I was single, living in Goulburn, sharing a flat with a Department of Main Roads (DMR) engineer.

He came home one Friday night and announced, with a twinkle in his eye, that this had been a momentous week for the DMR.

The Hume Highway had been lifted to a 60mph (100km/h) standard.

What he meant was that by extending double lines, the Hume Highway was now considered “safe” for the faster speed, aided by a greater number of “advisory speed signs” on the many curves and crests.

Back then narrow four ply retreads allowed steering to “wander”, skid in the wet, and squeal around corners.

Drum brakes couldn’t stop a car at speed, but all were “safe” for the new 100km/h speed limit.

So 44 years ago, 100km/h was safe for a narrow goat track, where traffic banked up behind petrol-powered semi-trailers that slowed to 40km/h on hills.

Death trap sections like the “Little Harbour Bridge” and Sylvias Gap on the way to Gundagai claimed lives.

Today we have a wide, two and three lane divided highway from the outskirts of Sydney to the edge of Melbourne.

We have four-wheel ABS disc brakes, traction control, radial tyres rated at up to 300km/h, power steering, cruise control, yet our Roads and Maritime Services still limits us to 110km/h.

Going faster could actually increase safety.

Travelling unnecessarily slowly is boring, leading to inattention and the potential for accidents.

The Hume Highway is for long distance drivers like us. A quicker journey could indeed be an advantage for us in Wagga.

But why stop there? Most highways within NSW are limited to 100km/h, the same speed as trucks.

In 1970 the Hume was narrow, yet was deemed safe at 100km/h. Today’s regional highways are wide, with white lines at the side, and would be quite safe at 110km/h.

In WA and most parts of rural SA, the open road limit is 110km/h.

There would be plenty of statistical evidence from those states to indicate that this is a safe speed in modern cars.

From my observations on our recent trip across The Nullarbor, where the limit is 110km/h, drivers are happy to cruise at that speed on a two-way road. 

The Sturt Highway is 110km/h from about 130km west of Wagga.

Returning home, we noted that in the middle of nowhere, with no change in road conditions, the speed limit suddenly became 100km/h. Why?

The Sturt Highway should be 110km/h along its entire stretch, with slower areas only from Forest Hill through Wagga, and possibly the stretch to Collingullie because of the hills and local traffic.

It’s time for the minister to lead a review, skewed by consultation with country drivers.