There’s a disconnect between the Government’s decision to move ahead with the increase of speed limits, announced at the weekend, and strong global efforts to improve road safety according to public health experts.

The increase in speed limits in New Zealand’s Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 comes under the scrutiny of an injury epidemiologist and others in the latest Briefing from the Public Health Communication Centre.

The Government has based the increase in speed limits on an economic argument that weighs time saved from faster travel against the costs of increased injuries and deaths.

Lead author Professor Michael Keall of the University of Otago says this approach fails to consider wider public health impacts, such as discouraging people from walking and cycling, which are crucial for active, healthy communities.

“Higher speeds disproportionately benefit drivers, while vulnerable road users, like children, face greater risks, making the policy inequitable. The proposed speed limit changes around schools apart from pick-up and drop-off times focus too much on travelling time, like saving 14 seconds, while children and their families bear the brunt of the increased danger,” he says.

Research shows that reducing speed limits can lower the severity and frequency of accidents, with cities like Toronto experiencing a 28% reduction in pedestrian-vehicle collisions at lower speed limits. At an impact speed of 50 km/h, about 30% of pedestrians hit by a vehicle will die, compared to just 5% at 30 km/h, according to Prof Keall.

“Road deaths and serious injuries harm both society and the economy. The setting of speed limits needs to be considered as part of a larger system, where mobility, road design, vehicle design, the environment, the economy, the community and public health interact. Our roads should be designed to encourage slower speeds, so limits are seen as a responsible and ethical choice, not just a restriction imposed by authorities.”

Prof Keall says the Minister of Transport Simeon Brown’s claim over the weekend that 50km/h speed limits are normal in Denmark and Norway is wrong. “Scandinavian countries pride themselves on their road safety record, and 50km/h speed limits are unsafe according to international consensus. I approached some Scandinavian road safety colleagues and showed them the Minister’s statement. They confirmed it was extremely misleading. In the Scandinavian countries including Sweden, Norway and Finland they have been moving away from the 50 km/h urban area default over the last decades, and 50km/h speed limits in areas where there are pedestrians or outside of schools are extremely rare.”

The World Health Organization advises against using purely economic rationales for setting speed limits, stating that road safety should not be sacrificed for faster travel times.

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