Changes to speed limits and crash outcome: Great Western Highway case study
Numerous studies, across many countries, have evaluated the outcomes of changes in prevailing speed limits. Fatalities and injuries have fallen when speed limits have been lowered and have increased when speed limits have been raised. Models of speed changes allow a prediction of the safety benefits of a speed limit reduction. This paper studies the relationship between changes in the posted speed limits and crash history for a section of the Great Western Highway in rural NSW, where the speed limit was reduced from 110 km/h to 100 km/h. This study showed that travel speeds are reduced following a speed limit reduction, with clear safety benefits (26.7 per cent reduction in casualty crashes) consistent with power model. Use of modelling in crash prediction depends, however, on a reasonably accurate estimate of the speed reduction expected.
- Record URL:
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Corporate Authors:
ARRB
Melbourne, Victoria Australia -
Authors:
- Bhatnagar, Y
- SAFFRON, D
- DE ROOS, M
- GRAHAM, A
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Conference:
- Australasian Road Safety Research Policing Education Conference, 2010
- Location: Canberra ACT, Australia
- Date: 2010-8-31 to 2010-9-3
- Publication Date: 2010-9
Language
- English
Media Info
- Pagination: 5p
- Monograph Title: Safe system: from knowledge to action: Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference 2010: 31 August-3 September 2010, National Convention Centre, Canberra, ACT: proceedings
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Conferences; Countermeasures; Crash analysis; Crash rates; Rural areas; Speed control; Speed limits
- Geographic Terms: New South Wales
- ITRD Terms: 1661: Accident prevention; 8531: Case study
- Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; TRAFFIC CONTROL; I80: Accident Studies;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01332754
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: ARRB
- Files: ITRD, ARRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Mar 15 2011 11:30AM