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.

 

[Fossickerphil]

Maybe if the dangerous rule where speedo can be out by 10% plus 4kph were changed back to accurate, there would be less accidents. At 110kph speedo reading the actual speed can be as low as 96kph. Therefore driving too slow can be just as dangerous as driving too fast. A class action law suit against the ADR to have the regulation changed back to accurate speedos in much needed so people actually know what speed they are driving. Thousands of drivers have no idea this ridiculous rule even exists. We now have thousands of vehicles driving at different speeds as every car speedo has different readings believing they are driving at the spped limit when in fact they can be driving at up to 14kph under. For those that know about this get impatient with those who don't. The ADR needs to be held responsible for the increased accidents and deaths as a result of this regulation.

GPS give the correct speed, i rarely rely on the car speedo .

 

[Chook]

AH -- the old university trained experts are at it again-- writing and talking crap and as usual using stats to show just how right they are. There might come a time in the far distant future when experts use their knowledge to listen to people who actually use the goat tracks we call highways.
The road users repeatedly call for desperately needed up grades to the Bruce highway and where is the money spent-- That's right and another 6 lane highway from Brisbane to the Gold coast
Nothing spent north of Nambour and nothing ever spent north of Gladstone
But hey 100KPH is the reason for the deaths so lets cut it back to 80 KPH
For once stop talking -- speed kills and lets start talking driver education improvement
Why do we not have an instant call center where bad driving habits can be reported immediately and then the police can set up interceptors to remove those drivers from the roads
Fact-- bad drivers repeat their bad habits every day on the same roads every where so a data base would allow the police to put an unmarked car on the road in the area around that time and then remove the driver
Now we all know that the justice system is in disarray from the revolving door for your criminals , so it is the same to reoccurring bad drivers , because the judges don't have a police history of the driver to act on
Fact -- if responsible drivers could e-mail a daily witnesses bad driving effort then that could be handed to the judge and the right deterrent issued
NO way you say, as some one could have a set on a car, and continually report it-- would you not think that would set a trend and that person would be ignored and that on one morning , with one bad driver , there could be 100 reports of that driver for different ares
What ever -- I am saying is this A-- excessive speed is a problem but not the only problem , B- bad roads is a major problem and is always ignored, C - there are not enough officers to police bad drivers so bring in good drivers as reporters of bad driving so that the police can concentrate their efforts on the driver and not waste resources D - raise the age to get a license to 18
THERE ARE SO MANY MOVES THAT CAN BE TAKEN SO WHY ARE THE EXPERTS FOCUSING ON THE EASY USELESS FIX ONLY

 

[mylittletibbies]

I live in the country and spend a lot of time on the road.
It is not the 110 limit that is the problem, but the number of people who do not stick to the limit.
As you drive out of our town the speed goes from 50 to 80 to 110.
Most people are doing 110 by the time they hit the 80 zone.
I set my cruise control to 110 and then just drive along while everyone overtakes me, except those who are an even bigger problem and drive along doing 70 or 80 in a 110 zone .
The 110 speed limit is not the problem, it's the ignorant drivers and the bad condition of the roads.
Why are they allowed to manufacture cars that go at such high speeds??
Wouldn't it make more sense to have cars fitted with a device that limited their speed, except for emergency vehicles.
Anyone who tampered with the device should have their car crushed, no ifs or buts.

 

[activist.bw]

Not enough funds are spent on building decent roads and their maintenance is usually very poor. In Queensland overtaking lanes are few and far between. Yet the transport Main Roads hand book reads that they should be no further than 20k apart. With slow moving trucks, cars with caravans and over-sized loads overtaking on narrow roads can result in accidents. I complained about a section of a busy highway with 80k between overtaking lanes just a hour and a half out of Brisbane only to be told there is no money. Yet Brisbane‘s new casino in financial trouble is about to be offered millions of tax payers money.

politicans sux.

