20/11/2025
CUTTING SPEED LIMIT IS NOT SAFER
Erin Jones
Proposed speed limit changes on country roads from 100km/h to as low as 70km/h have been slammed as “lazy” by peak regional bodies and met with calls for greater funding.
The federal infrastructure department has proposed to reduce default speed limits on unsigned and unsealed regional roads, in a bid to reduce the number of road deaths and serious injuries.
About 11,000 submissions have been received during public consultation on the proposal, which was part of the government’s national road safety action plan.
Grain Producers SA was scathing of the idea and said it could make roads less safe if changes led to longer travel times, driver fatigue and loss of productivity.
“Simply lowering the speed limit is the easiest lever for government to pull, but it’s also the laziest and least effective,” chief executive Brad Perry wrote in his submission.
Mr Perry added SA had a $2.1bn road maintenance backlog and a “serious” infrastructure investment was the most effective way to improve road outcomes.
Livestock SA chief executive Travis Tobin wrote in their submission that a blanket speed limit – without supporting data or investment – risked doing more harm than good.
Mr Tobin wrote longer travel times reduced efficiency and raised animal welfare concerns.
“Funding strategic road upgrades and maintenance will do more to enhance safety than reducing speed limits alone – and will deliver co-benefits for freight, animal welfare, regional access, and long-term economic growth,” he wrote.
The road safety plan was part of a 2021-2030 national strategy aimed at reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively, by 2030.
The government’s latest analysis showed this was not on track and required greater government intervention.
The government stated there were 1291 deaths and more than 30,000 serious injuries on Australian roads in 2024 – and 65 per cent of road fatalities were outside of major cities.
It proposed the default speed limit – on unsigned and unsealed roads – drop from 100km/h to between 70 and 90km/h, depending on its condition.
Any change however, would need to be implemented by the state government and a spokesman said “we have no intention of changing default speed limits for country roads”.
Meanwhile, the state government was yet to release road safety ratings by the Australian Road Assessment Program, which could determine future upgrades and speed limit changes.
The data – the first time AusRAP ratings were made publicly available – was released nationally in September, but the government withdrew its permission until it was verified.
An Infrastructure and Transport Department spokeswoman said the government was committed to publishing the data once the review was complete in early 2026.
