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Cover of Review of Speed Management Evidence and Guidance
Review of Speed Management Evidence and Guidance
  • Publication no: AP-T385-25
  • ISBN: 978-1-922700-06-3
  • Published: 22 October 2025

Austroads is updating the Guide to Road Safety Part 3: Safe Speeds (AGRS Part 3) with the latest evidence and best practice in speed management.

This report presents the findings of a literature review and engaging with stakeholders to identify and address key gaps in current guidance (Workstream 1).

The literature review identified and summarised established and emerging literature on speed management topics. The review identifies grey literature sources where academic literature was lacking. Engagement with Austroads members, local governments and industry experts also helped fill gaps in knowledge and identified gaps in resources and knowledge that AGRS Part 3 could address.

These findings will inform the updated structure and content of AGRS Part 3 (to be developed in Workstream 2). It also serves as a useful resource for practitioners and decision makers on this topic.

Watch the webinar recording

One Monday 9 February 2026 Dr Blair Turner, Dr Soames Job and Anna Bray Sharpin presented the updates to the Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 3. Watch a recording of the webinar to learn more.

  • Summary
  • Findings from the literature review
  • Findings from stakeholder engagement
  • Recommendations for the update to the AGRS Part 3
  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1 Purpose
    • 1.2 Scope
  • 2. Literature Review
    • 2.1 Methodology
      • 2.1.1 Research questions
      • 2.1.2 Literature search and appraisal
      • 2.1.3 Synthesising the evidence from the literature
      • 2.1.4 Compiling the findings of the review
    • 2.2 Key terms
      • 2.2.1 Speed-related terms
      • 2.2.2 Definitions of injury severity
    • 2.3 Impact of speed and speed limits on safety
      • 2.3.1 How speed affects the likelihood and severity of a crash
      • 2.3.2 Established relationships between speed and severity of injuries and crashes
      • 2.3.3 Recent findings on survivability thresholds for collision speeds
      • 2.3.4 Evidence from speed limit reductions
    • 2.4 Impact of speed on fuel consumption and vehicle operating costs
      • 2.4.1 Urban environments and low-speed environments
      • 2.4.2 Rural and high-speed environments
    • 2.5 Impact of speed on vehicle noise
    • 2.6 Impact of speed on vehicle emissions
      • 2.6.1 Emissions in lower speed environments
      • 2.6.2 Emissions in higher speed environments
    • 2.7 Impact of speed on wildlife
    • 2.8 Impact of speed on public health, community wellbeing and accessibility
      • 2.8.1 Health effects of encouraging more active mobility
      • 2.8.2 Impact on mode choice and mode shift
      • 2.8.3 Impacts on children
    • 2.9 Impact of speed on travel time and congestion
    • 2.10 Economic impacts of lower speeds
      • 2.10.1 Urban environments
      • 2.10.2 Rural and high-speed environments
    • 2.11 Planning safe speeds and safe speed limits
      • 2.11.1 Strategic planning for safe speed limits
      • 2.11.2 Current practice in Australia and New Zealand
      • 2.11.3 Aligning speed limits with the Safe System
      • 2.11.4 Variable speed limits
      • 2.11.5 Data for planning, monitoring and evaluating speed management
    • 2.12 Interventions to support safe speed limits
      • 2.12.1 Infrastructure and design
      • 2.12.2 Land use planning
      • 2.12.3 Vehicle technology
    • 2.13 Communication and engagement strategies for speed limit programs
      • 2.13.1 Public awareness, perception and understanding
      • 2.13.2 Stakeholder engagement
      • 2.13.3 Measuring and monitoring public perception
    • 2.14 Speed limit enforcement
      • 2.14.1 Manual (officer intercept) speed enforcement
      • 2.14.2 Spot speed cameras
      • 2.14.3 Average speed (point-to-point) cameras
      • 2.14.4 The effect of automated speed enforcement
    • 2.15 Approaches to implementing safe speed limits
      • 2.15.1 Changing the default speed limit
      • 2.15.2 Targeting geographical areas or road stereotypes
      • 2.15.3 Staggering speed limits down – urban and rural approaches
      • 2.15.4 Piloting or trialling speed limit changes – urban and rural approaches
    • 3. Stakeholder Engagement
      • 3.1 Findings from engagement with Austroads members and local governments
        • 3.1.1 Frameworks for setting speed limits and understanding safety impacts
        • 3.1.2 Information needs
        • 3.1.3 Information gaps
      • 3.2 Findings from engagement with experts
        • 3.2.1 Interview spotlight 1 – the New Zealand experience
        • 3.2.2 Interview spotlight 2 – implementation from the Welsh perspective
          20 mile/hour implementation approach
        • 3.2.3 Interview spotlight 3 – a European perspective
          Integrating system initiatives and building a speed management policy
        • 3.2.4 Interview spotlight 4 – a perspective from the Netherlands
  • 4. Findings and recommendations
    • 4.1 Information gathered
    • 4.2 Evidence on safety impacts and co-benefits of safe speeds
      • 4.2.1 Safety evidence
      • 4.2.2 Evidence of co-benefits
      • 4.2.3 Wildlife safety
    • 4.3 Identifying safe speed limits
      • 4.3.1 Movement and place
      • 4.3.2 Australasian context
      • 4.3.3 Consistency, credibility and compliance
    • 4.4 Infrastructure to support safer speeds
    • 4.5 Planning and implementing safe speed limits
      • 4.5.1 Effective use of data and tools
      • 4.5.2 Consultation and engagement
  • References
  • Appendix A Key Literature and Case Studies
    • A.1 Review of city-wide 30 km/h speed limit benefits in Europe
    • A.2 Mornington Peninsula Shire Safer Speeds Trial
      • A.2.1 Effect on speed and crashes
      • A.2.2 Community sentiment evaluation
      • A.2.3 Learnings from the trial
  • Appendix B School Speed Zones in Australia and New Zealand
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