49 Killed on Australian roads over Christmas. Had they been killed with a gun would that make a difference?

By Kevin Glancy

For more years than I can remember ‘speed kills’ has been the main focus of state government road safety policy and for years, I’ve been saying that speed  is not the main cause – that inattention, attitude and lack of skill are the key issues. Yet the number of speed cameras have simply increased and driver’s skills have been dumbed down – the state government road safety message is simple; just keep your eye on the speedo instead of paying attention to what other cars are doing on the road ahead and around you.

The priority – don’t get caught speeding!

It’s time that state governments that are complicit in this death toll, stop the manslaughter. Their policies are clearly not working – forget the blood money gained from speed camera revenue and start using your imagination to create one original thought. In return, saving lives will save taxpayer funds – the cost of the collateral damage of road trauma is astronomical.

Speed has been at the forefront of road safety policy for over 70 years and it’s clear that it hasn’t and doesn’t work. There are solutions that should be considered – I and many others know what they are.

In NSW 19 were killed during that Christmas holiday period – double last year’s toll despite the installation of even more speed cameras in that state.

This state government policy of encouraging manslaughter on the roads in NSW is a reflection of the broken election promise made by the Liberal Government in that state. Led by Premier Barry O’Farrell, it’s a government that continues to act like the previous Labor government in a number of policy areas and it is becoming a huge disappointment for those who voted for change. The Victorian Liberals are much the same and also deserve criticism for their lack of originality when dealing with road safety. 

In Australia 1300 people died on the roads in 2012 – that’s a 1.8% increase on 2011 – despite more cameras being used throughout the country.

State Road Safety Ministers! Wake up! You are responsible and there has to be a better way. If you don’t know what it is – do the honourable thing – fall on your sword and resign – your policies are contributing to the deaths of many on our roads – have you no conscience?

NOTE: What do these politicians do on their taxpayer funded, so-called ‘study tours’? Don’t they learn anything?

There are a number of countries around the world including areas within the UK, Europe and the U.S. where they have removed speed cameras, in some cases increased speed limits and in turn have dramatically reduced the incidents of road trauma.  

Why? Because people were given an opportunity to be responsible for the way they drive – they becamed focused on the task at hand with their attention clearly on the road ahead and not on their speedometers.  They were motivated to be better drivers.