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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (3 December) . . Page.. 4492 ..

MS TUCKER (6.16), in reply: I thank members for their support in enabling me to wrap up this debate. I did not oppose the adjournment of the debate because I wanted to make some big statement. I think Mr Whitecross thought I was going to make a big statement about how we are the only ones that know about road safety, and that is not right. I wanted to have the opportunity to wrap up this debate because, obviously, it would not be revisited in this Assembly, and I think it is quite reasonable that I have that opportunity. I understand the positions of Labor and the Liberals on this issue. I think they are being very cautious.

I would like to address some of the points that have been raised in the debate. Mr Kaine was concerned that I had mentioned in my speech that the 60 kilometres an hour limit was arbitrarily decided. He thought it was a logical decision when the 35 miles per hour limit was changed to metric. The point I was trying to make there - if it was not clear, I would like to clarify it for Mr Kaine - was that it was rounded up without any discussion about safety issues and speed limits. I was trying to make the point that it was not a decision that was informed by a wider discussion.

Mr Kaine also said that other cities are different and claimed that the evidence from around the world where speed limits have been reduced may not be relevant. I think it is interesting to look at a pamphlet produced by Queensland road safety people about why speeding is dangerous. I think it is worth reading out. It seems obvious, but I think it might need to be repeated. The pamphlet reads:

The faster you drive -

the less time you have to react to the unexpected or an emergency;

the less time you give other road users to notice you and react;

the further you have to look ahead, which narrows your field of vision;

the less stable your vehicle becomes when cornering, manoeuvring and braking; and

the worse injuries will be in a crash.

Then it outlines six factors that make speeding unsafe:

1. The unexpected actions of other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and animals.

2. Changes to road, weather and light conditions.

3. The different types and amount of traffic sharing the road with you.

4. Your own tiredness, concentration level and in-vehicle distractions.

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