Safer Speeds

Speed is one of the major factors contributing to accidents on Victoria's roads, and while TAC statistics show less people are speeding, they also show people still see speeding at low levels as acceptable.

As speed increases, so does the risk of crashing and being seriously injured or killed. Reducing speed can result in a significant reduction in road trauma and we have hard-hitting speed campaigns to educate people and change the community's perception of speeding.

Speeding can be divided into three categories:

Excessive – deliberate and over the limit by a large amount.
Low level – the most common where drivers are marginally over the limit (usually 5km/hr). Research shows that with each 5km/hr increase in travelling speed above 60km/hr, the risk of a collision resulting in death doubles. Reducing speed by 5km/hr can result in a 15% decrease in crashes.
Inappropriate – travelling at a speed risky for the conditions such as wet or unsafe roads.

Speed cameras, radar and laser speed detections all act to deter speeding behaviour and encourage people to take a more responsible attitude towards speeding.

Risks of speeding

The risk of speeding is high. When you speed it means you:

need more distance to stop to avoid a crash
have less time to react to changes in the road, traffic conditions or the actions of other drivers
are at a higher risk of dangerous situations such as veering onto gravel and losing control of the vehicle

If you crash at higher speed it means:

your body is subjected to greater force causing severe injury or death
the effectiveness of seatbelts and airbags is reduced
pedestrians or cyclists will almost certainly be killed if struck by a vehicle at higher speeds and severely injured at lower speeds

Our funded programs for safer speeds in 2012-2013 include:

Working towards creating a culture where the community regards speeding as unacceptable as drink driving.
Reinforcing the speed message to footballers via our partnership with Melbourne Victory.
Targeting cricket supporters between 18 to 35 years with the safe speed message through the T20 Big Bash League.
A Heavy Vehicle Speed Limit Reduction Project aimed at transport companies and drivers to promote the benefits of slowing down.
Supporting the uptake of Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) technology in Australia and the development of an ISA iPhone application for Victoria.
Investigating crash risks at low level speeds.
Trialling an education program for repeat speeding offenders.


Safer Speeds Speed is one of the major factors contributing to accidents on Victoria's roads, and while TAC statistics show less people are speeding, they also show people still see speeding at low levels as acceptable. As speed increases, so does the risk of crashing and being seriously injured or killed. Reducing speed can result in a significant reduction in road trauma and we have hard-hitting speed campaigns to educate people and change the community's perception of speeding. Speeding can be divided into three categories: Excessive – deliberate and over the limit by a large amount. Low level – the most common where drivers are marginally over the limit (usually 5km/hr). Research shows that with each 5km/hr increase in travelling speed above 60km/hr, the risk of a collision resulting in death doubles. Reducing speed by 5km/hr can result in a 15% decrease in crashes. Inappropriate – travelling at a speed risky for the conditions such as wet or unsafe roads. Speed cameras, radar and laser speed detections all act to deter speeding behaviour and encourage people to take a more responsible attitude towards speeding. Risks of speeding The risk of speeding is high. When you speed it means you: need more distance to stop to avoid a crash have less time to react to changes in the road, traffic conditions or the actions of other drivers are at a higher risk of dangerous situations such as veering onto gravel and losing control of the vehicle If you crash at higher speed it means: your body is subjected to greater force causing severe injury or death the effectiveness of seatbelts and airbags is reduced pedestrians or cyclists will almost certainly be killed if struck by a vehicle at higher speeds and severely injured at lower speeds Our funded programs for safer speeds in 2012-2013 include: Working towards creating a culture where the community regards speeding as unacceptable as drink driving. Reinforcing the speed message to footballers via our partnership with Melbourne Victory. Targeting cricket supporters between 18 to 35 years with the safe speed message through the T20 Big Bash League. A Heavy Vehicle Speed Limit Reduction Project aimed at transport companies and drivers to promote the benefits of slowing down. Supporting the uptake of Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) technology in Australia and the development of an ISA iPhone application for Victoria. Investigating crash risks at low level speeds. Trialling an education program for repeat speeding offenders.