Rural speed and crash risk

Abstract

The relationship between free travelling speed and the risk of involvement in a casualty crash in 80 km/h or greater speed limit zones in rural South Australia was quantified using a case control study design. The crashes involving the 83 case passenger vehicles were investigated at the scene by the Road Accident Research Unit and reconstructed using the latest computer aided crash reconstruction techniques. The 830 control passenger vehicles were matched to the cases by location, direction of travel, time of day, and day of week and their speeds were measured with a laser speed gun. It was found that the risk of involvement in a casualty crash increased more than exponentially with increasing free travelling speed above the mean traffic speed and that travelling speeds below the mean traffic speed were associated with a lower risk of being involved in a casualty crash. The effect of hypothetical speed reductions on all of the 167 crashes investigated indicated large potential safety benefits from even small reductions in rural travelling speeds.