A NSW Roads and Traffic Authority spokesman said lowering the speed was one initiative that emerged from a safety review of the highway.

“In the past five years, 69 people have been killed, including 11 this year alone – and that is 69 too many,” he said.

Speed is a factor in 40percent of road crashes.

“Extensive Australian and international research shows that reducing the speed limit has been effective in reducing the road toll, including the number and severity of crashes.

“The proposed speed limit of 100km/h is in line with international best practice,” the spokesperson said.

Goondiwindi Regional Council Deputy Mayor and former traffic branch police officer, Cr Rick Kearney said the decision would only add to the carnage.

“Fatigue is big a factor on those long trips. They have to realise that the longer people are driving on the highway, the more chance there is they will have an accident.”

Cr Kearney said he didn’t think the current 110km/h sped limit was excessive. “You can have a crash at any speed,” he said. He said there was no comparison between European driving conditions and those in Australia. “They’re not taking into account the distance people travel in the country. If you drive 200km in Europe, you travel through three countries,” he said.

The NRMA is not convinced a drop in the speed limit will be effective in reducing road crashes either, pointing to the fact the RTA safety report found fatigue was a factor in around 26percent of casualties.

NRMA Motoring Services President Wendy Machin said in Septmber it was difficult to ascertain why forcing drivers to spend longer times on the Newell Highway could have a positive effect on crash numbers when fatigue was the dominant behavioural cause of casualties.

Ms Machin also said, “Without the 10km/h buffer in speed limit, heavy vehicles and cars will both be forced to travel at 100km/h. This will create all sorts of safety issues for overtaking as the extra 10km/h cars have means they can overtake a truck safely and legally.

“Taking this buffer away could cause long queues of trucks and cars impatiently waiting to overtake on a road that has overtaking lanes on only nine per cent of its length,” Ms Machin said.

The Newell Highway is 1060km long and stretches from the Victorian Border to Boggabilla.