A world-first: using neuroscience to stop speeding.
It’s a fact: 50% of speeding crashes happen at just 1-10km/h over the speed limit. Despite this, many road users still speed and it can have enormous consequences. It’s even more dangerous if you’re distracted and not watching the road.
Test yourself
In conjunction with esteemed neuroscientist, Lucia Kelleher, we’ve developed a rigorous series of exercises to help you stop speeding. Each test is designed to bring your awareness back to the road and make you more aware of your driving.
There are 8 tests in total, some which focus on cognitive (thinking) exercises, others focus on sensory (physical/feeling) exercises. Different things work for different people, so try as many experiments as you can to see what works for you.
50% of speeding crashes happen just 1-10 km/h over the limit.
Based on an analysis of speeding crashes by the Australian Centre for Automotive Safety Research which found that 51.3% involved a vehicle travelling 1‑10km/hr over the speed limit.
On average, speeding only saves us 77 seconds per commute.
Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) average commute distance of 16.6km from home to work in Queensland and a vehicle travelling at 65kmh compared to 60km/h.
Try our experiments
Driving Test
The test
Imagine you’re taking your driver’s licence test again. The driving examiner is sitting next to you in the passenger seat, observing how you drive and monitoring the speedo. You don’t want to fail. You will pass if you stick to the speed limit, so stay focused.
Slow Diaphragm Breathing
The test
Breathe deeply, right down to your navel to slow down your breathing. Do this before you start the engine and throughout your trip. This test harnesses the power of ‘brain focused attention.’ By breathing slowly, you open your brain fully to process everything in your environment.
Incentive Scheme
The test
Pretend your driving is linked to a points scheme. Every time you drive without speeding, you get one point. Ten points could mean a new pair of shoes or a ticket to an event. This test is designed to target the brain reward system, which is highly motivating as a behavioural adjustment technique.
Slow Driver Frustration
The test
It’s time to overcome slow driver frustration. Drive at the speed limit. Notice the slow drivers that you overtake. Ask yourself the question: “Are they driving slowly, or am I speeding?” This test is designed to challenge your beliefs and assumptions about how you drive and how others drive. You may find that your beliefs were not quite correct.
Teach Your Passenger
The test
It’s time to teach your passenger how to drive. Imagine they are watching and learning from your every move before they take the wheel. You do not want to teach them bad habits, you want to be seen as competent and a good driver.
Wandering Mind Broadcast
The test
Imagine there’s a broadcasting device connected to your mind that plays your random thinking on the radio and all your friends are listening. While you’re imagining this, feel the steering wheel and pay attention to your speed while driving, to prevent your mind from wandering.
Acknowledge Other Drivers
The test
This test is all about acknowledging other drivers and road users. If you want to merge, make eye contact with the other driver to prompt them to let you in. When someone lets you merge, give them a wave and notice how good it feels when they wave back. Also, make sure you are actively paying attention. Notice if another driver wants to merge and be sure to let them in.
Drive as a Team
The test
This test is about driving as a team. Imagine being a participant in an amazing, choreographed driving performance experiment. You’re all driving at the speed limit together as a group. If someone does the wrong thing, everyone fails.
Dr Lucia Kelleher
Dr Kelleher is a leading-edge thinker on optimising human behaviour and helps people understand how the brain's processing ability has changed as a result of sensory overload. This overload presents as constant distraction, which has eroded people’s ability to stay focused.
Where to next?
Explore these popular road safety topics on StreetSmarts.
