road fatalities, the current default speed limits are under scrutiny.

The WA Centre for Road Safety Research, led by director Teresa Senserrick, has been advocating for reduced speed limits.

Senserrick highlighted the urgency of this issue, particularly in Western Australia.

She also emphasised the potential benefits of reduced speed limits nationwide.

Just in time for the state's road safety summit, Senserrick's message was clear: lowering speed limits will save lives.

'So when the country changed from miles per hour to kilometres per hour, all the states and territories rounded their default speed limit on rural roads to 100—except WA and the NT,' Senserrick explained.'

For reference, Tasmanian highways have lowered their speed limit to 90 km/h, and some have reduced to 80km/h.

She also pointed out that the default speed limits were set based on the 1970s standards.

However, with advancements in technology, increased population, and evolving road conditions, these speeds should be changed to prioritise the citizens' well-being.

The research-driven proposal indicated that a 10 km/h decrease in speed could reduce the risk of severe and fatal injuries by 28 per cent.

'It is about adapting to changes over time and saying that these speeds are no longer viable on the roads if we want to prioritise people's lives and well-being,' Senserrick stated.

Senserrick also drew parallels between the current speed debate and past attitudes towards drink-driving.

'Going back to the '70s and '80s, people did not generally believe that having several drinks and driving was risky,' she shared.

'That has now changed. People do agree that drinking too much is risky to drink and drive. We need to do the same approach with speed.'.

These changes on the road should promote safer roads in response to changing conditions

'Australia used to be in the top 10 of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in our roads' safety records; we were tracking to get into the top five and doing extremely well,' Senserrick shared.

'We now barely scrape into the top 20, and we are well below the average. We have got very, very far behind.'

All drivers must stay informed and prepared to adapt their driving habits.

The proposed changes are not just regulatory adjustments; they are life-saving measures that require the support and cooperation of drivers.

Key Takeaways

• Experts called for a reduction in the default speed limit on Australian roads to reduce road fatalities.
• Some regions, such as the Northern Territory and Western Australia, have default speed limits of 110 km/h, which are among the highest in the world.
• Road safety research suggested that lower speed limits could reduce the rates of severe crashes and deaths.
• Western Australia was urged to lead the way in lowering speed limits, with the potential for other states to follow suit to improve road safety.

Do you have a story or opinion about road safety and speed limits? Share them with us in the comments section below.

 

[DasherD]

Why do the experts always call for an administrative risk control for the hazard of collisions? An administrative control has one big flaw, whether the population wish to accept the rule. Also, the governments will be happy because if the speed limit is reduced then they may make more revenue from fines. Yes, technology has changed vehicles are safer, road surfaces are supposedly safer, the road building and structure are also supposedly better. People say speeding kills, yes it maybe a major factor in deaths, but what other factors are included in the event.

Then you would need to look at the time to travel between major centers, Brisbane to Newcastle is 8 hours this would be increased by how much time and where are travelers supposed to stop and have a break if they cannot stop in heavy vehicle rest areas. Vehicles towing caravans should be classified as heavy vehicles.

 

[Heathclyff]

Nearly every night as I wait for a tram to go to work, cars just continue to whizz by the tram and yet we have laws telling them to stop (I do yell at some of them - Grrr!). So lowering the speed will not necessarily work and I sometimes I even doubt if education will or does. My belief s that fines should be imposed on those who break the existing laws and a demerit system put in place so that those who have the money to pay a fine (and don't seemingly care about forking out the $$s) will eventually have their license revoked for a time. These people who speed by stationary trams are just selfish gits who feel that their time is somehow more important than other folks safety. Make sure that the existing laws and speed limits are adhered to first and foremost and then we may see a better and safely-shared road system.

 

[deando_au]

Regardless of speed limits, if the roads are not capable of sustaining traffic at any speed, those roads need to be rebuilt to national standards, which I would suggest NEEDS to be far above the current common Australian standard. Every rural road I travel on here in Victoria presents with pothole after pothole, rendering them inadequate thoroughfares. When you couple that factor together with poor to nonexistent driver education, you have a perfect recipe for an ultimate disaster.

The ultimate solution? Rebuild the roads to a level that will not present flaws that permit potholes and/or washaways to form, and educate your drivers concerning driving to the presented road conditions instead of like a maniac.

 

[deando_au]

Nearly every night as I wait for a tram to go to work, cars just continue to whizz by the tram and yet we have laws telling them to stop (I do yell at some of them - Grrr!). So lowering the speed will not necessarily work and I sometimes I even doubt if education will or does. My belief s that fines should be imposed on those who break the existing laws and a demerit system put in place so that those who have the money to pay a fine (and don't seemingly care about forking out the $$s) will eventually have their license revoked for a time. These people who speed by stationary trams are just selfish gits who feel that their time is somehow more important than other folks safety. Make sure that the existing laws and speed limits are adhered to first and foremost and then we may see a better and safely-shared road system.

 

[deando_au]

I agree.

 

[Josephine767]

Decreasing the speed limit is only going to frustrate impatient drivers more by making risky moves that are going to increase accidents. NSW does have 110 klm speeds on the freeways and still people break that limit. The experts should learn from Europe with their higher speed limits on their freeways with less accidents and deaths.

In some areas i.e. Residential the speed limit should be reduced, especially where there are no footpaths, however, I believe most would like the speed limit reduced to 40 regardless if there are footpaths or not for the safety of children, people with disabilities, and older folks. Regarding the frustrated or impatient drivers, they need a few lessons on "Time Management" then they wouldn't have those issues... "Food for thought" Definitely agree with more rest places along freeways that by-pass towns and villages, including restrooms, so drivers and families can take a break, recoup then back on the road ensuring a safe drive to their destination.

