Police are known to take two things very seriously and rightly so, speed limits and driving under the influence. According to the department of transport and main roads; speeding in one of the major killers on Queensland roads. It is reported that more than 1000 people are either killed or seriously injured due to inappropriate speed related collisions.
The term inappropriate speed applies not only to driving too fast, but also to driving within the speed limit when the actual limit is too fast for the conditions at the time. It is recommended that you always take into consideration the time of day you are travelling at, the weather as well as the conditions of the road and level of traffic. When drivers and riders ignore these basic considerations and travel at speeds that are unsuitable, there is an escalated likelihood of crashing and unfortunately it goes without saying that when crashes occur at higher speeds, more severe injuries are likely.
Apart from the injuries and increased possibility of fatalities travelling at an inappropriate speed can sometimes result in increased car insurance expenditure. Speeding also tends to exacerbate other driving errors, including: driving while feeling tired or distracted or driving too close to other vehicles.
It is important to fully understand the effects of speeding because when a driver travels at a high speed, you have less time and opportunity to identify and react to the circumstances around you. It also takes more time for a vehicle to stop, so safety margins vanish and near misses become actual collisions.
Statistics indicate that when an individual drives at a speed greater than 10-15% above the average speed of the traffic around them, they have a much greater likelihood of being involved in an accident.
There is various initiative and advice about how we can reduce the amount of speed related accidents and be more aware of our own speed. From Driver education and training to reconsidering highway design and engineering.
“Safer roads benefit all road users, but especially those who are most vulnerable: pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, children and the elderly.” RoSPA December 2011
Sources:
http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/adviceandinformation/driving/speed/inappropriate-speed.aspx
http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/Driver-guide/Speeding.aspx
http://www.internations.org/australia-expats/guide/driving-in-australia-15616/australia-traffic-violations-car-imports-3
