This paper reports on a study investigating preferred driving speeds and frequency of speeding of 320 Queensland drivers. Utilising self-reported behaviour and attitudinal measures, results of this study support the notion of a speed paradox. Two thirds of participants agreed that exceeding the limit is not worth the risks nor is it okay to exceed the posted limit. Despite this, more than half (58.4 per cent) of the participants reported a preference to exceed the 100 kilometres per hour speed limit, with one third preferring to do so by 10 to 20 kilometres per hour. Further, mean preferred driving speeds on both urban and open roads suggest a perceived enforcement tolerance of 10 per cent, suggesting that posted limits have limited direct influence on speed choice. Factors that significantly predicted the frequency of speeding included: exposure to role models who speed; favourable attitudes to speeding; experiences of punishment avoidance; and the perceived certainty of punishment for speeding. These findings have important policy implications, particularly relating to the use of enforcement tolerances. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214057. Printed volume contains peer-reviewed papers. CD-ROM contains submitted papers.
Abstract