[crisis]

Speed limits are necessary only as a guide line to those with no idea about driving dynamics. It’s like when you have to have procedures in the work place. So that people who can’t work out a sensible way of doing things can work too.
The people who die from exceeding the speed limit generally die travelling 20 or so kmh faster, not 5. I have proof that speed doest kill. I have driven a car a 200kmh on a 100kmh road and didn’t die. I have driven a car are 60kmh in a 50kmh zone and likewise survived. I am not trying to be smart but that’s the kind of response I feel towards comments like “speed kills”.
Funny that on the S.A. dept transport web page about road safety they tend to agree with me in the ambiguity they use.

Research has identified excessive speed as a major factor in approximately 20% of fatal crashes in Australia.
Excessive speed is not the same as exceeding the speed limit as the go on to say –

There are two kinds of speed problem:
• excessive speed (travelling faster than the speed limit)
• inappropriate speed (travelling too fast for the conditions).
Speed limits are set so as to indicate a reasonable speed for most vehicles under normal circumstances. But, under less than ideal conditions, travelling below the speed limit may be required for safety.

Therefore under ideal conditions it is perfectly safe to exceed the speed limit?

On 60 km/h urban roads the risk of a casualty crash doubles for each 5 km/h above the speed limit; on rural roads the risk doubles for each 10 km/h above the average traffic speed. International research in a number of countries broadly (loosely?) supports these findings.

Well these are two different things. “Each 5 km/h above the speed limit” and “each 10 km/h above the average traffic speed”. So in the country if everyone is going between 100kmh and 140kmh (exceeding the speed limit) then those travelling at 120kmh (exceeding the speed limit) are driving quite safely?

Their strategies then.

How can we stop speeding?
These are just some of the ideas being considered for future action plans to reduce road trauma in our State:
• Legislation – more regulations to control speeding (the faster than the speed limit type, the inappropriate speed type or the above the average speed type????)
• Education – more information about the consequences
• Enforcement – greater use of speed guns and cameras ( naturally)
• Penalties – increased demerit points and greater chance of losing your licence (whatever)
• Traffic management – wider application of lower speed limits (great)
• Smart technology – vehicle and traffic management systems to automatically lower speed. (Fear their definition of smart!)


Some recent initiatives in South Australia are:
• A general 50 km/h limit now applies throughout urban areas, except on arterial roads and where local councils have established 40 km/h zones (nice that. 40, 50 , 60 so you have no idea of what you are supposed to be doing therefore a soft target for this guy
http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/rss/c...s/speed_02.jpg
• Speed limits on sections of the Adelaide Hills have been lowered to 80 km/h (fair call as long as they are placed sensibly)
• Speed limits on lower standard rural open roads have been reduced from 110 to 100 km/h (but if the average speed… ah f#@* it.)
• Demerit points as well as fines now apply to speed camera offences. (whateva!)

I suppose my point is most of their ideas and initiatives revolve around the ambiguity of the term speeding. As far as I am concerned and I am happy to be proved wrong, the dangerous type of speeding is the one where the speed is inappropriate for the road or conditions. It’s the only one that makes sense. Therefore greater use of speed traps is primarily going to catch those who are exceeding the limit by 5 or 10 ks. Most of the fines I hear about are around those numbers. The leastdangerous type of speeding. The only strategy they list that addresses anything of value is “Education – more information about the consequences.” Pity they don’t think Education – more thorough practical driver training rates a mention.