NT speed limits 'should be scrapped'

[DRU842]

The Northern Territory government is being called on to scrap open road speed limits it adopted at the start of this year, after recording the worst road toll in a decade.

Despite introducing a 130km/h limit for the region's four main highways - the Stuart, Arnhem, Barkly and Victoria - and establishing a demerit point system, road fatalities in 2007 have climbed to climbed to 57.

The toll is up from 44 in the same period last year and 35 in 2004.

A damning report released last year found NT roads had a death rate three times higher than the rest of Australia on a per capita basis, with one person dying and nine seriously injured every week.

The findings prompted the government to put an end to a tradition whereby NT drivers were among the few left in the world - and the only ones in Australia - who could freely decide their speed on the open roads.

But the opposition Country Liberal Party (CLP) said it was time for new NT Chief Minister Paul Henderson to reverse the controversial changes.

"Now the evidence is in," CLP transport spokeswoman Fay Miller said in a statement.

"(Mr) Henderson has the option of correcting a mistake of his predecessor and get rid of the open road speed limit."

Ms Miller said data suggested that drink drivers and people failing to wear seat belts were the main reason for road fatalities - and not speed.

"The opposition was highly sceptical that Territory Labor's attack on our way of life would have a positive impact on the road toll," she said.

"It is a great shame that one of the qualities that made the Territory unique has been sacrificed without an obvious benefit.

"Making such a far-reaching change to the character of the Territory on a hunch was reckless policy making."

Ms Miller said demerit points - introduced in most Australian states in 1969 - would also prove to be equally useless in curbing the road toll.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/071228/2/15dub.html