No case for an 80 km/h speed limit – Review of the SA Rural Travelling Speed and Crash Involvement Study

The Travelling Speed and the Risk of Crash Involvement on Rural Roads? research report of July 2001 found that ?that 24 per cent of all the casualty crashes investigated would have been avoided if none of the vehicles had been travelling above the speed limit and that lowering the maximum speed limit on undivided roads to 80 km/h could be expected to lower casualty crash frequency by 32 per cent. This paper reviews the analysis methodology in the original report and in particular considers the impact of black spots and black links on the findings of the report. And it raises the issue of the balance between safety and amenity.