Road Safety

Excessive Speeding

No one, not even experienced drivers at the wheel of vehicles in good condition, can speed without increasing the risk of accident for themselves and others on the road. Countless studies show that driving above the speed limit significantly increases the risk of accident.

Two studies by Kloeden and colleagues, the first conducted in 1997 in a residential neighbourhood (Travelling Speed and the Risk of Crash Involvement, Volume 1: Findings and Volume 2: Case and Reconstruction Details) and the second in 2001 in a rural setting (Travelling Speed and the Risk of Crash Involvement on Rural Roads), came to the same conclusion.

• In residential areas, the risk of being involved in an accident is approximately:
• twice as high for every 5 km/h over the speed limit;
• 4 times higher at 70 km/h than at 60 km/h (the speed limit in Australia in residential areas);
• 32 times higher at 80 km/h than at 60 km/h.
• In rural areas, the risk of being involved in an accident is approximately:
• twice as high at 10 km/h over the speed limit;
• 6 times higher at 20 km/h over the speed limit;
• 18 times higher at 30 km/h over the speed limit.

Although significant strides have been made regarding vehicle safety in recent years, speeding always increases the severity of collisions.

Offences for driving 45 km/h over the speed limit represent only a fraction of all the speeding offences committed each year. Nevertheless, the increased accident risk this type of behaviour represents justifies harsher penalties.

On April 1, 2008, harsher excessive speeding penalties were introduced to punish drivers who commit excessive speeding offences.

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