The imposition of the 130kmh speed limit after one and a half years has not helped reduce the road toll. Tragically it is 43 compared to 26 at the same time last year, and was 57 in 2007 the highest this decade compared to 44 in 2006 before limits were introduced.
Fatigue, not speed, is the leading cause of car crashes proven by Mercedes Benz and backed by The American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
We need to urgently target the root causes of the road toll, being fatigue, alcohol, not wearing seatbelts and overloading of vehicles. The Labor Government needs to repeal its speed limit legislation immediately and develop better driver education policies if the road toll is to be significantly reduced.
The average Territorian covers more kilometres per annum than any other road user in Australia which is not surprising given the NT is the third largest state/territory yet has the smallest population. Speed restrictions just keep Territorians driving into the night when they are most likely to succumb to micro sleeps or collide with animals.
It takes twice as long now to pass road trains. Often there are 20 cars banked up at a time it’s just so dangerous. Now there are moves to enforce a 100kmh limit, further compounding the problem.
Safety, not tax, should be our primary concern. Our police are now diverted from priority areas to police large expanses of open roads in the pursuit of raising revenue.
It suits the Labor Government now to use speed to apportion blame in accidents because they raise so much money from speeding fines,” Mr Atkinson said. “They also know people will fall into the penalty trap of speeding to cover large distances quickly. In 2007 they received an extra $1 million in traffic infringement revenues,
The NT Road Safety Taskforce Report 2006 contained no evidence that driving at more than 110kmh or 130kmh has been the cause of any accidents on Territory highways
in fact on page 8 of the report it even admits that no such evidence exists. Also the Territory has the lowest speed related fatalities in Australia.
November 2004 ALP Transport Minister Chris Burns said, “Speed is not a dominant factor in the Territory's road toll. Rather, it is a combination of alcohol and a failure to wear passenger restraints that is the root cause of most fatalities on Territory roads. Even ALP Chief Minister Clare Martin was seen to support open-speed highways as late at 6/10/04.”
It is so easy now to lose your licence and perhaps your job. Federal law allows a 10% variance in your speed odometer yet in Vic you can get huge fines for just being 2kmph over the limit. Our unique lifestyle is under serious attack with a law having no evidentiary base, whilst the root causes are left unaddressed.