New South Wales study indicates lower speed zones reduce deaths

A new study into 40km/h speed zones in New South Wales, Australia indicates they are reducing deaths and injuries in high pedestrian and traffic areas.
July 4, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

A new study into 40km/h speed zones in New South Wales, Australia indicates they are reducing deaths and injuries in high pedestrian and traffic areas.

The study, by the Centre for Road Safety, found there was a 33 per cent reduction in crashes causing serious injuries and deaths between 2005 and 2015, where 40 km/h zones had been introduced.

Crash data shows that over 6,300 people were injured or killed on local streets each year and that many of these crashes involve excessive or inappropriate speeds.

In permanent 40 km/h speed limits locations, the number of people killed went down from 12 in 2005 to one in 2015. The number of people seriously injured also dropped from 269 in 2005 to 203 in 2015.

The evaluation looked at locations from the High Pedestrian Activity Areas Program that combines 40km/h speed zones with pedestrian infrastructure like raised crossings and other traffic calming features.

Roads, Maritime and Freight Minister Melinda Pavey said the results show the 40 km/h speed zones help save lives and prevent devastating injuries.

“We are now looking to expand the rollout of these reduced speed zones around the state. The Centre for Road Safety will work with 6722 Roads and Maritime Services, focusing on locations with high pedestrian activity, especially around train stations, bus interchanges and shopping centres,” she said.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Big data and self-driving cars: New studies from ITF
    May 29, 2015
    Two new reports launched by the International Transport Forum (ITF) during the Annual Summit of Transport Ministers in Leipzig, Germany, highlight issues for the transport sector: the use of big data and the trend towards automated cars. The ITF claims that failing to ensure strong privacy protection in the collection and processing of location data may result in a regulatory backlash against the technology, which could hamper innovation and limit the social and economic benefits the use of such data delive
    Read More
  • Decrease in Florida’s red-light running crashes
    January 6, 2015
    The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' (DHSMV) recently-released third annual Red-Light Camera Summary Report analysed data from 68 police agencies in the cities and towns in Florida where red-light safety cameras are deployed. The report shows a decrease in red-light running violations and crashes at intersections with red-light safety cameras and is consistent with results from previous state reports affirming the effectiveness of this important law enforcement tool. Total violations
    Read More
  • Wales reveals scale of metro project
    October 28, 2021
    New rail and bus services are expected to reduce rural isolation
    Read More
  • EU road fatalities fall by 11% in 2010
    April 20, 2012
    The European Commission has published new statistics showing that EU road fatalities decreased by 11 per cent in 2010. However, country by country statistics show that the number of deaths still varies greatly across the EU. Most countries achieved double-digit reductions in the number of road deaths over the past year, including Luxembourg (33%), Malta (29%) Sweden (26%) and Slovakia (26%).
    Read More

Highlighted Content