Hear me out on this one. Because I reckon there is some logic in this idea of mine.

NZTA has been making local authorities come up with speed management plans. Which has meant 30 kph speed limits on many roads in the city limits, and 80 kph speed limits starting to pop-up on roads in the country areas.

Simeon Brown has been given the job of Transport Minister and he’s going to do something about all that nonsense. Because he can.

As Transport Minister, he has all the power in the world to tell NZTA and local councils what parameters they can work within when it comes to setting speed limits. And it is very clear that he doesn’t have much time for blanket 30 kph speed limits.

He wants to see a better balance between safety and making sure traffic isn’t brought to a grinding halt where it doesn’t need to be brought to a grinding halt.

He says this blanket approach we’ve been seeing, where people have been forced to crawl around at 30 kph where it isn't actually needed - is nuts. And I couldn’t agree with him more.

But I’ve been thinking about speed limits and whether they’re even needed. It’s a bit like the unlimited holiday leave thing that some outfits offer their staff these days.

That’s based on people knowing what they have to get done and if they can do all that and take a long holiday, then employers are happy with that.

And I reckon the same thing could be done with speed limits. Because whatever speed limits we set, there will always be people who drive like idiots. That’s a fact. But, most of us, we know when we’re driving at a speed that is comfortable and safe.

So why do we need limits?

The people working at the outfits where they give out unlimited leave, they know what they have to do. They have to do their job to a high standard and it doesn’t matter how long they spend at work doing it.

When we’re driving, we also know what we have to do.

We have to make sure that we don’t crash into anything; we have to make sure we don’t run people over; and we have to make sure we don’t do anything that brasses-off other drivers. That’s essentially it. Get from A to B safely. And most of us do that. Most of the time.

And when we do those things, we slow down and speed up as necessary. We don’t go all cruise-control on it and think ‘right, the speed limit’s a hundred, so I’m going a hundred all the way’.

No one does that. If we’re honest, most of us would admit going over the limit at times. But, generally, we drive at a speed that is comfortable to us and a speed that makes us feel in-control of whatever vehicle we’re driving.

Yes, mistakes are made. Which is why some people are very pedantic and don’t talk about road “accidents”. Instead, they say road “crashes”. There’s no such thing as a road accident because, generally, they can be prevented.

And that’s what the old Road to Zero campaign has been all about. Trying to prevent crashes. Not accidents. And part of all that, has been this instruction to councils, telling them that the speed limits have to come down. Because lower speed limits are the golden ticket to preventing crashes.

That's what they say. But they’re not. Driving slower is the golden ticket. Not speed limits. Speed limits only work when there’s a cop on the road or where a speed camera van is parked-up. Speed limits only work because we don’t want to get a ticket and hit with a fine.

Speed limits don’t stop muppets driving in the rain with no lights on. Speed limits don’t stop tailgaters. Speed limits don’t stop bozos overtaking where they just shouldn’t. Speed limits don’t get more people wearing seatbelts. See what I mean?

That’s why I reckon the powers-that-be can play around with speed limits all they like. Lower them. Increase them. It won’t matter. Which is why I think we don’t actually need them.