Discussion in the hoons and speed camera forums.
YOUNG men commonly feel speeding is okay, but only if they are the one driving, a road safety expert says.
Soames Job, director of the New South Wales Centre for Road Safety, told a Sydney audience the finding was revealed in new research examining the attitudes of NSW drivers towards speeding.
Speaking at the Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference, Mr Job said speed was by far the biggest single behavioural factor in serious crashes on the state’s roads.
“(It is) one which we are gradually managing downwards,” he said.
“People feel it’s okay to speed as long as they are personally in control. It’s a common view of young males.”
NSW Transport Minister David Campbell, who opened the three-day conference, said the Government remained concerned about a sharp rise in road deaths this year.
“Although the road toll in NSW has been on a downward trend in recent years, a sharp spike in this year’s road toll is a major cause of concern,” he said.
“The road toll in NSW this year is running at about 30 per cent higher than the same period last year.”
So far this year, 404 people have been killed on the state’s roads, 88 more than the same time last year.
The final 2008 toll was 316 – the lowest annual tally since 1944.
In September, the Government promised 48 extra highway patrol police officers to tackle the problem.
Source: News.com.au
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