Raised speed limit - Proceed with caution

The government is still considering whether to increase the speed limit on certain road. Photo / Getty Images

Will the government increase the speed limit on some of our roads?

Craig Foss, the Associate Transport Minister, says the government is still looking at this -- still considering whether to increase the speed limit on certain roads.

There are a number of roads where it could be lifted to 110.

There are the Roads of National Signficance for a start, the new road north of Auckland, there's also the Waikato Expressway, some roads around Christchurch, and the new Tauranga motorway. I haven't driven all of those roads but those i have are quite magnificent. The road north of Auckland for example, the so-called holiday highway, is akin to driving on an authbahn in Europe. It is a fabulous stretch of road.

The question is, what do we gain by increasing the speed limit? Well, we get where we want to go, faster. 10 kilometres an hour faster. And our cars today are better equipped. They're safer.

I have always been in favour of lifting it, but now I'm not so sure. I think the government would need to impose some key parameters around any change to the speed limit.

If it is raised to 110 kilometres an hour on approved highways, then there should be a no tolerance approach to speeding on those roads. 110 is the top speed. 111 kilometres an hour will get you a hefty fine.

And that's because in the eyes of some drivers, 110 will mean 120. In the same way at the moment 100 means 110 to some motorists. So 110 has to be the top speed.

Also, what are the implications of lifting the speed limit for tourists and learner drivers. Is it wise to lift the limit when you consider we have a reasonable percentage of inexperienced drivers on our roads in this country, and a decent chunk of tourist drivers as well? Is that a recipe for disaster?

And finally -- what are the implications for police? Will it increase their workload? Or reduce it? If we lift the limit and put a no tolerance policy in place, does that mean the government needs to throw more police resource at it, or less?

I also think, as an aside, that slow drivers should be targeted too -- particularly on single-carriageways. I can't tell you the number of times I've been stuck between slow drivers who sit on 40 kilometres an hour and drive past slow bay, after slow bay. And then suddenly you've got cars attempting to overtake where they shouldn't, and you're at risk of a multi-car pile-up.

So I was once quite gung-ho about lifting the speed limit -- but now, I'm not so sure.

Will that extra 10 kilometres an hour make a difference to our lives, or are we best to keep it at the status quo?