 

[Wendy3060]

Living in WA we have long stretches of highway with a new section being built bypassing BUnbry. Heading north caravan era and trucks. Some are triple supposedly doing 100 , who can stop a spreading road train?
Sadly I live on a road that became a truck road due to tge rubbish tip outside Dardanup, on a fault line above 3 aquafirs? Anyway I’m on an s bend , 3 in a 4 km range Speed limit 100km, blind s bends , we were here first it’s suggested we move our council approved drives. Main roads inspected and said 100 is ok, we can put up suggest 70 lol, but they checked at 4pm. No trucks going to tge tip then . Idiots Guess you have to wait for a death

 

[Groovy Granny 10]

If they (the experts) reduce the speed limits, I would never get where I'm going. Imagine travelling from Melbourne to Brisbane at 90kmh. Ugh!!

 

[Shane O'Neill]

Well Victoria still has 110 km in different areas it probably more about the condition of the road's as state governments tend to spend more in and around the city's (which are shit holes),than out on the country roads and the major highways the country tax payer's are screwed over all the time and councils Well they hand ball it or get the cheapest contractors to get the work and it never lasts like year's ago hmmmm they cut corners and nothing is said

 

[Greg350]

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.

WRONG - They are talking about single carriageway roads, not freeways. Maximum European single carriageway road limit is 100, in ONE country, the rest are 70, 80, and 90.

And their freeways are very different to ours, their unlimited sections in Germany are on limited access roads in rural areas only. We have NO limited access roads in rural Australia. Further, the road death rate in Germany on the Autobahns is 6 per 100,000. Australia's average is around 4.6.

 

[Lizzylou]

There is a lot of talk about the government reducing speed, that isn't necessarily the answer, I however think the fact that young people today buy or are brought for them you beaut fancy expensive cars, also has a lot to do with the higher road death toll. How often do you hear or see the carnage because a P plater or someone who has just become a driver who no longer needs them is wrapped around a tree because their high powered vehicle has spun out of control, the cars themselves are more powerful then I had when I was a teenager/young person. Often people disregard the speed noted on the side of the road and go at least 10 to 20 ks over, to me that is also a huge factor and for that you can't only blame young people, I often see people of all ages driving over the limit because they believe they have a right to and dam anyone else who is doing the limit and get in their way.

 

[Greg350]

NT has 130km Speed limit... The road Toll actually went UP when the previous Unlimited speed sections were eliminated and a Restriction was put in place..

Hahahaha, BS. You just follow the other idiots who sprout the same thing without checking it out.

Yes the speed limit was introduced one year and the death numbers went up. No one mentions that the very next year the numbers halved and stayed down. Also if you accessed the parliamentary records you'd see every death and where they were, they vast majority in the year that they went up after the speed limit was introduced was on unpaved roads heading to communities, nothing to do with the speed limit reduction.

 

[cheza1603]

The only way to reduce the road toll is education. All young persons should be taught to drive and educated about the motor vehicle they drive and the consequences of there actions behind tbe wheel. Reducing the road speed limits will not stop people being killed.

Exactly. You're 100 % right. People need to be educated how to drive and how to handle a vehicle in a situation.

 

[KathrynE]

I live in NSW and the rural speed limit is 110 kph.

 

[Arg]

The only way to reduce the road toll is education. All young persons should be taught to drive and educated about the motor vehicle they drive and the consequences of there actions behind tbe wheel. Reducing the road speed limits will not stop people being killed.

Lower speed limits actually do work. But it's a ratchet. They keep on working the more you lower the limit, all the way down to about 40 km/h. So the right question to ask, maybe to your MP, is, "You can see how stupid it is if this keeps happening over and over, 10 km/h at a time, until we are all driving to Melbourne at 50 km/h or less. Yet it is all the same logic as 110 km/h to 100 km/h. The fact that "it works" isn't good enough. You need to oppose this on the basis that it is actually a failure of the safety authorities to find solutions that aren't a step on the way to 50 km/h rural limits."

