New Transport Accident Commission (TAC) research has revealed young Victorian drivers’ acceptance of speeding is double that of all other drivers.
The TAC’s latest Community Engagement and Social Acceptability Research (CESAR) survey found one in three of young Victorian drivers (those aged between 21-25) say they routinely speed 5km/h or more over the limit – more than double the state-wide average of all drivers.
The CESAR survey of 1,892 license holders is conducted biennially by the TAC and explores key road safety issues and the social acceptability of dangerous driving behaviors in Victoria.
TAC CEO, Tracey Slatter said young drivers’ growing complacency towards speeding in Victoria was concerning.
“Speeding, even at a low level, is dangerous – it increases both the likelihood of crashing and the severity of the crash outcome,” she said.
“Young drivers are by definition less experienced, so taking risks with speeding can have tragic consequences.”
According to the TAC, speeding is the biggest contributing factor to road trauma in Victoria. Speeding is found to be a major factor in around 30% of deaths on Victoria’s roads in the past five years, and almost 80% of speeding-related casualty crashes involve drivers travelling between 1-9 km/h over the speed limit.
Other CESAR survey findings include:
- Drink driving behaviors have gradually but consistently declined – 38% of Victorians would not consider driving after consuming any alcohol.
- Victorians have become significantly more wary of self-driving cars. Only a quarter (26%) of Victorians would feel safe sharing the road with self-driving cars, down from a third (34%) in 2022.
- Two thirds (62%) of Victorians support Passive Alcohol Sensor (PAS) technology being introduced as a standard vehicle safety feature.
