Comments on: A new proposal for improved enforcement of speed zones on our highways: monitoring journey travel time in addition to current spot speed detection methods.

By: Christopher Polis

Christopher Polis — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:59:06 +0000

I think there is another fallacy that contributes to both number of accidents through drowsiness on the roads and driver inattention. We have come to believe that a maximum speed limit of 100/110 kph is a good thing.

It is not.

Any arbitrary cap does not which does not allow the selection of the optimum maximum speed for a road is inherently flawed.

More bluntly, people die because we limit the speed on our roads to 110 kph.

To use an extreme case to make the point, I’ve travelled through outback Australia, where you pass another car every half hour or so on dead straight, dead flat roads, with cleared areas for 20m either side. The only significant danger you face in these conditions is from inattention and drowsiness. If it was legal to drive faster, you would achieve two things. You spend less time traveling, and you concentrate more on driving. Both of these act to reduce the risk of accident.

The problem we face – and I dare say the reason Michael had people overtaking him on his travels is that we set speed limits at a level that people driving find inherently to low for the conditions they are driving in.

Want to make an economic case for a four lane midlands highway (which I suspect has got a fractional benefit / cost ratio), then recalculate with the speed limit increased to match the quality of the road. Design the road for 140 or 180km/h. A road that requires a level of concentration and attention to drive at the speed limit is a safer road than one that puts you to sleep.

Or think about it this way. Limiting our speed to 100/110 kph inherently sets a maximum quality of road that can be justified economically. You want better roads? Then let engineers do their job and design them for higher speeds.

Think about problems to do with conditions differently. Have speed limits that sense and adjust with traffic density and weather. The technology to do so would not be that difficult to put in place. A busy arterial road that is appropriately limited to 70kph during the day in dry weather may be safer set at 90 late at night when there is little traffic, and at 50 when there is heavy rain falling.

In the end, while what you are suggesting makes sense on the surface, I don’t think it is addressing the real problem. The problem is that we set speed limits that are clearly too low for the standard of roads and conditions.

By: Ruby Hodgman

Ruby Hodgman — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:17:50 +0000

In response to Sam’s comment:
“When a driver visually sees a police car, automatically they become more alert, watch their speed and become more aware of their surroundings”.

We know the law convicts us of wrongdoing, but we really need to put the law on our hearts, then we will WANT to do the right thing.

If we all personally take responsibility and drive within the limits, the roads would be a much safer place for everyone. Education begins at home and the best place is around the dinner table. How can we learn consideration for others if it doesn’t begin at home?

I also agree with Ann Collings that an advanced driving course should be introduced and made compulsory.

I wish Michael all the best with his proposal and may he be heard and well received.

By: Murray Grose

Murray Grose — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:35:55 +0000

Hi Michael.
Some points that I would like you to consider.
That the advanced driving course should be part of normal driver training.
Those that had experience at age 12 to 14 have made better drivers.
Wives: husbands:partners that are always late is a major cause of accidents.
Worry about things at home is a contributor to an increase in loss of attention(this is a significant cause of industrial accidents).
The modern car is so comfortable and easy to drive that people tend to fall asleep.
The controls/add ons are not consistent over all vehicles.
Maintaining correct tyre pressure and a clean windscreen is very important and it is a lot harder to find a servo that has a convenient place to check these important items.
Aggressive drivers and those that tailgate should have their drivers licence taken away for a long time.
Years ago people would not buy cars or trucks that had colours that made them very hard to see in a lot of road conditions,the same thing applied to bird impacts and road kill,there are hundreds of these coloured vehicles on the road today.
A wise person said to me years ago that it is better to be a bit late in this world than to be too early in the next one so slow down.
Regards
Murray Grose

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:39:25 +0000

Statement from Deputy Opposition Leader: Jeremy Rockliff
Better driver education is part of the solution
• Defensive driving tuition good for novice and experienced drivers alike
• Novice drivers statistically more likely to crash
• Driver education an important part of cutting road toll
There is no doubt that better driver training and defensive driver courses are part of a host of ideas that must be considered to reduce the road toll.
As someone who drives long distances in my work, I undertook a defensive driving course some years ago. Even though I had been driving for some years, doing the course was undoubtedly a ‘wake up call’ to me about slipping into bad driving habits, as well as honing skills such as driving in different road conditions and handling skids.
The Tasmanian Liberals have as policy incentives for novice drivers to undertake professional training in defensive driving.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found
• Young drivers aged between 17 and 25 are eleven times more likely to be killed or injured in crashes.
• Young drivers are also more likely to be involved in road crashes, whether deaths or injuries occur or not.
• P plate drivers have a significantly higher risk of being involved in crashes during the first few months of solo driving.
• Tasmania has the highest rate of fatalities per 100,000 registered vehicles – 15 per 100,000 vehicles, which is an increase of 5 over the last five years and which is against the national trend.
In the light of these statistics, there should be no argument that a suite of initiatives to improve driver training merit consideration.
And this should take place at the same time as examining other worthwhile measures, such as improved road signs and marking, reviewing penalties for driving offences and improving the condition of Tasmania’s roads.
It is vital that government, and indeed all political parties, show leadership in this important area, and a willingness to look at new ideas.

By: Adam Collings

Adam Collings — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:05:41 +0000

That sounds like a sensible and practical idea Michael; a method of more fairly and accurately identifying those who are deliberately flaunting the speed limit.

I can certainly testify that the defensive driving course, that my mother suggested above, raised my awareness of saftey issues that I had not considered, and even now, many years later I still think about the things I learned. From memory, such courses are meant to be taken around a year after a driver gets their Ps (when driving starts to become automatic), but the theoretical information about defensive driving could certainly be made part of the learner/provisional tests which currently seem to focus solely on the rules.