Targeting speed in Peak Hill

Parkes Shire Council has installed a speed monitor trailer in Peak Hill's main street to help prompt drivers to watch their speed and keep to the limit. The speed monitor trailer contains a radar device to check the speed of passing traffic and research shows that they have a large impact in not just reducing the speed at which people travel but also increasing the driver’s awareness of their vehicle’s travel speed. Parkes Shire Council’s road safety and injury prevention officer Melanie Suitor assures drivers the speed checks are a courtesy only and emphasised the importance of the speed monitor trailer in reminding drivers of the posted speed limit and prompting them to adjust their speed if necessary. The monitor comes after council has received a number of reports about vehicles speeding in Caswell Street, which is part of the Newell Highway through Peak Hill and includes a pedestrian crossing. “We want motorists to realise their speeding is part of a much bigger problem," Ms Suitor said. "Every vehicle travelling over the posted speed limit poses a risk to other road users - especially the vulnerable such as child and aged pedestrians. “Research indicates that reducing speed, even by just a few kilometres, makes a big difference to the outcome of crashes. "If hit by a vehicle travelling at 60km/h a pedestrian has a 15 per cent chance of survival, this increases to 55 per cent if the vehicle is travelling at the slower speed of 50km/h and 80 per cent if the vehicle is travelling at 40km/h. “Extensive testing has shown that when drivers adhere to speed monitor trailer guidelines, their average speed reductions range from 30 per cent to 60 per cent. "Moreover when drivers receive alerts from the radar, speeding incidents decrease by up to 80 per cent,” Ms Suitor said. The speed monitor trailer will be in use for the next month in conjunction with regular Police enforcement.