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JOINT Media Release Thursday 2 November 2006
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SPEED LIMITS AND DEMERIT POINTS FOR NT
Letter to Chief Minister Brings Swift Action Many Lives Will Be Saved On 25 July 2006, the RACS and PCA wrote to the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, the Hon Clare Martin asking her to urgently introduce Speed Limits and Demerit Points in the NT, to bring it line with the rest of Australia. A copy of that letter is attached. Today, to her credit, the Chief Minister has announced a wide ranging package of laws and penalties, including Speed Limits and Demerit Points for the NT. A copy of her Dr Robert Atkinson, Chair of the RACS Road Trauma Advisory Committee and Dr Paddy Bade, NT RACS Road Trauma Consultant said: While we would have preferred a blanket limit of 110 kmh, like the rest of The Chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, Harold Scruby said: "The Demerit Point system is excellent. It saves lives. It does not favour the rich. It was designed to create balance, fairness and consistency and get bad drivers off the road. The doubling of many of the penalties will also act as an incentive for all Territorians to drive within the law. Up until now, NT has had the highest annual death toll per hundred thousand in the OECD nations (over 27), compared with the rest of Contact: Harold Scruby (0418) 110-011 Contact: Paddy Bade (0419) 969-776 |
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Copy of Clare Martin's flyer with details of new rules and penalties
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The Age - Wednesday 25 October 2006
Road safety drive to set limits on speed-loving Territorians
The last bastion of speed-unrestricted roads in Australia is under threat,
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The Australian - Tuesday 2 January 2006
Police slow to act on speed limitsDESPITE the fanfare surrounding a law banning "leadfoots" from driving as fast as they like in the Northern Territory yesterday, traffic police in Alice Springs did not come on duty until 5pm - and then suspended patrols to attend a fatal motor accident south of the city. Police in Darwin publicly insisted a 12-strong traffic unit was enforcing the new limits, although they were unable to provide details of radar traps or other operations when asked.
No motorists were stopped and charged under the new laws yesterday. The Territory, until yesterday one of the few places in the world to allow motorists to drive at any speed on main highways, has finally bowed to the pressure to introduce speed limits in an attempt to reduce the number of those killed on the roads. Under the new limits, drivers in the Territory must keep to under 130km/h on the Stuart, Arnhem, Victoria and Barkly highways, and under 110 km/h on all other roads outside built-up areas. The limits have been introduced in response to a report released in October that put the annual road toll in the Northern Territory at three times the national average on a per capita basis. Forty-four people were killed in motor accidents in 2006, down from 55 the year before, figures that police Superintendent of Road Safety Bob Rennie said had left a lot of people "pretty shook up". "We haven't had any fatalities in the Christmas and New Year period but people are not to be complacent, we still have a long way to go," Superintendent Rennie said.." Under the rule changes, fines for speeding have doubled and a $500 fine has been introduced for exceeding the speed limit by more than 45km/h. Having introduced the changes and championed their role in reducing road deaths, Chief Minister Clare Martin will now have to face responsibility at the ballot box for their imposition. The decision has inflamed passions across the Territory, where many residents who drive regularly across the vast highway networks maintain most accidents are caused by alcohol. Additional reporting: AAP
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