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Hmmm.
I strongly agree that speed is not the major factor in road safety - except maybe driving too slow. This is way overplayed by the authorities as an easy way out and great revenue earner.
The big issue is driver training. I've done defensive and performance driving courses. And as a former (and hopefully future again!!) rally driver I've learnt some of the skills that most people don't even know about or realise, that can make us all better drivers.
I lived in Darwin for a while and enjoyed several trips to Katherine and Kakadu etc, sitting on 180kph all the way. You've got to realise many of these roads are air-strip straight (as used during WWII), you can see for miles and there is no-one else on them and it is a looooong way to anywhere. They are as safe as doing 100kpm on a major highway. The problem is when people come across a curve and don't think to slow down. The only moment we ever had was coming across some army tanks on the road doing about 60kph (it seemed) while we were at 100+kph more than them. Camo paint at dusk - we didn't see them till we were passed them.
Having said all that, I have no issue with the new speed limits if society feels safer for it. Problem is, when drivers feel safer, they drive more recklessly. When ABS was introduced, BMW stats showed that drivers with ABS were more likely to die than drivers without ABS. Why, because they thought they were safer.
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