Speeding. What a sensation!!
It may seem like fun but it is downright dangerous. The faster you travel the more likely
it is that you will be involved in a car crash, and the faster you go, the harder you hit.
The effects of speeding and being involved in a car crash can change your life forever.
Think about this:
Choose your speed and you
choose your consequences.
In a 60 km/h zone, travelling at:
• 65 km/h, you are twice as likely to
have a serious crash
• 70 km/h, you are four times as likely
to have a serious crash
• 75 km/h, you are 10 times as likely
to have a serious crash
• 80 km/h, you are 32 times as likely
to have a serious crash
than if you drive at 60 km/h.
In rural out of town areas, travelling just
10 km/h faster than the average speed
of other traffic, you are twice as likely to
have a serious crash.
Travelling a bit slower than other traffic
on the highway actually reduces the
chances that you will have a serious
crash.
Dry conditions:
The road is dry, you have a modern vehicle with good
brakes and tyres. A child runs onto the road 45 m ahead
of you while you are travelling in a 60 km/h zone.
You brake hard.
Will you stop in time?
• If you were driving just 5 km/h over the speed limit, you won’t
have time to stop and you will hit the child at over 30 km/h.
Wet conditions:
The road is wet, you have a modern vehicle with good
brakes and tyres. A child runs onto the road 45 m ahead
of you while you are travelling in a 60 km/h zone.
You brake hard. Will you stop in time?
• If you were driving just 5 km/h over the speed limit, you won’t
have time to stop and you will hit the child at over 30 km/h.
• In wet conditions, it is much safer to drive below the speed limit. If
a child steps onto the road 45 m ahead, you will have to be
driving under the speed limit to stop in time.
(Source: Australian Government Publications; ATSB, Speeding Brochure)
