Introduction
ADRA is concerned about Road Safety, reduction in road
accidents and fatalities. WE are also concerned about maintaining
drivers rights in relation to road use. The authorities believe speed
is the main contributor to road fatalities. Their main answer is to
utilize speed cameras to catch speeding motorists and fine them. Fining
drivers traveling 3 kph over the speed limit raises driver’s
suspicions that this is just a revenue raising exercise. Drivers want
to see better roads, better training of young drivers and improved
ways of informing drivers of the speed limit and of road hazards.
Safety Warning
System
Since 2002 ADRA has been supporting
the implementation and use of the Safety Warning System on Western
Australian roads. SWS transmitters send a radar message of potential
road hazards up to 1 km away. These warning messages are currently
being received by up to 70,000 WA drivers equipped with a Driver Warning
System (or radar detector).
Currently there
are more than 60 Safety Warning Systems being used in Western Australian.
Since 2003 all new St Johns Ambulance vehicles have been fitted with
a transmitter warning of “Emergency vehicles in transit”
or “Emergency Vehicle ahead”. They have also been installed
on Ambulance Australia Vehicles, some FESA vehicles, tow trucks “Accident
Ahead” , Highway Rod crews, and Traffic Management Vehicles.
Most recently
SWS transmitters have been installed at four regional WA Blackspot
areas “ Warning Speed Limit Enforced” and “Rest
Area Ahead”.
Once installed,
the SWS transmitters can be switched on to begin working immediately
to warn drivers up to one kilometre away of the approach of an emergency
vehicle. Drivers with In-Car receivers (Driver Warning Systems or
radar detectors) will be provided with a warning via voice and LED
display.
The current use
of the Safety Warning System, which now protects many of the states
“at risk workers”, has gained strong support from Unions,
workers and Western Australian motorists. The CFMEU recommended, at
their national conference, that the SWS be utilised Australia wide.
Driver Warning Systems
Prior to our involvement with
the SWS, we carefully evaluated the effectiveness of the SWS utilising
Driver Warning Systems (Radar Detectors).
• Monash University
was contracted to research any adverse studies on the use of radar
detectors around the world. They found
that there were no credible reports that proved that RD’s
allowed drivers to speed, that they had more accidents or that they
had a negative impact on road safety.
• The Transport Safety
Bureau advised that the banning of RD’s in the Eastern States
had no impact on road safety.
• The Federal Courts
in the USA overturned a ban on Radar Detectors in the USA in 1995.
They found no evidence to support the proposition that RD’s
were a road safety hazard or had any detrimental impact on the speed
of drivers. The Appeals Court upheld the decision. RD’s remain
legal in the USA today.
• In 1997 the US National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration found from a study of radar
detector use that “ the conclusion cannot be reached that
detector users drive faster than they would without detectors.”
• In 1998 the Speed
Management Task Force setup by the WA Government twice evaluated
a ban on radar detectors in WA. I enclose their response which states
that “The Task Force see no advantage in amending the Road
Traffic Act to ban the use of radar detectors in WA” “
their impact on overall road safety is not seen as significant”
• Our research on the
effectiveness of radar detectors in WA in 2002, confirmed that they
were ineffective in detecting laser speed cameras. They were also
found to be unreliable in detecting radar speed cameras because
of false alerts. Our study found an average of 42 false alarms were
recorded between speed camera detection. A radar detector cannot
discern a difference between a speed camera and any other radar-emitting
device.
• Studies from the USA,
UK and Australia report that false alerts made drivers check their
speed and made them more aware of the posted speed limit.
• All radar detectors
sold in WA are equipped with SWS technology.
• A study by the Virginia
Department of Transport in 1997 found that the use of drone radar
(SWS) in freeway work zones reduced the mean speed of traffic by
3 to 4 miles per hour and 4 to 6 miles per hour when used in conjunction
with digital display signs.
• SWS gained support
in the USA and the Federal Government invested $2.1 million into
its expansion.
A ban on the use of driver
warning systems (radar detectors) in WA, would make the Safety Warning
System useless. There is however no evidence that we have found,
to show that a ban would have any positive impact on road safety.
Driver
Education
ADRA does not believe the road safety authorities are doing enough
on improving young driver education. Most new drivers are ill-equipped
to handle hazards that present themselves when driving. Slippery roads,
dirt roads, night time driving are some of the hazards new drivers
have to face. The current system relies heavily on knowing the road
rules rather than handling a car in a pressure situation. This should
be reviewed.
Road
Safety Funding
Currently most state governments only provide one third of the speeding
fine revenue to road safety projects. The rest goes into general revenue
like any normal tax. This promotes mistrust with the driving public
who are very sceptical about the use of so many speed cameras on our
roads. We would like to see a change to how our Road Safety Authorities
are funded.
While the Office of Road Safety
is funded primarily from speeding revenue, we may continue to see
a predominance of punitive road safety solutions. Simply fining drivers
is not good enough. Governments need to stop rewarding these authorities
with more of the speeding revenue that help to generate. This provides
a paradoxical motivation to implement solutions that will help raise
speeding revenue, rather than finding the most effective and practical
solution to road safety issues. This should see a reduction in the
predominant use of speed cameras as the only means of ensuring compliance
with speed limits.
Road safety projects should
be funded from budgeted general revenue. 100% of speeding fine revenue
can then be allocated to blackspot and road projects to make our roads
safer for all.
Speed Signs Are Not
Enough
You may be speeding because you have not been properly informed of
the speed limit!!!
As overseas studies have determined,
the use of a speed sign alone is not enough to inform a driver of
the speed limit. There are thousand of signs to be read on any given
street. Speed limits in most states include 40, 50, 60, 70 , 80 ,
90 , 100 and 110 kmph speeds. Many of these roads appear to have little
difference between speed areas. And where do they put a speed camera,
right where the speed limit is reduced. We would like to see this
tested in a court of law as road authorities are aware that signage
is not enough.
A noticeable change in the
road should accompany a speed zone change. School zones have large
yellow road markings, residential streets have humps and curves. Drivers
are far more likely to drive at the speed limit when they are adequately
informed of the speed limit and the road shows signs of restricted
speed.
Are
Speed Cameras Accurate?
In the particular case of all SPEED DETECTION DEVICES, they are NOT
PATTERN APPROVED by the National Standards Commission, (NSC) the Regulatory
Approval Authority. Because of not having a Pattern that has been
Approved by an accredited organisation, the devices do not have Transparency
nor Accuracy of measurement, nor do they have uniform Traceability
to Australian hierarchy standards of measurements, ie: The Australian
Legal units of measurement of a physical quantity. Speed cameras are
not independently tested to ensure they are accurate. We are being
fined for travelling 5% over the limit, using car speedometers that
are only accurate to 10%, with speeding cameras that do not comply
with the National standards commission.
Is Speed
The Real Killer?
Road traffic authorities in Australia rely heavily on the premise
that one third of all fatalities and road trauma is caused by speeding.
This is based on data accumulated on accidents. Overseas studies have
actually shown that driver inattention rather than speed is the main
problem. Other major causes were looking but failing to see, misjudging
the distance, and obstructed vision. These studies are based on looking
at the cause of the crash rather than what contributed to the crash.
Road safety authorities need to broaden their approach to accident
analysis and include causation not just contributing factors. Only
in this way can new and innovative road safety solutions be found.
