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Between 2019 and 2021, an 80km/h speed limit trial on 33 rural roads in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula resulted in a reduction in serious crashes from 19 per year to 6 per year, and from 6 deaths in 2019 to none during the trial.
Back in 2001, when WA’s default urban speed limit was reduced from 60km/h to 50km/h, it was estimated that 65 deaths and 711 serious injuries were prevented in the first two years alone.
While there are many factors that contribute to vehicle crashes, the science of speed tells us that the severity of the injuries sustained in a crash will be determined by the impact speed.
Research indicates that a 10 per cent decrease in speed typically reduces deaths and serious injuries by up to 30 per cent in high-speed environments.
A three-year trial of reduced speed limits on around 550 local roads in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River aims in the same way to decrease the incidence and severity of crashes on those roads, saving lives and also making town centres in the region more welcoming.
Community consultation prior to the Safer Speeds Trial in the Augusta Margaret River Shire found that most respondents supported reducing the speed limits.
For drivers concerned about increased travel times due to speed limit reductions, real-world testing of four common routes within the trial area showed negligible time increases - between nine seconds and one and a half minutes.
The installation of the new speed limit signs commenced in May this year and will take several months to complete.
Drivers should check for new speed signs and take care around workers installing signage.
Comprehensive evaluations, through community feedback, traffic speed data and crash data analysis, will take place after 12 months and again after three years.
The Safer Speeds Trial is a partnership between the Shire of Augusta Margaret River and RAC with support from Main Roads, and adopts a holistic area-wide approach to speed limit setting.
For more information, visit Safer Speeds Trial.
