Speed isn't the issue: Our flawed connection to reducing speed as a universal solution to road safety | Opinion

In the context of road safety in Australia, I’m about to say something outrageous. So repugnant it’s the equivalent of promoting smoking as a healthy pastime, positioning a gambling addiction as ‘just a bit of fun’, and endorsing a bad relationship with alcohol as something to be encouraged, especially in teenagers.

You ready? Here goes. Speed doesn’t kill.

Drop that line at your next dinner party and watch jaws hit the table as the room falls silent. Australians have become conditioned to believe the road safety equation is binary. Under the speed limit, safe. Over the speed limit, unsafe. Speed kills.

I’ve driven well in excess of 300km/h on public roads in Germany and didn’t kill anybody, And I’ve seen lethal weapons behind the wheel, doing their level best to increase the national road toll at less than 40km/h.

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A large part of the problem is that road safety in Australia is a political issue, responsibility for policy falling to relevant state and territory ministers.

Often well-intentioned people, I’m sure, but not necessarily invested in the finer details of their portfolio. The regularity of the ‘cabinet reshuffle’ merry-go-’round meaning they may not be in that particular chair for very long, anyway.

Government authorities, police, academics and public service administrators are the ones with the longevity.

And it feels like an overriding emphasis on speed being road safety’s enemy number one is the path of least resistance for all of them.

Working towards improved safety on the road is complex, and in recent years, some big steps have been taken, with additional focus on fatigue, distraction and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But the ‘big stick’ speed thing remains.

A memorable NSW outdoor advertising campaign used posters dominated by an intimidating close-up image of a police officer, replete with reflective aviator sunnies, and the positioning line ‘Speeding? You’re in our sights.’ Them versus us. 

What about improving driver education and training? A far more positive and productive way of keeping people safer than attempting to modify behaviour through fear of penalty.

But which politician is going to promote that strategy? It’s difficult, expensive and the payoff comes some way down the track.

The 24-hour (if that!) news cycle demands action and quick wins. So, nothing like more speed cameras to be seen to be getting the road safety job done.

We could open up the 'revenue-raising versus road safety' can of worms on speed cameras, but that’s a whole other discussion. 

All I’ll say is an impeccable source, with high-level access to NSW parliament, once told me about a cabinet meeting where a member suggested an assessment of the effectiveness and number of speed cameras in the state could be a constructive move.

In response, the then Premier allegedly leaned forward in their chair and said: “Now, why would we want to do that?” Say no more.      

Experience overseas demonstrates the worth of enhanced driver education. In places like Germany, Finland and Sweden, acquiring a driver’s licence is considered a privilege rather than the taken-for-granted, right-of-passage process it is here.

It’s time-consuming, expensive, meticulously governed, and the aim is to teach people how to drive, not just operate a car.

Making informed choices about their state of mind (chemically altered or otherwise) before even opening the driver’s door. As well as their vehicle’s condition. Things like why correct tyre pressures (even the type of seasonal tyres) are important, the danger of loose objects in the cabin, and the safety benefits of proper maintenance.

Then, once moving, a focus on everything from anticipation and spatial awareness, to how traffic flows and driving to the conditions.

No Sunday afternoon learner sessions with your best mate, or aunty Ethel, either. They’ll just pass on bad habits picked up who knows where or how long ago.

Theoretical and practical training comes from accredited and carefully monitored independent driving schools and private teachers. They aren’t cheap, and learners need to experience a variety of conditions - night, rain, snow(!), urban, rural, highway. Some countries demand skid pad sessions and hazard avoidance training. The list goes on. There’s also often a big focus on education in schools.

Passing the theory and practical tests is hard (lots of people fail) and applying to go around again adds yet more cost. But those that pass have built up an instinctive understanding of how dangerous it is to be on the road, with clear guidance on the best ways to stay out of trouble.

And the end result is hard to fault. Anyone who’s driven in Germany, for example, knows they’re in an environment where driving etiquette is serious business.

Lane discipline is actually a thing on the autobahns (some of the safest roads in the world). People are conscious of others around them, and the whole traffic ecosystem, while not perfect, is roughly 10,000 times better than Australia’s.  

Then there are the roads. The majority of major European roads are well designed and rigorously maintained, with comprehensively sign-posted dual carriageways between major centres.

And hats off to Australian governments, federal, state, and territory. The standard of our major freeways has risen significantly in recent years, and they’re only getting better.

Problem is, we’re all stuck dawdling along at 100-110km/h, when many of them could safely accommodate a higher limit. Step up to 130km/h, with trucks at 110km/h, and the problem of clumps of traffic moving as an amorphous blob at the same speed across three (or more) freeway lanes disappears. Not to mention the productivity benefits of shorter trip times.

But speed kills, remember. And it’s debatable, despite the active safety tech built into even entry-level new car models, whether most Aussie drivers are up to it.

Some see the driver as the weakest link in the road safety chain, believing that no amount of coaching and testing can outdo artificial intelligence’s ability. Just ‘engineer’ the problem out with ever higher levels of autonomous driving capability.

But full SAE ‘Level 5’ autonomous driving is proving more elusive than many thought. So it looks like we’re part of the machine for some time to come.

If only we had the vision to do more than just bandaid the road safety issue with a relentless focus on speed.