RAC General Manager Corporate Affairs Will Golsby said one in three drivers said WA needs more driver awareness campaigns to educate Western Australians on the dangers of speeding; and a further one in five don’t believe other motorists properly understand the law around speeding.
“In addition, a third of survey respondents often see other motorists exceeding speed limits,” Mr Golsby said.
“It is sobering that drivers themselves are admitting we have a problem.
“The survey also provides strong community feedback for the State Government to focus its attention on speed-related education and awareness, especially given WA has the worst road fatality rate of any other State with speeding the leading cause.”
Last year, 195 Western Australians were killed on our roads, with one-third of those crashes being due to speeding.
“Many WA drivers are of the opinion that sitting a few kilometres over the speed limit is acceptable; however every time you exceed the speed limit, even by five kilometres per hour, you’re doubling your risk of being involved in a fatal or serious crash.”
Research has shown the risk of being killed or seriously injured in a crash doubles for every five km/h above 60km/h. A car travelling at 65 km/h is twice as likely to be involved in a serious crash as one travelling at 60 km/h; and for a car travelling at 70 km/h, the risk increases fourfold.
“Five kilometres per hour may not seem like a lot, but what drivers fail to remember is that increasing your speed increases the amount of time it takes to come to a complete stop once you brake,” Mr Golsby said.
“For instance, if a driver travelling at 60 kilometres per hour brakes suddenly, they will travel 38.9 metres before stopping. Another driver travelling at 65 kilometres per hour will travel 43.4 metres before stopping.
“If another car, or a pedestrian or cyclist, pulls out 40 metres ahead of both those drivers, the one travelling at 60 kilometres per hour will stop before hitting that car; however the car travelling at 65 kilometres per hour would hit the car at a speed of 30 kilometres per hour. ˆ
“The community is openly telling us there is a strong need for more education and awareness on the dangers of speeding, and this should be a priority for the Road Trauma Trust Account.
“Tackling our State’s tragic road toll and the thousands of serious injuries every year is crucial, and educating drivers on the tragic impact speeding can have is a critical part of that.
“RAC welcomes the introduction of WA’s first point to point speed camera on Forrest Highway, and would welcome further cameras being installed in locations across the State. RAC looks forward to seeing how the State Government will direct RTTA funds in the State Budget on 7 September.”
Back to Media Centre
