South Africa should lower specific speed limits

Lowering speed limits in built-up areas from 60km/h to 50km/h may make sense and impact road fatalities, but no evidence shows that reducing South Africa’s 100km/h and 120km/h limits will help reduce road deaths.
This is according to Driving.co.za managing director, Rob Handfield-Jones, who highlighted that Australia increased speed limits on its highest-speed roads and hasn’t observed an increase in fatalities.
Speaking to Cape Talk, Handfield-Jones explained that research shows lowering speed limits in urban areas is beneficial.
“From 60km/h to 50km/h, there are definite safety benefits associated with that,” he said.
“It stands to reason because urban areas are the areas where you have more activity, and if you reduce speed limits, drivers have more time to notice and react to hazards.”
However, Handfield-Jones said doing the same with major road and highway speed limits won’t have the same results.
“It’s a different picture, and there’s no evidence at all that reducing speed limits on high-speed roads leads to better safety,” he added.
He highlighted Germany’s Autobahns — sections of highway with no enforceable speed limits — as being some of the safest high-speed roads in the world.
“Countries like Australia, on their highest-speed roads, have actually increased speed limits recently, and they haven’t noticed an increase in fatalities,” added Handfield-Jones.
While South Africa has high road fatality statistics, a large portion of road deaths relate to pedestrian fatalities rather than vehicle occupants.
“About 40% of annual fatalities are pedestrians, and that’s a state that’s been stable for about 40 years now,” said Handfield-Jones.
“Especially before 1994, road builders were relatively unconcerned about slapping high-speed roads through the middle of settlements.”
This, combined with a lack of bridges and tunnels for people to cross high-speed roads, means residents in these areas are forced to risk crossing these roads.
Moreover, Handfield-Jones said it’s often challenging to reach South Africa’s pedestrian population to educate people about the dangers due to the country’s low literacy and education levels.
“Most drivers are educated and they’re easy to reach,” he stated.
“It’s always been a question of mine why the government isn’t going after drivers to educate them better on how to avoid pedestrian crashes.”
Broader challenges to address

The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) recently told MyBroadband that it doesn’t support the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s (RTMC’s) 2022 proposal to reduce the country’s speed limits by 10km/h across the board.
“While we appreciate the RTMC’s commitment to reducing road fatalities and enhancing public safety, we believe that any such changes must be underpinned by a more holistic and evidence-based approach,” it said.
The AA said it won’t support the proposed reduction without concurrently addressing broader systemic challenges contributing to the high incidence of accidents on South Africa’s roads.
An aspect of significant concern is the poor condition of the country’s roads.
“Without meaningful improvements to road infrastructure, simply lowering speed limits is unlikely to deliver the safety outcomes intended,” the AA stated.
It provided several alternative recommendations:
- Targeted enforcement — the AA advocates for a focused crackdown on dangerous driving behaviours, such as reckless or distracted driving, and driving under the influence.
- Driver education — the AA says further investment in public education campaigns is essential, particularly those highlighting the dangers of excessive speed.
- Data-driven interventions — rather than universal speed reductions, the AA recommends targeted speed management measures based on empirical data.
On targeted enforcement, the AA said any crackdowns on dangerous driving behaviours must be backed by consistent enforcement and effective prosecution.
Regarding data-driven interventions, the organisation said these should be localised to areas with high crash rates and where there are a lot of pedestrians on the roads.
“Speed regulation is a key pillar of road safety strategy,” the AA stated.
“However, the AA urges the RTMC and other relevant authorities to adopt a multifaceted, data-informed approach.”