Road expert says why we need faster speed limits

[Grunter]

WE’RE told that every kilometre of the speed limit kills us. But one traffic expert believes on most modern highways, those claims are greatly exaggerated.

Stephen Boyles, an assistant professor of transportation engineering at the University of Texas has published an article saying that with our modern safer roads and safer cars, the maximum speed limit needs to be raised.

Current draconian speed limits on big modern highways are actually making things worse, he argues.

“This difference in speeds is actually more dangerous than if everyone were driving at a faster speed.

We’ve all felt the frustration of being behind slow drivers and annoyance at aggressive drivers weaving through traffic. Both of these situations are dangerous and make traffic worse,” he wrote.

One idea he recommended, and was backed up by research from the US Federal Highway Administration is that speed limits should be set at the 85th percentile of traffic speed. That means, only around 15 per cent of cars should be driving faster than the speed limit — any faster than that the speed limit should be raised.

It’s not only direct safety on highways Professor Boyles believes will be improved. He adds that important speed limits like school zones and those in the CBD would be respected more if highway speed limits had more credibility.

Why we need faster speed limits

1km/h over? Better get a lawyer son, better get a real good one. Source: Supplied

Relations with police will also improve, he believes, saying, “rather than having to reflexively brake when seeing a police car, or worrying about selective enforcement of speed laws when everybody is travelling over the speed limit, rational speed limits mean that average drivers can simply go about their business.”

In Australia, outside of the Northern Territory (where they have an unlimted max speed limit), our highest speed limit allowed is 110km/h, which it has been since the 1970s.

In the last 40 years, new multi-lane highways full of safety guards, improved surfaces and run offs have been built throughout the country. Likewise, our cars have improved dramatically. Tractional control and stability control systems are standard on most cars, as well as Australia's increased appetite for AWD vehicles that help improve grip in the wet. Technology designed to make higher speed driving safer like active cruise control, which keeps a safe distance from the car in front is also standard on many modern cars.

Sydney’s M7 is the perfect example. The road’s surface is fantastic, the visibility is perfect and the entire motorway is full of run offs, barriers and every type of road safety system possible. Yet the speed limit for the entire road is limited to 100km/h, leaving drivers in modern safe vehicles frustratingly, and dangerously stuck behind and between trucks. Having driven on autobahns in Germany, where speed limits are unlimited, accidents are few and the conditions of the road are much worse, this feels ridiculous.

Of course, old country roads aren’t up to these standards and current limits make sense, but our big, modern motorways certainly are.

Backing up Professor Boyles’ research, Mazda Australia’s managing director Martin Benders told journalists last year that he believed that the Australian police’s obsession with making sure drivers aren’t going 1km/h over the speed limit is creating bad drivers.

“I have to say, having spent six years away [in Japan and Germany], I am amazed how bad the driving standards are in Australia, in terms of [driver] focus on not going 1km/h over the speed limit, it’s shocking,” Benders said.

“You’ve got the police standing up and saying, ‘We can’t have distracted drivers’, and now we have got all these distracted drivers focused on not going 1km/h over the speed limit.”

However, a Victorian police spokeswoman told news.com.au that, “we are unaware of any evidence or research that suggests that driving within the speed limit is a distraction.

The use of mobile phones is currently our biggest driver distraction issue.”

http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...-1227432108426

[mik]

sounds like fair comments,
some roads are up to higher speeds, and driving on mile after mile at a snail pace is like watching paint dry, its no wonder some drivers go too sleep at the wheel.

but by the same token ,some roads suck and either need repairs or for the speed limit to go down.

[blueoval]

I for one am a believer of giving you're undivided attention to the roads when driving. I dislike the 'reasons' the government use to justify the use of these units as much as the next guy. BUT I believe the government is preying on our complacency to 'cop it on the chin'.

If people were really sick and tired of this, they would do something about it. Unfortunately, we are a whingy and complacent nation. We'll have a whinge about it, then do nothing to get it changed because we are either too lazy to, or think it's someone else's problem. Govco knows this and this is why we continue to whinge about it, get complacent and then bend over and accept it. I admit, I fall into this category too.

[mechanic]

About time this issue was discussed and some changes made.
We used to have a speed limit of 60 mph outside built up areas and 30 mph in built up areas.
No seat belts, no airbags, no crumple zones, no collapsible steering shafts, all steel dash and instrument controls, drum brakes all round, no vacuum assisted power brakes, practically no cars with power steering and a highway was a thin strip of bitumen with some dotted lines down the center if you were lucky.
The remaining roads were mainly gravel or at best very ordinary sealed surfaces.

