NRMA Fears Drop Of Newell Speed Limit May Increase Fatigue Crashes

Author: Date: 15 September 2009

NRMA Motoring & Services President Wendy Machin today questioned the appropriateness of NSW Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA) plans to drop the Newell Highway speed limit from 110km/h to 100km/h.

Ms Machin, who spent Monday and Tuesday travelling in a B-double truck from Brisbane to Dubbo via the Newell Highway with road transport and road safety advocate Rod Hannifey, said the plans outlined in the RTA's 2009 Newell Highway Safety Review had major implications for Newell Highway communities and drivers.

"There is minimal justification in the report as to why the RTA will drop the speed limit on the Newell Highway, nor a time-line for it to happen," Ms Machin said.

"Local councils, communities and trucking industry bodies should be given an opportunity to provide input into the decision."

Ms Machin highlighted two main points surrounding the 10km/h reduction:

• Fatigue - It will take a driver an extra hour to travel from the Queensland to Victorian border. The RTA's review stated: "Fatigue is the major factor amongst casualties on the Newell Highway with around 26 per cent of casualties in 2007 involving fatigue. This figure is higher than other country highways (15 per cent in 2007)." Ms Machin said it was difficult to ascertain why forcing drivers to spend longer times on the Newell Highway could have a positive effect on crash numbers when fatigue was the dominant behavioural cause of casualties.
• Safety - Without the 10km/h buffer in speed limit, heavy vehicles and cars will both be forced to travel at 100km/h. Ms Machin said this would create all sorts of safety issues for overtaking as the extra 10km/h cars have means they can overtake a truck safely and legally. "Taking this buffer away could cause long queues of trucks and cars impatiently waiting to overtake on a road that has overtaking lanes on only nine per cent of its length," Ms Machin said.

The trip from Brisbane to Dubbo in a B-double also highlighted the challenges and conditions truckies faced on the Newell Highway.

Ms Machin said it was encouraging to see the progress of the Moree bypass that will take heavy vehicle traffic out of urban areas and school zones.

"However there is a clear lack of overtaking lanes on the Newell, making it dangerous for all motorists and in some cases vehicles were breaking the speed limit when overtaking," Ms Machin said.

"It's important that all Newell Highway users share the road safely as roads are getting busier and drivers need to be more courteous to each other and allow extra time planning trips.

"Rest areas are also a major problem - there is not one major rest area along the entire NSW route of the Newell Highway that complies with the Austroads spacing requirements. An NRMA audit found that that only 20 per cent of rest areas had toilet facilities.

"It's a dangerous stretch of road and improvements in infrastructure are clearly needed when the number of trucks on the Newell is forecast to double by 2020 a truck every 30 seconds.

"The NRMA supports any measure that could reduce the number of crashes, however encourages the RTA to consult the public, trucking industry and Newell Highway Taskforce before making significant decisions such as changing speed limits."


The RTA Newell Highway Safety Review is available here

The NRMA Newell Highway Route Performance Review is available here

Contact: Daniel Stanton 0439 133 092

Note: Wendy Machin will be holding a press conference at 11.00am today at Rod Pilon Transport - 21 Mitchell Highway Dubbo.