Trends in driver speed behaviours on rural road network 2000 to 2013

Eleven annual speed surveys were conducted in the non-metropolitan areas during the period between 2000 and 2014 to measure driver speed compliance across the network of speed limit roads ranging from 60 km/h to 110 km/h. The 2000 survey was used as the baseline year for the comparisons with all subsequent surveys from which road safety and speed performance indicators were derived as measures of driver speed behaviours over the time. The principal objective of the surveys was to measure changes in driver speed behaviours at general locations of the road network over time and to relate those changes to the effectiveness of various speed related road safety programs implemented in the state. Effectiveness of speed road safety programmes is estimated in terms of changes in: speed compliance rates, proportion of drivers exceeding 10 or more km/h above the speed limit, 85th percentile and mean speeds. The study found that under free-flowing condition over the rural network of all speed limits (excluding 50 km/h roads) in 2000, 60.6% of all vehicles travelled at or below posted speed limits. The results obtained from the speed data analysis in the surveys 2000 to 2014 suggested that speed enforcement strategies should incorporate consideration of differences in driver speed behaviours associated with road type, speed limit, regional and temporal factors.