At my age I don't want to drive any faster than 100 kph but there's got to be a lot of drivers who are capable of driving safely at speeds up to 150 kph or more given the quality of our modern cars with the safety devices plus the excellent standard of our roads these days.

Worst kept secret in Australia is that speeding fines are revenue raising for state governments.

It's just another tax, like gun licensing and equally as ineffective.

[BradEL]

The only roads I can think of in New Zealand that are safe enough, well maintained, wide, well lit and smooth enough to have cars going at 120kph+ safely are the same roads that crawl at about 35kph with traffic every work day of the week from about 6:30 am till 7:30 pm

[nuthin' fancy]

Originally Posted by mechanic

About time this issue was discussed and some changes made.
We used to have a speed limit of 60 mph outside built up areas and 30 mph in built up areas.
No seat belts, no airbags, no crumple zones, no collapsible steering shafts, all steel dash and instrument controls, drum brakes all round, no vacuum assisted power brakes, practically no cars with power steering and a highway was a thin strip of bitumen with some dotted lines down the center if you were lucky.
The remaining roads were mainly gravel or at best very ordinary sealed surfaces.
.

And the annual road toll was three times what it is today. 1074 people died on Victorian roads in 1970, the era of no airbags, few seat belts and no crumple zones. THe figure is threatening to go below 300 now.

As much as I am frustrated with the speed limit as it is (in 1990 I drove from Adelaide to Geelong in 5 hours and felt focused, alert and much more attentive to the road) the reducing road toll and politicians completely incapable of winning an argument about anything controversial means increases to the speed limit will not be considered.

The biggest issue the initial article ignored was driver skill. The days of learning to drive in a paddock in an old EH ute where you learned to recognise and then control drift and slide, to control braking on difficult surfaces are now replaced by rubbish log books, 120 hours of tootling around in perfect weather, on perfect roads in perfect cars teaching new drivers nothing.

P platers on phones and iPods. I chipped a young girl talking into the phine on her lap and she told me to move on, she had it on loudspeaker!!!!

And don't get me started on drivers who come from overseas and on the basis of their old licence get a new one to drive here. I've felt their non existent skill and polished their mistakes off my bumpers to often.



Geez, I'm getting wound up, lucky I stopped before cab drivers found their way into my rant!

[Stefan]

I got a solution.

Increase speed limits on motorways, then book all the #@&%wits that don't understand "keep left unless overtaking"

Revenue will skyrocket.

[tonys6550]

Originally Posted by Stefan

I got a solution.

Increase speed limits on motorways, then book all the #@&%wits that don't understand "keep left unless overtaking"

Revenue will skyrocket.

Haha how true.

I work permanent nights and I'm still surprised how many people sit in the furthest right lane on a four or five lane freeway with no other cars on the road and they're doing 10 to 15 kays under the speed limit, the mind just boggles sometimes.

[Brazen]

Lots of roads could be 120 or 130. We don't get much snow or ice here too.

[burnz]

it will never happen, too much money will be lost in revenue..

the lives lost is an acceptable one for the money..

[bluewindsor]

Really notice the 10kph difference when travelling from Adelaide to Melbourne. its quite frustrating.

[BENT_8]

Problem is we have to legislate for the worst drivers amongst us.
As mechanic said, there are probably heaps of drivers who could safely travel at higher speeds, but unfortunately that opens the door to those who cant even handle 100k speeds or drive clapped out bombs that arent up to it.

Im not sure that i'd feel comfortable travelling at 130k's surrounded by some of the drivers i see daily.

[bluewindsor]

Originally Posted by Stefan

I got a solution.

Increase speed limits on motorways, then book all the #@&%wits that don't understand "keep left unless overtaking"

Revenue will skyrocket.

More revenue to be made there than speeding

[zilo]

This is the victorian governments response...

http://www.camerassavelives.vic.gov....+and+evidence/

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Problem is we have to legislate for the worst drivers amongst us.
As mechanic said, there are probably heaps of drivers who could safely travel at higher speeds, but unfortunately that opens the door to those who cant even handle 100k speeds or drive clapped out bombs that arent up to it.

Im not sure that i'd feel comfortable travelling at 130k's surrounded by some of the drivers i see daily.

And the rest of the world are super human? You drive in Europe, Asia or the Americas and it all comes down to conditions - humans are lazy and will always take the path of least resistance.

A busy, fast, complex road system and you are alert. Trundling along a boring slow road staring at the speedo, you end up half asleep. Human nature is universal no matter where you are - but at least our licensing system is pretty good here.

[Guzz226]

This topic was discussed at the track day I did when I purchased my GT.

Comparisons withGermany are inevitable in this discussion - what isn't mentioned is that it apparently also costs $8k+ in training and education to get a licence there.

Wonder how many are prepared to invest in the same here o drive like Germans? Or just want to cherry pick comparisons?

