Skaife calls for Speed limit increases on Victorian Freeways...

[platinumXR]

Hmm...some interesting responses here. Most seem to advocate the "Attitude Adjustment" as being the most significant necessity and rightly so as the licensing / Registration system here in Australia has been in need of revamp for decades.

Driver Attitude and Etiquette are among the least of the concerns when time comes for examination and reward as the "system" inherently makes the incorrect assumption that everyone who applies for and is granted a license has an understanding of why they need to be tested and regulated in the first place.

Licensing and Regulation (as in Traffic Law Enforcement as an example) are there in an attempt to provide just that - Regulation, and not anarchy and chaos stemming from (some, not all) drivers being overconfident and or inadequately trained and therefore dangerous and liable as a consequence. There is a genuine need to get EVERYONE to understand that they have to SHARE the road and play well with others.

HAVING SAID THAT; as vehicle technology, advanced / defensive driver training and road construction technology all become more advanced / safer / available and above all more capable - I see no reason why certain speed limits could not be increased. As well, I believe that if a driver can prove themselves to be competent enough to drive at said limits then this should be reflected in a revamped and NATIONWIDE licensing system that also rewards good driver attitudes and behaviours. Academics will tell you otherwise because they are often bestowed grants by the people they are spruiking for.

Excessive and overgoverned road legislation and fine enforcement is not the answer and never has been, but it is the easiest and most politically and publicly appeasable system (or should I say anacronism) to implement. But, that also means that everyone needs to understand that some road rules and speed zones are necessary and must be vigorously enforced. School Zones as a case in point, but as others here have mentioned it is the Numpties that place the speed restriction rather that the necessary overhead walkbridge instead as it would be cheaper; that is the problem.

Just because you can drive at a certain speed, does not always mean that you should - this is often misunderstood and taken for granted. Speed itself does not kill - it's the lack of understanding of HOW to drive fast that is the danger.

And BRAZEN - yes now is the time. First step: fix the licensing / training. I have said it before and I'll say it again: I would feel a lot safer knowing the guy in the lane next to me is not a wombat and has a bit of an idea of what he/she is doing at 60, or 130 or 150.

Do it, do it now.

[max]

I see Monash Freeway is in the news a bit lately. Crashes for various reasons. Burnleigh Tunnel a while back. When I'm over from Adelaide every year, I am struck by the pace and heavy vehicle traffic mixed with passenger vehicles all hurtling along and weaving in and out of lanes on the Westgate Freeway. In countrytown Adelaide you don't see this kind of thing. My point is this: When something goes wrong on a Melbourne freeway, the result will in all probability be spectacular and catastrophic. The road accident stats reflect this. There is no margin for error on these kinds of motorways. Driver skills, mental agility, concentration, experience, vehicular roadworthiness, knowledge of the road and its varying conditions, patience and commonsense are some of the things that are a must for safe negotiation in this kind of traffic. Trouble is, at any time, any number of these pre-requisites are bound to be missing amongst road users. I see freeways as a permanent setting for disaster. Until uniform driver skills accreditation for all road users can be assured, and since that is virtually impossible, justification for allowing increased speed is simply absurd.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by max

I see Monash Freeway is in the news a bit lately. Crashes for various reasons. Burnleigh Tunnel a while back. When I'm over from Adelaide every year, I am struck by the pace and heavy vehicle traffic mixed with passenger vehicles all hurtling along and weaving in and out of lanes on the Westgate Freeway. In countrytown Adelaide you don't see this kind of thing. My point is this: When something goes wrong on a Melbourne freeway, the result will in all probability be spectacular and catastrophic. The road accident stats reflect this. There is no margin for error on these kinds of motorways. Driver skills, mental agility, concentration, experience, vehicular roadworthiness, knowledge of the road and its varying conditions, patience and commonsense are some of the things that are a must for safe negotiation in this kind of traffic. Trouble is, at any time, any number of these pre-requisites are bound to be missing amongst road users. I see freeways as a permanent setting for disaster. Until uniform driver skills accreditation for all road users can be assured, and since that is virtually impossible, justification for allowing increased speed is simply absurd.

My argument is that limits should be increased to promote concentration, awareness, and patience on the road. The reason why accidents happen on freeways like this is because the slow speeds encourage complacence, frustration, and apathy.

Travelling around I have seen countries in which they have very strict licensing standards and countries with very very slack standards, the one thing which has struck me all these years is that the higher the traffic speed will mean higher concentration, better awareness and better the driving.

Coming back to Australia is like driving in slow motion, people trundle slowly along, they dont care, they make stupid mistakes and they dont apply any skill because the travelling speeds are well below what the conditions allow. And what do people do when they are undertaking a task well below their skill level? They zone out.

You could train people to race-car standard, but if the speed limits are still way below what the conditions allow you will still get people not concentrating, not paying attention, getting fatigued or zoning out.

It is not an attitude problem on the roads, its the conditions on the drivers themselves which are causing the problems.