Nearly half of Australian drivers ignore speed limit signs including in school zones, study shows

Australian drivers are using the most outrageous excuses to justify reckless speeding, including in school zones, it can be revealed. See what they are.

Australian drivers are using the most outrageous of excuses to justify reckless speeding including in school zones, it can be revealed.

Just a week out from the start of the new school year, a study by insurance giant AAMI has found nearly 50 per cent of Australians admit to speeding.

But most alarming were the reasons being peddled by motorists for their errant behaviour: not noticing the road signs (46 per cent), driving on autopilot (31 per cent), impatience (24 per cent), beating traffic (16 per cent) and not knowing what time school zones apply (9 per cent).

Of those who admitted to speeding, a quarter claimed to go less than 10km/h over the speed limit, while six per cent went over 20km/h.

Last year, more than 1160 people died on Australian roads in 2022.

School zone road sign with speed limit 40 during before and after school hours.

AAMI spokesman Kahl Dwight said there are “no excuses for reckless behaviour” from motorists.

“School aged children, especially in their younger years, are still learning about road safety and road rules, so it’s up to us as adults and drivers to carry that responsibility and ensure that we’re doing the right thing,” Mr Dwight said, noting the insurer assessed data from more than 350,000 accident claims from the 2022 financial year.

“Speed limits and school zones protect our children and the community – but they won’t work unless drivers slow down and pay attention.”

Concerned Sydney mother Jacqueline Dearle said speeding was “not worth the risk”.

Jacqueline Dearle and her daughter out the front of Cammeray public school. Picture: Jeff Williamson.

“School drop off and pick-ups are a really busy and stressful time and there is so much going on during these times,” she said.

“It’s really important to slow down so there’s time to react should you encounter a child crossing the road, or darting out from behind a car, which I’ve experienced on many occasions.

“Speeding, even a little bit, because you’re in a hurry to collect kids from school or get home from work earlier is not worth the risk.”

The data also found Fridays were the worst day of the week for accidents (16 per cent), while 29 per cent of crashes happened in the afternoons between 1pm and 4.30pm – which coincides with school pick-ups.

Picture: Monique Harmer.

Australian Road Safety Foundation chief executive Russell White has appealed to drivers to take extra caution.

“People don’t realise that speeding, even a few kilometres over the speed limit in a school zone, can be the difference between life and death for our children,” he said.

“With the new school year upon us, we’ll be seeing kids as young as five starting school for the first time, many of which will not have developed strong road safety skills.

“No one leaves home with the intention of having a crash, let alone a road incident that involves a child.”

Originally published as Nearly half of Australian drivers ignore speed limit signs including in school zones, study shows