Speeding

Speed - The biggest killer on our roads

Driving too fast is the single biggest contributor to death and injury on NSW roads. Speeding consistently contributes to around 41 per cent of road fatalities and 24 per cent of serious injuries each year. This means almost 150 lives lost and 1,270 people seriously injured each year.

Over the five years from 2015 to 2019, 743 people were killed and 6,372 were seriously injured in speed-related crashes in NSW.

Safer stopping distances

The faster you go, the longer it takes to stop. A typical stopping distance when travelling at 30 km/h on a reasonable road surface is 19 metres, while at the slightly faster speed of 40 km/h, the stopping distance increases to 27 metres.

In addition to speed, other factors affect stopping distances, including:

  • Distractions, fatigue or dim lighting, where drivers take longer to react
  • Wet roads or worn tyres, which can lengthen braking distances.

To reduce the risk of a crash, drivers should stay under the speed limit and drive to the conditions, such as slowing down in wet weather or poor visibility.

A small increase in speed can make a big difference to the seriousness of a crash. Any extra speed means extra impact force - and the human body can only tolerate limited physical forces before death or serious injury occurs.

As speed increases, so does the risk of a fatality

In a crash between a car and a pedestrian, there is a 10 per cent risk that a pedestrian will be killed at 30 km/h, 40 per cent risk at 40 km/h, and a 90 per cent risk at 50 km/h.

In a head-on crash between two vehicles, there is a 5 per cent risk that a driver or passenger will be killed at 60 km/h, 10 per cent risk at 70 km/h, and an 80 per cent risk at 90 km/h.

In a side-impact crash with another vehicle, there is a 10 per cent risk that a driver or passenger will be killed at 50 km/h, a 40 per cent risk at 60 km/h, and an 80 per cent risk at 70 km/h.

For more information on speeding and statewide countermeasures, please visit Transport NSW - Centre for Road Safety.

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