Online govt survey for SA drivers - speed limits/safety

[Brazen]

Hi,

SA government is seeking input on road safety matter (if you are a driver or passenger in SA). Interesting to see the skew of the questions with a heavy emphasis on reducing speed limits (even though the department says less than 6% of crashes caused by speed. When in fact Fatigue, inattention, carelessness are the big causes).

Comments box at the end for your input too.


http://survey.euro.confirmit.com/wix9/p1843583949.aspx

[LTDHO]

Victoria should do the same thing!

[new2ford]

Worth anybody doing this survey to get a message across that factors other than "speed" are road safety issues.

The Adelaide postcode is 5000 ;)

[syco26]

Thanks for posting this.

It always amazes me how they continually try to point to the speed on rural roads as the main factor in accidents. I read somewhere a couple years back that Australia had a Europian crash expert come here to to conduct a study on our roads and accidents and he said that our lower speed limits played a great part in all the accidents. He said it was due to the inatention at the lower speeds and that they actually caused fatigue and said to reduce the incidents raise the speed limits to make people more aware and turn on their senses.

I strongly believe things like mandatory head light use on highways, better roads and enforcing grey power to sit on the speed limit with their caravans will reduce the amount of accidents we see.

Also hate the fact that the SA police will set up speed cameras along stretches of rural road where you don't see a single red or black marker accident marker. That is not trying to prevent incidents that is just revenue raising. Why not spend the time in places like out side of schools where idiots speed past or parking at the blind corners on the highway where morons risk over taking.

I don't agree with speeding like a lunatic on our roads but don't agree we need to reduce the speed limit either.

After all it is not speed that kills it is the dhead that cuts infront of you.

Rant over

[Bushbasher]

Just did it and avoided marking speeding or reducing speeds as solutions. I focused on driver education and fixing the roads.

[Simple6]

Yeah done here too (I do use SA road often).

Reducing speed limits is not the solution, but as the survey points out - it's the cheapest thing to do!

[PepeLePew]

The question is, are they actually listening or are they just playing the appearance of public consultation game....

[PepeLePew]

What a crock. Canted to get the answers required, you CAN'T avoid an option somewhere if you answer all questions that implies speeding is the demon and the money helps makes things safer. Quit part way through.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Simple6

Yeah done here too (I do use SA road often).

Reducing speed limits is not the solution, but as the survey points out - it's the cheapest thing to do!

Yeah but does it work? Inattention, carelessness are responsible for over 90% of crashes. Do you pay more attention and are more careful when you go faster or slower?

[MercurySilver]

really?
i had no prob in not picking out speeding as the main culprit

[ford71V8]

Likewise.
I focussed on education and fining those that are reckless and inattentive.

[2242100]

I can't complete it because I don't permanently live in SA, but when driving there I've noticed a lot of trees dangerously close to the road.
Also if they really wan't to keep the current number of speed cameras that they've got, I reckon consideration should be given to having more point to point cameras which don't just catch the car speeding at a single instant in time, which says nothing about the drivers behaviour before and after the photo. To me it seems logical that a brief distance over the limit is potentially less dangerous than a long distance over the limit.

Also perhaps consideration could be given to reducing current penalties for the normal (single instant in time) speed camera infringements and keeping the current penalties for significant distance point to point infringements.
When drivers are looking for hidden speed cameras and down at their speedos during an overtaking manoeuvre, they're not looking at the road.

Are heavy penalties at times actually working against improving road safety? I can't argue that driving hasn't become safer since speed cameras were introduced, but in the same period the safety of cars has improved hugely. I'm reminded of how dangerous some early 70's Front disc, rear drum braked cars could be in panic stop situations as highlighted on Peter Wherritt's ABC program. Get sideways during a panic stop and you could easily end up wrapped around a tree. ABS/ESP type electronic Nannies plus passive safety systems have made modern cars hugely safer I think.

Actually the survey looked OK to me and there are areas for comment, so I would submit it if I could, but I thought I would post my ideas that some South Australian members might agree with and want to include if they complete the survey.

[MercurySilver]

tbh looking at it i reckon anyone could do it and just put in an SA postcode?

[blueoval]

I did the survey. Bit of a one way line of thinking from them, so I did what I could to make sure I wasnt buying they crap. This is what I wrote in the additional comments section of the survey

Higher police presence on the roads is a far proven and effective way for motorists to be on their best behaviour. Reducing speed limits is not only counter productive but it induces increased stress levels and frustration on an already congested and poor road system. Every driver other than those with government power know that speed cameras do not have the ability to physically save a persons life in the event of an accident. Afterall, it is too late to send an expiation notice in the mail, if the person is dead. Therefore, the government's way of pushing for more speed cameras and lower speed limits in an attempt to 'catch people' out is more or less a failure. The speed kills mantra is also a false and deceitful way of forceful revenue raising while under poor pretences that the government is 'doing something' in the eyes of Mr & Mrs taxpayer. People are not stupid, so please stop trying to institutionalize road users into this twisted and misconstrued way of thinking to help line the government's pockets.

[zilo]

I told them that enforcing laws that don't attract the highest penalties would significantly add to road safety.

Keep left is a good start.

[ebxr8240]

Another form of tax.. Get it off the so called hoon rather than big business etc..

[simon varley]

please don't respond and give them information they can twist to their own ends.

[Franco Cozzo]

I'm a pedestrian on South Australian roads who believes my chances of being involved in a serious crash are extremely likely and that you need more speed cameras

I HAVE UNDONE ALL YOUR HARD WORK!

[Simple6]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Yeah but does it work? Inattention, carelessness are responsible for over 90% of crashes. Do you pay more attention and are more careful when you go faster or slower?

Sorry mate it was sarcasm from me in my post.

I live in the NT so we've got the 130km/h and unrestricted zones so my thoughts are in full support of higher speed limits.

[ford71V8]

I wrote similar to blueoval in the comments, mainly regarding more police presence over more speed cameras. And to focus on all the other offences such as tailgating rather than all the attention on speed.