A five per cent jump in the crash death toll including the worst 12 months since 2016, shows why vehicle technology including speed limiters must be introduced, a veteran repairer has said.
Russ Hill, who has almost fifty years’ experience in the crash industry says the gravity of the crisis demands decisive action and we have the technology already available.
National client manager for Crashzone, Russ Hill has written to police and transport ministers across the country aiming to highlight the issue and a practical solution.
Hill wants a new Australian Design Rule mandating that every vehicle registered in Australia has a recalibrated speedometer with a maximum display of 130 km/h along with a tamper-proof speed limiter, capping vehicle speeds at 130 km/h.
Hill is calling on governments to act swiftly, given the gravity of the situation and implement the laws by 1 July 2025.
Worsening toll
Australian Automobile Association figures on the national road toll show that it has climbed for the 12-month period for 27 consecutive months and in 2024 is 1,291 deaths to 31 October – up 4.9 per cent from 1,231 in 2023.
In the EU, a new law introduced in July 2024 makes Intelligent Speed Adaptation restricting the speed of a vehicle automatically mandatory.
The European Transport Safety Council has claimed it will reduce traffic collisions by 30 per cent and road casualties by 20 per cent.
In the US, where speed is attributed to a third of all road deaths or 12,330 annual fatalities, the National Transportation Safety Board is pushing for similar laws but numerous bills for the mandate have stalled in parliament.
Technological Progress
Hill says the safety messages that flood the media at the upcoming holiday season, however well-intentioned, fall short of addressing the root causes of preventable road deaths and serious injuries.
“The technology to implement these measures already exists in all modern vehicles, requiring no new development or significant cost to manufacturers, “ Hill says in his submission to the Ministers.
“While it may take several years for the benefits to fully materialise as the vehicle fleet renews, the impact on emergency services, hospitals, insurance claims, and innocent lives will be profound.”
Hill says while lower speed collision would continue and repair industry would be ready to meet the need, the reduction in high-speed crashes would be of enormous benefit to the community, emergency and health services who would “freed from the devastation of high-speed collisions.”
Australian precedent
Hill says Australia also had a precedent in how it had reduced a crisis of calamitous truck crashes in In the 1980s,
“In 1989, mandatory speed limiters were introduced for heavy vehicles, transforming the industry. Over time, as the fleet modernized, high-speed truck crashes became a thing of the past. It is time to apply this successful model to address the ongoing epidemic of high-speed car crashes, stolen vehicle pursuits, and reckless driving that claims too many innocent lives.”
Hill believes high-performance vehicle manufacturers may object to the speed limitations, but this gave them an opportunity to adapt by focusing on track-only models that comply with ADR standards for private use.
Hill also questions why car manufacturers make speedometers when half the gauge ( from 110-240km/h) are for speeds drivers are never meant to reach
“Its like a challenge to some young drivers,” he says. ” When all they need to do is limit the gauge to what is permissible. It would cost them nothing.”
Hall says demobilising technology in some modern vehicles could also help in extreme scenarios like police chases, where young thieves attempt to outrun police often with fatal consequences.
Time to act
“This is a simple, effective, and proven solution. The success of speed limiters for heavy vehicles demonstrates that regulatory action can save lives. It is time to take the next step and extend this protection to all road users. Lives depend on it.”
Hill is hoping to build momentum on the issue and wants readers and anyone in the industry to contact their local members of parliament, police and transport ministers to advocate for the life-saving changes.