The warning period for the NSW Government’s new average speed camera trial for light cars has expired, with typical speeding offence penalties to apply from July 1. The cameras are currently set up in two locations – a 15km stretch between Kew and Lake Innes (near Port Macquarie), and a 16km section of the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai.
Heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses have been subject to average speed camera monitoring since 2010, but this is the first time the technology has used to monitor light vehicles.
The trial started on May 1, and continued until June 30 in ‘warning mode’, meaning anyone who exceeds the posted speed limit by 30km/h or less received a warning letter encouraging a change in driving behaviour.
Speeding offences 31km/h or more above the posted limit are still subject to penalties.
From midnight on July 1, average speed cameras will enforce all speeding offences, with penalties including fines, demerit points, and potential loss of licence. To alert drivers, these zones are indicated with a sign featuring a large camera image and the text ‘AVERAGE SPEED SAFETY CAMERA’.
According to the Transport for NSW website, “Average speed cameras use two cameras to measure the amount of time it takes a vehicle to travel between two points on a stretch of road. A time-stamped image is taken as the vehicle passes each camera. The vehicle’s average speed between the two cameras is then calculated. If the vehicle’s average speed exceeds the speed limit for the length of road, the driver or rider will receive a penalty for speeding.”
The NRMA said road safety experts have backed the use of average speed cameras and the NRMA will be part of the assessment process to ensure drivers have a voice in the review of the trial. The roads were chosen due to the period between 2018 and 2022, in which these roads saw six fatalities and 33 serious injuries. Other states either already target all road users or plan to jump on board soon.
Drivers will have no excuse for not knowing about the cameras, says the NSW Government. The switch to fines will be accompanied by print and radio announcements, social media blasts, mobile billboards, and even variable messaging signs to spread the word.
Minister for Roads, John Graham, said: “Speed remains our biggest killer on the roads, responsible for 41 per cent of all fatalities in the last decade. International research consistently shows that average speed cameras dramatically reduce accidents and fatalities.”
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, recognises the trial may raise a few eyebrows, especially in regional communities. However, she noted in an announcement that regional roads are a hot spot for speed-related crashes. “Two-thirds of road deaths occur outside metro areas, even though only a third of the population lives there,” she said. “We picked these regional stretches specifically to see how effective average speed cameras might be at turning things around.”