"If you're prepared to speed, be prepared to kill"
Speed is the largest contributing factor to fatal crashes on New Zealand roads.
In South Canterbury driving too fast for the conditions is one of our four major causes of crashes. Drivers may be driving slower than the speed limit, but in many cases it may be too fast for the current road conditions.
Driving too fast is not accidental. It is something some drivers do all the time and is perceived by them as the normal and enjoyable way to drive.
No car -no matter how flash - can protect your body from death or severe injury in a crash when you are driving at excessive speed.
Speeding drivers kill more people than drunk drivers.
Speed and crashes
In the past 5 years up to December 2009, speeding was a contributing factor in 24 percent fatal crashes, 16 percent serious injury crashes and 19 percent in minor injury crashes.
Who dies?
For every 100 drivers or riders killed in road crashes where speeding is a contributing factor, 61 of their passengers and another 29 road users die with them.
Source: Motor Vehicle Crashes in New Zealand, the annual statistical statement produced by the Ministry of Transport.
Stopping distances
In perfect conditions (wet and slippery roads and conditions of your vehicles tyres can make it harder for you to stop) :
- 50 km/h(30mph)....will take you 21m to react and 37m to stop
- 70km/h.....will take you 29m to react and 61m to stop
- 100km/h...will take you 42m to react and 111m to stop
Try out the stopping simulator here.
Ultimately the responsibility is yours - slow down
Speed limits
Rule 5.2 Which speed limit prevails if more than one applies?
(1) If more than one speed limit applies, the lowest of those speed limits.
Rule 5.4 Towing other vehicles
(1) 90 km per hour when towing—
(a) a trailer or trailers; or
(b) a vehicle normally propelled by mechanical power.
(2) 40 kilometer per hour for—
any cycle, moped, motorcycle, or all terrain vehicle that is being used to tow a trailer that, together with its load, exceeds 50% of the unladen weight of the towing vehicle.
(4) 30 kilometer per hour when towing—
a motorcycle or an all terrain vehicle.
Rule 5.5 Heavy motor vehicles
(1) 90 km per hour.
Rule 5.6 School buses
(1) 20 kilometer per hour when passing a stationary school bus
(2) 80 km per hour when driving any school bus that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 2 000 kg.
Rule 5.8 Accident, breakdown, or emergency scenes
20 km per hour.
Rule 5.9 Stopping and following distances
(1) Be able to stop ahead if the vehicle ahead stops suddenly.
(2) Following distances to keep when driving behind other vehicles
- 16 meter between 40 and 49km/h
- 20 meter between 50 and 59km/h
- 24 meter between 60 and 69km/h
- 28 meter between 70 and 79km/h
- 32 meter between 80 and 89km/h
- 36 meter 90 km/h and above
It can cost you too! These are the fines if caught exceeding the speed limit:
- 1 - 10 km/h = $30
- 11 - 15 km/h = $80
- 16 - 20 km/h = $120
- 21 - 25 km/h = $170
- 26 - 30 km/h = $230
- 31 - 35 km/h = $300
- 36 - 40 km/h = $400
- 41 - 45 km/h = $510
- 46 - 50 km/h = $630
- + 50 km/h = Court
If you exceed the speed limit by: 40 km/h at a permanent speed zone or by 50 km/h at a temporary speed zone your license be can suspended on the spot.
Slow Down near Schools
There seems to be a lot of confusion around the actual speed limit around schools and other places. The reason for that may be the focus around the tolerance given by police before they issue a ticket for speeding around a school zone.
Many drivers want the school zone and the 250 meter buffer around the school clearly identified by signs for the latter reason only. This brings up another argument. Do we measure the 250 meter from the centre of the school or from the school gate, etc.? The answer is very simple. It should not matter where this zone is. The speed limit is the speed limit and should not be exceeded in any way. If a vehicles speedometer indicates the driver is at or below the speed limit, there would be no reason to worry about the so-called school zone.
In order to clarify the speed limit around schools, just look at the speed signs at the school. In most cases, the speed limit is 50 km/h, unless there are other signs indicating a different speed limit. The only place in Timaru where a lower speed limit is in place during certain hours of the day is past South School on Craigie Avenue. Here are electronic signs that display a 40km/h speed limit during the mornings and afternoons. The tolerance for speed around schools is 4km/h so that means driving faster than 44km/h can result in a ticket. The same applies with a 50km/h speed limit in a school zone. The tolerance is still 4 km/h therefore a driver going faster than 54km/h, can be fined.
Now let us look at the reasons why we want people to drive slowly around schools. Children are not small adults and they have physical and rational limitations in a traffic environment. We also need to acknowledge that they are still in their development stage. It is therefore important to stimulate this development by guiding them through it. Children under the age of 10 years in general have the following disadvantages:
- They have a third less peripheral vision than adults do – that is the ability to see things in the corner of their eyes.
- They cannot judge speed and distance accurately.
- They cannot determine the direction of travel based on the sound of a vehicle approaching.
- They cannot focus on more than one thing at a time, and in most cases, it will not be on the traffic situation.
- They are easily distracted and very impulsive.
- Because they are small, they cannot see over the bonnets and roofs of parked vehicles.
- They assume that if they can see a vehicle, the driver can also see them.
Based on the list of disadvantages, one can easily understand why their safety is in the hands of the vehicle drivers.
It can be a matter of life or death. Even 10km/h can affect the chance a child has of surviving a hit by a car:
- 60 km/h = 15% chance of survival
- 50 km/h = 55% chance of survival
- 30 km/h = 95% chance of survival
Slowing down near schools can keep kids safe.
However we must be cautious not to think that children are only at risk close too schools. Residential areas and parks are also places where children are about. It is here where they live and play and where they feel safe because it is a familiar environment for them. Care should always be taken whenever children are around because the same risks regarding their behaviour apply here.
Parents may not realize the impact they have on their children’s behaviour. If children are brought up in a safety conscious environment, it will make them act more responsibly later in their life. The contrary is also true – if they are raised to take risks and “it’s not a big issue”, they will probably take unnecessary risks later in their life, which can have devastating effects on many people’s lives.
Ultimately the responsibility is yours - keep kids safe
Avoid excessive speeds - the faster you go the bigger the mess.