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Guzz226

This topic was discussed at the track day I did when I purchased my GT.

Comparisons withGermany are inevitable in this discussion - what isn't mentioned is that it apparently also costs $8k+ in training and education to get a licence there.

Wonder how many are prepared to invest in the same here o drive like Germans? Or just want to cherry pick comparisons?

Have you been to Germany, feels like half the drivers on the road are from Easter Europe or Algeria looking at their number plates. With the free movement of people under EU guidelines, its a dogs breakfast in terms of licensing standards. Lots of European countries actually don't dictate that the person teaching you has a license themself!

I don't take too much stock in the testing there, its bloody expensive but so is everything regulation or government related and the driving schools are locally known as rorts which pay big fees to the Government. Safe driving is about building knowledge and experience. The average Australian drives 30% more than the average European per year. (15,500km to 10,500km), Australians build up a lot more driving experience.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by Brazen

And the rest of the world are super human? You drive in Europe, Asia or the Americas and it all comes down to conditions - humans are lazy and will always take the path of least resistance.

A busy, fast, complex road system and you are alert. Trundling along a boring slow road staring at the speedo, you end up half asleep. Human nature is universal no matter where you are - but at least our licensing system is pretty good here.

I agree with this. You can have a hell of a lot of fun on a good road with plenty of nice corners and be only doing 60 - 80 and still end up with smoking hot brakes!

Driving down the freeway doing 110 with the cruise control can be very boring, although I try to make it a bit of a game by anticipating what "that" car is going to do next.....

I truly believe that reading the road along freeways is an art that takes time and experience. So many times I have seen the behaviour of cars and said to the missus, I bet this car changes lane or something and then it happens...

Even reading how trucks behave. I have seen plenty of trucks needing to change lane (due to a learning doing 80 etc), but no one recognises it and the trucks have to slow right down, whereas a quick flash of the lights and they are over, maintaining their momentum and then back into the left lane. Once back in the left lane, a quick punch on the throttle and you are away - so simple (and courteous), but very uncommon.

I don't think our wider driving community is ready for increased speed limits, as much as I would like them. To many factors involved eg age of cars, driver experience, conditions of road, camber of road, undulations in the road, conditions of cars (tyres, brakes etc) and so on......I don't believe it's about revenue raising, as they can always introduce "something" else to compensate.

[Tom Tucker]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Problem is we have to legislate for the worst drivers amongst us.
As mechanic said, there are probably heaps of drivers who could safely travel at higher speeds, but unfortunately that opens the door to those who cant even handle 100k speeds or drive clapped out bombs that arent up to it.

Im not sure that i'd feel comfortable travelling at 130k's surrounded by some of the drivers i see daily.

No.

This is why society is in such a backward spiral, in the opposite direction of progress.

Legislation needs to be aimed at the majority, not the minority, for the greater good.

We should have support systems in place for the weak, disadvantaged etc, but should not be slaves to needs of the minority.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Tom Tucker

We should have support systems in place for the weak, disadvantaged etc, but should not be slaves to needs of the minority.

Its called the left lane.

Vast majority of people will be fine. Especially here in Australia with strict rules and licensing. 120 or 130 is borderline slow by global standards on a modern freeway - especially in a country with little snow or ice.

Cognitively its actually harder driving in traffic and city streets/intersections.

[Bearman]

Originally Posted by bluewindsor

Really notice the 10kph difference when travelling from Adelaide to Melbourne. its quite frustrating.

I noticed that too when on a road trip last year, loved the 110km roads.

As for the article you can be sure the author Stephen Boyles will be bagged and discredited by all the Govco sponsored "experts".

He is spot on!!

[Tom Tucker]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Its called the left lane.

Haha, such an appropriate analogy

[Trek]

The worst part is the minorities in their ivory towers. Our rationalised pleas fall on deaf ears...

For those that live in Geelong, there's a strong case for roads like the Portarlington Highway or Surfcoast Highway... Both are a snoozefest to drive along and monitored heavily by police, strictly for revenue purposes. Missing the halcyon days where such roads were not constricted by greed and right-wing, fear-mongering notions dominating the minds of proletarians to let it get to the stage it is at now. Society reaps what it sows though :(

On a related note, society has either forgotten or given up protesting (properly, not a damn petition) about issues that affect the majority. Pandering to minorities seems to be the in thing these days.

[cheap]

It isn't as simple as the "expert" claims.

Whilst 100km/hr might seem slow, it is also the prescribed speed limit during pouring rain, hail and fog. Many people ignore the conditions instead see 100km/hr as their god given right to drive at the speed limit because they can.

Of course we could have variable speed limits to match the weather but who is going to pay for that luxury?

