Fines, not death, top worry for speeding drivers: Oz study

MELBOURNE - A Queensland University study has found that speeding drivers are more concerned about getting caught than being hurt or killed.

Judy Fleiter, from the Centre for Accident and Road Safety Research, says a survey of 800 Queensland drivers show they lack regard for the risk speeding poses to their personal safety, reports the Age.

Fleiter says most speeding drivers she interviewed played the numbers game behind the wheel.

“They are calculating, or really miscalculating the risk of speeding,” Fleiter said in a statement.

“Their biggest fear is getting caught, and many believe that they ‘know’ how to evade detection,” she said.

Many drivers involved in the survey admitted to slowing down at known or anticipated speed camera locations.

Some actively sought information from other drivers about camera locations, particularly when traveling on new or unfamiliar roads.

“But the problem with drivers taking a calculated risk, is that they are calculating the risk of getting caught and not the risk of getting hurt,” Fleiter said.

She said many divers didn’t properly appreciate the risks of speeding, and believed they’d survive a high-speed crash. (ANI)