The Times Australia
The Times World News

.
Times Media

.

How to never get a speeding fine again — and maybe save a child's life

  • Written by Matthew Mclaughlin, Adjunct Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia
How to never get a speeding fine again — and maybe save a child's life

What if our cars didn’t allow us to speed? Or, at least, strongly encouraged us not to speed?

We could help motorists avoid speeding — and therefore reduce emissions and fuel use[1], improve traffic flow[2], reduce crashes[3], lower insurance costs[4], make streets feel safer[5] to walk and cycle – and totally avoid speeding fines.

Reducing speeding is crucial[6] if we are to reduce the rising road toll. More than 1,200 people were killed[7] on Australian roads in the past year.

It’s no wonder Australians want this technology – 81%[8] believe “intelligent speed assist” technology is important for making roads safer.

Technology to stop speeding

“Intelligent speed assist” is the name of the low-cost[9] technology that could save lives every year by reducing speeding.

Graphic explaining what intelligent speed assist does, how it works and the benefits
CC BY[10] The idea of helping drivers to avoid speeding is more than 100 years old[11]. But early speed-limiting technologies proposed a top speed limit (similar to the way e-scooters are regulated[12] in Australia), rather than allowing motorists the option to break the speed limit. If we don’t do intelligent speed assist, what’s the alternative? Currently, we must constantly monitor speed limits and adjust our speed accordingly to avoid speeding. That means looking often at our speedometers. There is some research[13] to suggest continually taking our eyes off the road to review our speedometer could be dangerous. Given how often speed limits can change on a route, and that we all make mistakes, it’s no wonder speeding is so common. Will it work? Installing intelligent speed assist in all cars could prevent at least 8%[14] and up to 19%[15] of all crashes Australia-wide. This represents up to 200[16] lives saved per year. A NSW Centre for Road Safety trial[17] found advisory intelligent speed systems reduced speeding in 89% of vehicles, across more than 1.9 million kilometres of testing. Intelligent speed assist is not yet a perfect system. Hurdles to overcome include: different speed sign coverage[18] and designs from state to state maintaining an accurate map of speed limits across Australia for GPS potential over-reliance on the feature in varying driving conditions, such as wet weather, corners and so on. But shouldn’t we be doing everything we can to overcome these hurdles, to make such a life-saving, child-saving technology work as well as it can? What’s already been done? Legislation[19] in 2022 has made intelligent speed assist technology mandatory for all new cars sold in the European Union. In Australia, if you drive a relatively new car, you may already have the option of intelligent speed assist. For example, if you drive a new Ford[20], you can activate its Intelligent Speed Limiter. Intelligent speed assist adds to a growing list of in-vehicle safety technologies, such auto emergency braking[21], lane keep assist[22] and blind spot monitoring[23]. We know older vehicles[24] that lack such technologies are involved in more crashes. What about older vehicles? Cars have an average age of 10.4[25] years. So retrofitting older cars[26] with intelligent speed assist technology has been trialled[27]. Despite the European legislation[28], there’s no expectation of a wide-scale retro-fitting program. It is common, though, to retrofit fleet cars such as government and company vehicles with intelligent speed assist. This improves fleet safety[29] and distributes new technologies when these vehicles are sold on the second-hand market. ‘But I only speed a little bit’ Research[30] shows most people think they’re better-than-average drivers. More than one in four[31] Australians think it’s ok to speed if driving “safely”. But you can’t speed and drive safely. For every 1km/h increase in speed, there is a 4%[32] increase in fatal crashes. If everyone was to increase their speed by just 1km/h, we could expect an extra 48 deaths[33] a year. Road deaths remain the number one[34] killer of children in Australia and speed is the most common[35] factor in a crash. Current measures to reduce speeding haven’t gone far enough. Despite two in three[36] Australian drivers admitting to speeding every week, only one in ten[37] got a speeding fine last year. If you are worried about the government losing out on revenue, don’t. Road traffic crashes cost the Australian economy A$27 billion[38] a year. Speed camera fines generate just $1.5 billion[39] a year. Read more: Despite lockdowns, 1,142 Australians, including 66 kids, died on our roads in the past year. Here's what we need to do[40] 3 actions to get started Intelligent speed assist is not a silver bullet. But it is one of five crucial actions[41] that can make zero road deaths possible. More than 200 cities[42] around the world have already achieved this goal at least five times for a calendar year since 2009. Here are three actions to get started: install intelligent speed assist in all all public buses and government fleet cars – the NSW government fleet, for example, has 25,000 cars[43] require intelligent speed assist for a 5-star ANCAP[44] safety rating adopt the EU legislation[45] in Australia to require intelligent speed assist in all new cars. We have an urgent problem, we have the technology, we have the evidence it works, so what’s stopping us using it to save lives on our roads? The authors have provided footage online[46] of intelligent speed assist in action, for free reuse. References^ emissions and fuel use (www.sciencedirect.com)^ traffic flow (www.rsa.ie)^ crashes (casr.adelaide.edu.au)^ insurance costs (www.cis.org.au)^ feel safer (www.healthystreets.com)^ crucial (www.transport.nsw.gov.au)^ 1,200 people were killed (app.powerbi.com)^ 81% (towardszero.nsw.gov.au)^ low-cost (op.europa.eu)^ CC BY (creativecommons.org)^ 100 years old (dx.doi.org)^ the way e-scooters are regulated (scooterhut.com.au)^ some research (psycnet.apa.org)^ 8% (acrs.org.au)^ 19% (www.transport.nsw.gov.au)^ 200 (theconversation.com)^ trial (archive.acrs.org.au)^ coverage (austroads.com.au)^ Legislation (www.consilium.europa.eu)^ Ford (www.ford.com.au)^ auto emergency braking (www.carsguide.com.au)^ lane keep assist (howsafeisyourcar.com.au)^ blind spot monitoring (www.carsguide.com.au)^ older vehicles (www.monash.edu)^ 10.4 (www.abs.gov.au)^ retrofitting older cars (www.eiturbanmobility.eu)^ trialled (www.eiturbanmobility.eu)^ legislation (www.consilium.europa.eu)^ improves fleet safety (digital.library.adelaide.edu.au)^ Research (osf.io)^ one in four (www.infrastructure.gov.au)^ 4% (cdn.who.int)^ extra 48 deaths (www.bitre.gov.au)^ number one (www.aihw.gov.au)^ most common (www.transport.nsw.gov.au)^ two in three (arsf.com.au)^ one in ten (www.budgetdirect.com.au)^ A$27 billion (www.bitre.gov.au)^ $1.5 billion (www.whichcar.com.au)^ Despite lockdowns, 1,142 Australians, including 66 kids, died on our roads in the past year. Here's what we need to do (theconversation.com)^ five crucial actions (theconversation.com)^ 200 cities (www.dekra-vision-zero.com)^ 25,000 cars (www.governmentnews.com.au)^ ANCAP (www.ancap.com.au)^ legislation (www.consilium.europa.eu)^ footage online (drive.google.com)

