NRA survey shows more car drivers obey new limits on major routes.
Over 60 per cent of car drivers are ignoring new lower speed limits introduced on rural roads last year, a survey by the National Roads Authority has found.
The 2005 Study of Free Speeds found that 63 per cent of car drivers broke the 80km/h (50mph) limit on regional roads in 2005, compared to only 8 per cent in 2003, before the limit was reduced from 60mph.
Some 70 per cent of all fatal crashes happen on rural roads.
The research shows that motorists are increasingly sticking to speed limits on bigger roads such as motorways and dual carriageways, but on these routes the vast majority of articulated trucks drive too fast.
A second report published by the NRA today shows that 92 per cent of female drivers and 83 per cent of male drivers wore seatbelts during a survey in 2005. However, 40 per cent of primary school children were not wearing belts in the backs of cars and 30 per cent travelled to school unbelted in the front passenger seat.
The huge jump in non-compliance on rural roads is explained by a modest increase in average driver speeds coupled with a significant reduction in limits at the beginning of last year.
During metrication in January 2005, the speed limit on regional roads changed from 60mph to 50mph, or 80kph. But drivers have not taken heed of the new limits and actually increased their speeds on these roads from an average of 79kmph in 2003 to 84kmph last year.
Today's study measured "free speeds" between June and August last year. Free speed is defined as the speed a driver chooses to travel without the constraints of congestion, bad weather or road geometry (such as sharp bends).
The free speeds survey also shows that on smaller roads, known as county roads, 37 per cent of drivers exceeded the 80km/h limit in 2005, compared to 10 per cent who broke the limit that was in place in 2003. However, on this road type, drivers were reported to have dropped their average speed from 77 km/h in 2003 to 75 km/h in 2005, while the limit decreased by 10km/h.
On urban arterial roads - main roads in urban areas - 91 per cent of cars broke the 50km/h speed limit, compared to 86 per cent in 2003. On urban residential streets 20 per cent of cars broke the same limit, compared to 36 per cent of cars in 2003.
On motorways, where the speed limit increased during metrication from 70 mph to 75 mph (120km/h) only 15 per cent of car drivers exceeded the new limit, compared to 23 per cent who broke the old limit in 2003. In 2005, the average car speed on motorways was 109km/h, compared to 106km/h in the 2003 survey.
On dual carriageways, where the 100km/h speed limit represents an increase from 60 to 62 mph, 28 per cent of cars exceeded the limit, compared to 29 per cent in 2003.
On national primary routes, where the same limit applies, 23 per cent of cars broke the limit, a reduction of 7 percentage points on the 2003 survey. National secondary routes saw 9 per cent of cars travelling over the limit, compared to 14 per cent in 2003.
Articulated and rigid trucks and buses, restricted to an 80km/h limit, continue to break speed limits on all road types.
On motorways, 94 per cent of articulated vehicles drove over the speed limit in 2005, according to the survey, up from 85 per cent in 2003.
Eighty eight per cent of rigid trucks drove over the limit on motorways, an increase of five percentage points, while 100 per cent of single-deck buses surveyed broke the speed limit on motorways.
On dual carriageways 87 per cent of articulated trucks broke the limit, compared to 60 per cent in 2003. Rigid vehicles were recorded travelling over the limit on these roads in 78 per cent of cases, compared to 55 per cent in 2003. Articulated vehicles also broke the speed limit on national primary roads (83 per cent), on national secondary routes (48 per cent) and on regional roads (45 per cent).
