More people died on NSW roads so far in 2016 than in 2015. A huge 41% of these tragic deaths were linked with speeding. In the year to June 2016, speed cameras caught 11% more motorists driving more than 45 kmh over the limit and 17% more of us driving 30-45 kmh over the limit. We are speeding up, not slowing down.
There’s a new breed of person on the streets these days. They are called Smombies, iWalkers or Petextrians, and you probably know who you are. It’s also becoming riskier to be a pedestrian. Tragically, 71 pedestrians have died in Australia in the 12 months to mid-October 2016, compared to the 2013-15 average of 40.
Going away in a caravan is becoming very popular and it’s no longer just the grey nomads who are doing it. Latest figures show people 30-54, often families, are taking to the road in their caravans too. In the year to June 2016, two records were broken:
We think tailgating is one of the worst driver habits on the road, yet many of us do it. One reason is simply to stop other drivers taking a space in front of us. Of course, it’s not the only reason. When participants in a survey were asked why they tailgated, road rage and anger was the top response.
Record sales of fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles in 2015 show we do care about car emissions. In fact, it’s the biggest jump in sales the National Transport Commission (NTC) has ever reported since 2004.
Frequent drivers on Australia’s country roads will know many native animals die unnecessarily from collisions with cars. Motorists also risk injury and serious damage to their vehicles from impact with kangeroos at speed.
Did you know one quarter of Australians will be 65 or more by 2044-45? While more and more older people are on the road, young people are becoming less interested in driving. So today’s seniors over 80 are more likely to drive than 18-24 year olds.
A recent provocative article in Car Advice describes the frustration of sitting behind drivers who hog the fast lane, even at slow speeds. According to the police, lane hogging is one of the main gripes of motorists. Nobody likes it.
It’s official – people hate commuting. Commuting is linked with a higher risk of obesity, divorce, neck pain, stress, worry, and insomnia. It also makes us eat more junk food and exercise less. For people who have long commutes – more than 45 minutes one way – it is even worse.
CTP green slips have been in the news because of proposed reforms by the NSW government. But what will happen to the idea of CTP when cars can drive themselves? The current NSW CTP scheme is partially fault based. If there is no driver in an accident with a driverless car, whose fault will it be?