[mtbkym01]

Currently in Canada driving a Mustang around and what has blown me away is the "apparent disregard" to posted speed limits. I was doing 11kmh (101 in a 90) above the posted limit and a tour bus overtook me!!

On the dual lane Trans-Canada Hwy I've seen cars doing up to 130kmh (estimated) when the posted limit is 90. And it's very common too, not just a rogue one off driver either, it's lots of vehicles. Have seen a patrol car with a driver pulled over, he must've been doing an even greater speed.

It's seems to me that they consider the driving manner as much as just the speed

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by mik

sounds like fair comments,
some roads are up to higher speeds, and driving on mile after mile at a snail pace is like watching paint dry, its no wonder some drivers go too sleep at the wheel.

but by the same token ,some roads suck and either need repairs or for the speed limit to go down.

Dead right. ATM speeds are capped at 100...mostly.....but that then includes potholed back country cart tracks and four lane billiard tabled highways all under the same banner. Don't make a bit of sense.
And we're only talking about lifting highway speeds on good roads.

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by burnz

it will never happen, too much money will be lost in revenue..

the lives lost is an acceptable one for the money..

Thing is it doesn't matter what speed limit they set...they could still bust people for speeding!!! So set it at a reasonable 130 on 2-4 lane highways...and life goes on. The country grows faster, the slow use the left lane and they can still fine a guy for doing 131

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by mtbkym01

Currently in Canada driving a Mustang around and what has blown me away is the "apparent disregard" to posted speed limits. I was doing 11kmh (101 in a 90) above the posted limit and a tour bus overtook me!!

On the dual lane Trans-Canada Hwy I've seen cars doing up to 130kmh (estimated) when the posted limit is 90. And it's very common too, not just a rogue one off driver either, it's lots of vehicles. Have seen a patrol car with a driver pulled over, he must've been doing an even greater speed.

It's seems to me that they consider the driving manner as much as just the speed

A couple of years ago the police chief in Czech Republic was quoted in the news saying that they only paid attention to anybody driving more than 20 km/h over the 130 motorway speed limit. More interested in looking for dangerous driving than revenue.

The funniest thing about driving in Europe as an Australian is that the first time you see a police car on a motorway your Pavlovian instincts kick in and you hit the brakes - until you realise everybody else is roaring past the police car at much higher speeds without hesitating! And the police are likely to be driving a Golf rather than the technicolor souped up ***** extensions they use to frighten people with here.

One of the most significant issues is overlooked here - the ability to quickly and safely overtake slower moving obstacles. There is a big differential between heavy vehicle and car speed limits in Europe and it's possible to quickly get past a truck and get well clear of them, rather than the slow creep you get here that's frustrating and dangerous for both.

In Australia by contrast it's quite common to have speed traps on overtaking lanes which is so cynically counter-safe it verges on evil.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Tom Tucker

No.

This is why society is in such a backward spiral, in the opposite direction of progress.

Legislation needs to be aimed at the majority, not the minority, for the greater good.

We should have support systems in place for the weak, disadvantaged etc, but should not be slaves to needs of the minority.

Can you tell us how we identify this weak, disadvantaged, minority.

If legislation were to be directed at the majority, assuming that the majority are actually competent enough and not just of their own opinion, how do we ensure that those of us that are incompetent will not push their boundaries.
I mean, its just a number on a sign on the side of the road, what stops a driver on their first day of open licence from giving this 130K+ thing a crack in their EA Falcon with shot shockers and worn suspension bushes.
Is there to be a inspection station at the on ramp of every motorway to gauge ones ability.

If we just put the limit up because thats what a % of the populus wants because they believe they are capable, how do we weed out and police those who cant.

I get what your saying, but it isnt plausible which is why the powers that be legislate for the nuff nuffs.

[mik]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Problem is we have to legislate for the worst drivers amongst us.
As mechanic said, there are probably heaps of drivers who could safely travel at higher speeds, but unfortunately that opens the door to those who cant even handle 100k speeds or drive clapped out bombs that arent up to it.

Im not sure that i'd feel comfortable travelling at 130k's surrounded by some of the drivers i see daily.

that is a big part of the problem imo, on a daily basis i see drivers impatient cutting in and out of traffic like race drivers, but often still within the speed limits, they drive with a chip on their shoulder the size of a pyramid, the same goes for the already mentioned turkeys that drive in the fast lane and dont move over for anyone.

By the same token , that seems to be the authorities road culture, speed is the only problem, we need less police (which cost money) pulling up drivers for bad driving and setting them straight.

If they where to raise speed limits to a reasonable number on those roads that it could be done safely that would go against their sales pitch(and camera cash cow culture) that all speed kills.