 

[MIZMAC]

Firstly we need properly maintained roads. Road conditions are getting worse every day. Roads were better maintained when we had C.R.B. and its equivalents before contracting the work out. These contractors do not take pride in their work only how much they can earn not maintaining the roads properly.

 

[Catherines]

Booking people IS NOT a revenue raising gimmick for those of you who have commented here. Every time there is talk about the government even thinking about costs and raising this or that some of you lot come straight out and say it is revenue raising and greed.

There should be a manufacturing limit on how fast a car can go. Just take a look at the maximum speed most cars have on their speedometers. It is not 100 or 110 - the maximum on speedometers now is temptation for the reckless, impatient or angry road users who want to see how fast their cars can go.

Most important is the condition of the highways we have to use. Show me one highway in Australia that is in good condition. This is a major, major contribution to highway crashes combined with speed, tiredness and the fools who want to see how fast their cars can go on a highway or road - some use our roads for race tracks. The Bruce Highway is in a shocking state and urgently needs to be upgraded to a decent road, as well as the many sections that only have single lanes in each direction need to be urgently widened to take two lanes at least in each direction.

 

[Veggiepatch]

My speedo and my GPS do not agree. The GPS generally shows about 3 to 5 KMPH lower than the speedo. My speedo also shows higher for a few Ks after slowing down, EG from 100 on a highway to 50 at the town edge but the speedo says 56 against the GPS 48 or 49. Drpping to (GPS) 45 and then speeding up to (GPS) 50 brings the speedo to 52 or 53. Go Figure!

There is a provision in the Australian Design Rule (ADR) 18 regarding speedometer tolerance and accuracy. Modern vehicles use the ABS (Anti-Lock Braking) or vehicle speed sensors to determine the rotational speed of all four wheels. This information is then transmitted by a wiring harness to the ECU (Engine Control Unit) which crunches the numbers against the manufacturers predetermined figures.

This calculates the speed of the vehicle, and is shown on the analog or digital speedometer.

However, when you start playing around with tyre and wheel sizes, especially tyre profile, the whole ADR 18 goes out the window, as does worn or underinflated tyres.

 

[Natalka]

Three comments… first, the article is focused on maximum limits, which only use to apply in country driving, now with inner city expressways it is probably prudent to reduce maximum speeds but only on those roads. Second… there have been so many changes to roads and speed limits that too many drivers just drive how they think is safe but with disregard for actual speeds and conditions. Third… if you have more drivers and more roads and more changes, then this must contribute to the increase in accidents.

 

[GrumpyJohn]

So the NT road toll dropped 34% in 2023 with 31 deaths cf. 47 in 2022
With such small numbers, any variation makes quite the difference when expressed as a %
Cars are safer, roads aren't and drivers haven't gotten any smarter

 

[Jan Purcell]

Victoria has the worst road in the country, there are so many pot holes and very big ones, on all road including the freeways, where the road speed is a 100km an hour, it is so dangerous and you can't possibly miss them if there are a lot of cars on the road, I know of a young girl who was driving to work on the freeway and there was a very big pothole she could not miss it as she would have crashed into cars, $15000 damage, she should not have to pay for that as it was not her fault, it should be the Vic roads that should pay for any repairs of the car, its a disgrace. They don't know how to make roads safe, in the UK the old Roman roads are still going strong there was no technology back then, and they are centuries old.

 

[Jakepuss]

Too many people, cars,etc!
Remembering that undertakers have to have a job too.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Too many people, cars,etc!
Remembering that undertakers have to have a job too.

They won't be speeding with this!!

 

[Steve_Janson]

Drop the open road speed limit down and watch the road toll climb as people fall asleep while driving. We need to increase the speed limit to at least 120 to keep people more alert. Will reduce accidents caused by slow drivers causing others to take more risks to get past slower vehicles.

 

[anthonybruggeman62]

Dropping the speed limit will not make any difference, as it the ones that goes over the speed limits that causes the accident. As they are always in a hurry and over taking on double white lines and over taking on sharp corners on roads, as I have seen all this happening on the roads. SO CHANGING THE SPEED LIMITS IS JUST A REVENUE RAISING THING.

 

[Miss Jewel]

Queensland also has an upper speed limit of 110 kph, on a stretch of highway on the Sunshine Coast.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Queensland also has an upper speed limit of 110 kph, on a stretch of highway on the Sunshine Coast.

Doesn't the Bruce Highway have a extensive 110 kmh zone from Brisbane's northern suburbs to north of the Sunshine Coast on a multi lane dual carriageway? Unless they have changed it in the past 9 years.

 

[ChristyMahon]

Another dullard leaves off sucking on the public tit momentarily, to swallow and burp everything she ever learnt just by reading The Women's Weekly.
When somebody identifies an individual who does not get into a vehicle in order to reach another place quickly, comfortably and conveniently, I'll take notice of these morons.
Until then, I'll go on wondering how I never met anyone who got into a road vehicle just because they wanted to feel safe.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Another dullard leaves off sucking on the public tit momentarily, to swallow and burp everything she ever learnt just by reading The Women's Weekly.
When somebody identifies an individual who does not get into a vehicle in order to reach another place quickly, comfortably and conveniently, I'll take notice of these morons.
Until then, I'll go on wondering how I never met anyone who got into a road vehicle just because they wanted to feel safe.

Do tell me what the Women's Weekly has to do with an article on speed limits?

Your post is an exemplary display of confusion!