The Road Safety Enigma !

We just had a horror year for deaths on New South Wales roads and this new year is not starting well.  On the first long weekend holiday, crash deaths doubled from last year when twenty-eight people lost their lives.  The statistics tell a compelling story.

More than fifty percent of fatal crashes in New South Wales occurred on high speed country roads, while high speed fatalities in Sydney, Newcastle and greater Wollongong are unchanged since 2010.  There is a very obvious way of calming speeding on country roads which is already in place and awaiting the go-ahead from the state government.

It is called point-to-point speed camera technology - and it already applies to truck movements on our road system.  Cameras record the number plates of traffic at numerous points on the highway system and the computers compare the time factor for using legal speed to reach the next camera recording.  If the vehicle reaches that point too soo, it is obviously speeding and a ticket is on the way in the mail.

This device to limit speeding is in use for all road traffic in every other state - except New South Wales.   Here, it only applies to truck movements and pressure is building for it to be extended to cover all forms of road movement.   Unfortunately, while it may be effective, it will be wildly unpopular.

The only other option would seem to be a lower legal speed limit on all undivided roads.  At present, multi lane divided roads usually have a speed limit of 110 and lesser roads are limited to 100.   The sheer misery of driving long distances at a speed of 90 or even 80 kph is a misery few could tolerate.

It would seem reasonable to retain that 100 kph limit on country roads and insist drivers obey it by using point to point speed camera technology.  One compelling factor is that the cameras are already in place and no expenditure is required - and it could be up and running from the moment a decision is made.

We would simply have to learn to drive at the speed limit - or be taxed off the road by cumulative penalties.  Demerit points are accumulated with speeding fines.  A few decades ago we drove at 60 kph on city streets and for safety reasons that was reduced to 50.   Now that is even reduced to 40 outside schools during twice daily student movement times.  We ignore those limits at our peril.

There are few drivers who do not exceed the speed limit on what they regard as a " safe "  road they know so well.  If point to point is adopted for all traffic, those camera gantries will be a sure reminder to use speed control - or suffer the consequences.  The vast majority of drivers will - however reluctantly - obey the speed limit as a necessity.

Eventually, self driving cars will eliminate " human error " which is the cause of most road crashes. Our ever increasing population is coupled with the greater number of cars on our roads.  It will be hard for any government not to adopt this traffic calming but unpopular measure.