To sign this petition, you can visit change.org here.
To Vicroads and the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, The Hon. Luke Donnelley M.P.,
As of July 1st 2017, a road rule was introduced with the good intention of protecting emergency services personnel operating on the side of a road in the state of Victoria.
In the three weeks since this road rule was introduced, it has caused more danger to motorists than existed before, and increased congestion on our already heavily used roadways.
The law, and the main issue, mandates that traffic slow to 40km/h, no matter what the signed speed, no matter what type of road and number of lanes, no matter what direction, when passing crashes and incidents where emergency services vehicles are stopped on the side of the road.
At low speeds, under 60km/h, a 40km/h limit is appropriate, giving drivers time to safely react when emergency lights are viewed. At higher speeds, 80km/h and above, the speed difference is too great to slow down in a short amount of time. Especially when situations can obstruct the view of the motorists until the last moment, and slowing to 40km/h in such a short window is incredibly dangerous for all drivers and emergency services.
We, the undersigned, believe that emergency service workers must be given the safest environments possible for their work so that they may return home at the end of the day. However, we don’t agree that a blanket 40km/h is the safest or even smartest way possible.
We ask you to have the law amended as follows:
- Those passing flashing lights on a road must drop their speed to 20km/h below the signed limit.
- Vehicles in service roads should not affect those on main arterials, much in the way a median strip doesn’t affect oncoming traffic.
With the application of some common sense, we all believe this is a far better and safer solution for all on our roads.
Grumpy Motorist,
The XYZ.