RACQ member surveys show:
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63% feel that a balance of safety and efficiency needs to be met when speed limits are set and 34% feel that traffic safety alone should be the most important consideration when setting speed limits;
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63% believe that the default speed to allow for safe and efficient travel on roads in built-up areas should be the current 50km/h;
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41% consider that the default speed to allow for safe and efficient travel on rural highways is the current 100km/h. 42% believe that this should be increased to 110km/h. Only 12% of members believe that rural highway speed limits should be lower than 100km/h;
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94% support the installation of speed activated warning signs to warn speeders of their speed and make other road users aware of the speed limit and/or any hazards ahead;
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90% support the introduction of electronic speed limit signs that change the speed limit according to the road, traffic and weather conditions on high traffic roads in Queensland; and
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85% agree that where road improvements are not feasible in the short term, speed limit reductions should be used as an interim intervention.
(Market and Communications Research December 2008)
International research suggests that motor vehicle speed is at the core of road safety, with higher speeds increasing the risk of crashes occurring as well as the severity of the consequences from the crashes that do occur (European Transport Safety Council September 2005, p1 and SWOV January 2007, p1).
In Australia, road authorities have historically set speed limits according to criteria that include road function, road alignment, prevailing traffic speeds and speed environment (covering roadside development as well as road and traffic characteristics).
Drivers react to many influences in choosing their speed and there is constant need to post realistic and credible speed limits to help achieve:
- Voluntary compliance by the majority of motorists;
- Effective regulation of traffic flow;
- Reduced crashes; and
- Optimal safety for vulnerable road users; while
- Having due regard for the amenity of people living along our streets and roads.
From a pure road safety perspective, international research into the tolerance limits of what the human body can survive when involved in a crash with or in modern vehicles supports speed limits being set at:
- No higher than 30km/h on roads where traffic is mixed with pedestrian activity;
- No higher than 50km/h on roads with intersections at which a side-on crash is possible;
- No higher than 70km/h on roads where head-on crashes are possible; and
- Higher than 70km/h if the road has median dividers and roadside barriers or safe roadsides (Tingvall and Lie 2008).
However, the majority of RACQ members (63%) still support speed limits being set to balance safety and efficiency - the traditional approach to setting limits in Queensland (Market and Communications Research December 2008).
There is a wider range of speed limit options available today than in the past, which has allowed lower speeds in shared zones and residential streets and higher speeds on urban arterial roads and rural highways. Once the appropriate speed limit is determined, it normally applies 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.
However, modern technology provides the potential to vary and manage speed limits by time of day and for different conditions or events. A very high proportion of RACQ members (94%) support the adoption of this type of technology on highly trafficked roads in Queensland (Market and Communications Research December 2008).
Priorities: Speed Limits
- Match speed limits to the function of road, its construction and environment in a uniform and consistent manner with adequate and appropriate signing.
- Install on-road measures, e.g., line markings, to visually narrow a wide road in order to reduce speeds in areas where speed limits are valid but the physical road environment may conflict with general driver expectations.
- Upgrade sections of rural highway to reduce the number of speed limit changes due to substandard sections of road, e.g., re-align isolated rail crossings, widen and seal shoulders, replace narrow bridges, or rationalise the number of access points/intersections to extend 110km/h zones.
- Install electronic variable message signs to vary speed limits according to times or conditions where appropriate on major highly trafficked roads.
- Install speed activated warning signs to warn speeding drivers of their speed, remind road users of the correct speed limit and advise them of any hazards ahead.
- Take account of high pedestrian/cyclist activity as well as other vulnerable road users when setting lower speed limits and, where appropriate, support these with special engineering treatments, e.g., traffic calming along busy strip shopping precincts.
- Ensure roadwork sites are adequately signed to protect road workers and road users and promote driver compliance with speed restrictions according to prevailing conditions, e.g., cover speed signs if lower limits do not apply when road workers or equipment are not present.
- Continue to educate motorists on how speed limits are set.
- Consider temporary speed limit reductions as an interim intervention on problem sections of road that can not be feasibly improved in the short term.
References
European Transport Safety Council September 2005, ETSC Fact Sheet Number 06: Motor Vehicle Speed in the EU, European Transport Safety Council, Brussels, Belgium.
Market and Communications Research December 2008, RACQ Safety Policy Survey: Quantitative Research Report, Market and Communications Research, Spring Hill, Queensland, Australia.
SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research January 2007, SWOV Fact sheet: The relation between speed and crashes, SWOV, Leidschendam, The Netherlands.
Tingvall, Claes and Lie, Anders 2008, "The role of Safe Infrastructure in Promoting Road Safety": Safe system approach, Swedish Road Administration, Online Presentation, Accessed 22 January 2008: http://www.ebrd.com/country/sector/trport/conference/tingvall.pdf
Contact
For more information contact RACQ Traffic and Safety on 1300 853 658 or 07 3872 8925, or email traffic@racq.com.au
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