Here’s another press release from the National Motorists Association of Australia (NMAA) that’s worth reading. Especially in the light if the tragic crash just recently where a truck crossed to the wrong side of the road and killed a motorcyclist and his son, who was riding pillion. This crash happened in Tasmania, but it could happen – and similar things do happen – anywhere in Australia.
Please note that the figures for fatality reduction using speed-limiting GPS come from MUARC, whose figures we… well, let’s say “doubt”. We think these devices would increase the road troll, especially among motorcyclists.
I’d be very interested in your comments.
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming
National Road Safety Strategy betrayed
The National Road Safety Strategy has been betrayed by the NSW government.
Ten years ago the NSW government made a solemn commitment to the National Road Safety Strategy to reduce road fatalities by 40 per cent, based on 1999 road statistics.
It was recognised by the National Road Safety Strategy that nearly half of the reduction, 47.5 per cent to be precise, would come from government expenditure on road improvements such as divided carriageways. However, our state government failed to make this expenditure.
Instead of expending money on road improvement, the state government decided to focus on one issue: speed detection. With this contrived strategy, the government converted the roads portfolio from being a need for expenditure to being a cash cow for the State Treasury. We have reached the end of a decade of raising revenue from speeding instead of focusing on road improvements and other important factors in improving road safety. The horrific reality is that the population has suffered higher vehicle accident rates and far higher road fatalities than if the previous rate of reduction of fatalities up until 1997 had been maintained.
The focus of enforcement is imbalanced and ineffective, being primarily focused on speed. The reality is that exceeding the speed limit causes a very low percentage of road fatalities. Australian university research has shown that preventing every vehicle from exceeding the speed limit by means of GPS speed controllers would reduce road fatalities by less than 8 per cent and reduce road injuries by less than 6 per cent. It is not appropriate to focus on the cause of less than 8 per cent of fatalities and to ignore the causes for 92 per cent of road fatalities.
The National Road Safety Strategy recognised government expenditure on road improvements, such as divided carriageways, is the most significant means of reducing road deaths and injuries. The state government’s decision to not spend the money on road improvements was an act of betrayal to the National Road Safety Strategy and the public in general.
Divided carriageways on main roads are essential. An example of this construction is the concrete Jersey barrier on Mount Ousley Road. It separates oncoming traffic with a concrete barrier. This barrier effectively prevents most head on crashes that are so devastating to human life.
Providing divided dual carriageways on the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne is reported to have reduced road fatalities by 80 per cent.
NMAA spokesman Michael Lane said “The only thing protecting oncoming traffic on most of our main roads is a line painted on the road surface. It’s cheaper for the government to blame the drivers than to make the roads safer. The state government should be improving our road network by providing more overtaking lanes and divided dual carriageways.”
“The small reduction in road fatalities in the past decade is directly attributable to improved vehicle safety that has been provided by vehicle manufacturers. Examples are ABS brakes, air bags and curtains, seat belt reminders and electronic stability control,” Mr Lane said.
Nationally, road fatalities increased by 60 over the previous year. However, in NSW road fatalities increased by 85 over the previous year.
The NMAA calls for improving road safety by three courses of action
• a vastly improved standard of driver training, requiring P-platers to complete a defensive driving course before being granted a full licence
• increased expenditure on roads, such as providing divided carriageways and more overtaking lanes
• employment of more highway patrol officers enforcing all of the road rules, not just the one road rule (speeding) where technology allows the most tickets per hour to be issued.
Mr Lane said “The decade has ended with a horrific toll of human lives on our substandard roads in NSW. Now watch the government spin doctors swing into action as they blame the public as the sole cause of all those fatalities. The government’s next proposed course of action is to increase state revenue with covert speed cameras and to allow private contractors to operate them. The state government has reduced the number of highway patrol officers to cut costs and now wants to use contractors.”
“The NMAA is concerned that the state opposition's main pressure on this issue is that Labor has not rolled out the speed cameras fast enough.” Mr Lane said “I would suggest that both parties are united in their betrayal of the NSW public by seeking revenue over safety. Both Liberal and Labor need to be pressured through the media into a change of policy. I can't see any good in having the opposition intending to do the same thing if elected. The state government cannot be allowed to use the excuse of waiting for the next National Road Safety Strategy to be published when the job of the last ten years is unfinished.”
Mr Lane said “The state’s road revenue strategy has cost hundreds of innocent lives each year for the past decade. We deserve better government than this.”
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