Read more https://theconversation.com/how-to-never-get-a-speeding-fine-again-and-maybe-save-a-childs-life-216347

The Times Features

FedEx Australia Announces Christmas Shipping Cut-Off Dates To Help Beat the Holiday Rush

With Christmas just around the corner, FedEx is advising Australian shoppers to get their presents sorted early to ensure they arrive on time for the big day. FedEx has reveale...

Will the Wage Price Index growth ease financial pressure for households?

The Wage Price Index’s quarterly increase of 0.8% has been met with mixed reactions. While Australian wages continue to increase, it was the smallest increase in two and a half...

Back-to-School Worries? 70% of Parents Fear Their Kids Aren’t Ready for Day On

Australian parents find themselves confronting a key decision: should they hold back their child on the age border for another year before starting school? Recent research from...

Democratising Property Investment: How MezFi is Opening Doors for Everyday Retail Investors

The launch of MezFi today [Friday 15th November] marks a watershed moment in Australian investment history – not just because we're introducing something entirely new, but becaus...

Game of Influence: How Cricket is Losing Its Global Credibility

be losing its credibility on the global stage. As other sports continue to capture global audiences and inspire unity, cricket finds itself increasingly embroiled in political ...

Amazon Australia and DoorDash announce two-year DashPass offer only for Prime members

New and existing Prime members in Australia can enjoy a two-year membership to DashPass for free, and gain access to AU$0 delivery fees on eligible DoorDash orders New offer co...

Times Magazine

The perfect picture: what makes dream Sydney wedding photography?

The photo album is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most important memento from any loving couple’s special day! It’s the keepsake that keeps on giving, the souvenir to saviour, and the perfect reminder of what was one of the biggest - and most jo...

Sesame Street supports emotional wellbeing in young children

SESAME WORKSHOP ANNOUNCES MULTI-YEAR COMMITMENT TO THE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF YOUNG CHILDREN AND FAMILIES Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organisation behind Sesame Street, has announced a new focus on the emotional well-being of yo...

Dog Breeder Charged with Inhumane Puppy Farming

Breeders of all kinds of puppies are very common nowadays with more people looking to care for their new little furry pals at home. But if you’re looking to get your first dog or are just looking to add another pup to the pack, you’ll want to make su...

Apple releases iPhone 14, best deals and perks

Apple has unveiled its next generation tech and the hotly anticipated iPhone 14 with offers from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone up for grabs.Prices for the iPhone 14 line-up start at $1,399 and go up to $2,769.Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker revea...

Some Tips For Buying The Right Pair Of Sneakers

The old saying goes "Never judge a book by its cover". This august wisdom applies to a lot more things in life than just books, including today's topic, sneakers. It's easy to be charmed by clever designs, bright colours, and blingy glitz, but it's...

Vehicle Emissions Star Rating using public data to inform consumer purchasing decisions

Global open data company Link Digital has used open source technology to develop a new Vehicle Emissions  Star Rating (VESR) website for the New South Wales Government to help drivers consider the efficiency and  environmental impact of their nex...