 

[Rockyd]

Hi, in my opinion the lowering of the speed limits as a blanket operation is not necessary or viable in Australia.
The road conditions are what need to be addressed, this coupled with adequate clean rest areas would make a difference.
In the age of super Highways that Bypass towns to facilitate a straight line from A to B it has allowed complacency in the need for rest, years ago when travelling and having to slow for small towns and villages, people would stop, rest, throw the kids out for a run and look around and refresh, this no longer happens, THIS in my opinion is a major contributor to problems.
Another thing worth considering is when people from Urban areas who rarely travel more than 80 km/h venture onto a highway with higher limits with little or no knowledge or experience with these speeds, without trying to sound nasty, these people do actually pose a problem, perhaps a restriction is needed there.

Agreed totally with you. The by-passing of towns has not only increased the speeds on the motor ways but has left small towns with no income from passing tourists. There are not enough shaded rest areas in areas such as when travelling north to the NT or QLD just as examples. Registration checks on vehicles is a joke when you see vehicles with shocking rusty areas on the cars, bald tyres, cracked or no windscreen, lights that don't work or some have lights missing alltogether. The registration renewable checker needs to be assessed. Might finally catch vehicles that are totally unroadworthy & shouldn't be on the road at all.

 

[Greg350]

Agreed totally with you. The by-passing of towns has not only increased the speeds on the motor ways but has left small towns with no income from passing tourists. There are not enough shaded rest areas in areas such as when travelling north to the NT or QLD just as examples. Registration checks on vehicles is a joke when you see vehicles with shocking rusty areas on the cars, bald tyres, cracked or no windscreen, lights that don't work or some have lights missing alltogether. The registration renewable checker needs to be assessed. Might finally catch vehicles that are totally unroadworthy & shouldn't be on the road at all.

Not all States have inspections.

 

[wendell]

The only thing I can see this helping is increased revenue for each state government arising from speeding fines. It, unfortunately, has nothing to do with road safety or saving lives. Once again it all comes down to GREED.

Yes if they put the revenue money collected to improve the quality of the roads their would be less accidents

 

[wendell]

Agreed totally with you. The by-passing of towns has not only increased the speeds on the motor ways but has left small towns with no income from passing tourists. There are not enough shaded rest areas in areas such as when travelling north to the NT or QLD just as examples. Registration checks on vehicles is a joke when you see vehicles with shocking rusty areas on the cars, bald tyres, cracked or no windscreen, lights that don't work or some have lights missing alltogether. The registration renewable checker needs to be assessed. Might finally catch vehicles that are totally unroadworthy & shouldn't be on the road at all.

Once again all they want is the registration $ no actual work to check anything

 

[Rickcb63]

1, nothing wrong with the speed limit @ 110 and there are more states than mentioned with 110, S.A and areas of country Victoria and NSW including Queensland all have 110 !
2, Most accidents happen in suburban areas ! Drove a tow truck for over 12yrs, yes I’ve seen it all.
3, Teach people how to drive, NOT how to get a license ! Especially the people who get here from Overseas !!
4, Instead of giving Ukraine billions of dollars for a war,,, spend money on making our roads suitable to be driven on ! Imagine if we could place a defective sign on our roads as the police do on a car with an issue !
5, Years ago it was proven by I think Craig Lowndes and other V8 Super Car drivers, that the roads would be a safer place if the speeds were increased, with modern technology, I agree .

 

[atomace]

absolute bullshit, more, vehicles on the roads, also more technology in cars is the problem, lowering speed is not going to stop the deaths or injury as there are too many idiots on the roads full stop

 

[debt1954]

How ridiculous the road toll is more to do with bad drivers and young drivers having cats that are too powerful for their lack of experience. Dropping the speed will only make people drive faster. Drivers should not get a license until they have done a further course on vehicle handling in all conditions and emergencies. People also need to stop being so impatient. I say
No to dropping the limit if anything increase it on major roads!!!!