2003 Road Toll Lowest Since 1949

[curious]

the same debate over and over and over agan

[ktford]

Does this all come back to the old slogan "are you driving to fast for the unexpected?" My thoughts are that 99.9% of accidents are caused by contentment & non-concentration both of which are blamed on speed. But which probably still would of occured if driver was doing 20% less speed.

Scotty

[Falchoon]

  curious said:

the same debate over and over and over agan

Well what's your take on it mate, you have more insider type knowledge than most on the subject.

Do you think that speed is really the 'killer' it is made out to be?

If the programs on TV (Aust and Britain's Worst Drivers) are anything to go by a lot of idiots have trouble with basic car control (not saying I'm perfect but I hope I'm better than these clowns). I reckon people should have licence retests every 5 years and yearly ones once you hit 65.

[KrasH]

I think in the ACT you get yearly tests when you hit 75, Eye tests that is.

[BlueXR6Turbo]

Here in SA, the road toll went up compared to 2002. And 50kmh speed limits were introduced in early 2003. So using government logic, doesn't that mean that 50kmh speed limits kill people?

[KrasH]

  BLKXRT said:

speed limits to the interstate highways and freeways should be increased (IMHO)

I'm glad that the road toll is down on previous years, but I wouldn't put it down to speed cameras .... sure they slow cars down but on the best highways/roadways in the land ....

in Europe they are increasing speed limits to overcome the boredom and distractions that drivers suffer when lumbering along at 40% of their cars capacity .... surely this is the case on some better quality Australian roads too

my $0.02 rounding to 5c

I remember a few years back, that there was talk about increasing those limits to 120 or 130km/h, but in the end they decided "Cars were designed to be more efficient at 110, increasing speed limits would increase pollution" or some rubbish like that.

Oh and who could forget the ACT election a few elections back "Vote us in and we'll make an autobahn type road with 4 lanes each side, to the south coast, with no speed limits". Was quite amusing to see how gullable some people were.

[NT TURBO]

Isnt it funny how you read the statistics.

Headline in todays paper..ROAD TOLL CLOSE TO RECORD....75 deaths nationally.

[cdm]

From ninemsn (click me)

"Horror road toll climbs to 80"

"Australia's Christmas-New Year holiday road toll has reached 80, matching the same number of people killed on the nation's roads three years ago."

Gee....looks like all those new speed cameras are doing a great job of lowering the road toll.....

[cdm]

I think this topic should probably be merged with this one, "Have your say on the road safety debate"