New South Wales will begin trialling average speed cameras to access the road safety benefits of extending their use from heavy vehicles to all vehicles.
The State Government will explore their merits in protecting lives and addressing speeding as part of a multi-pronged approach to curb the rising road toll, which currently stands at 227 – two more than at the same date in 2023.
The two trials will be conducted on limited stretches of highway in regional NSW to determine whether these measures reduce speeding at these locations, improving safety and preventing injuries and fatalities.
The trial areas are Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes (Port Macquarie) – 15 kilometres between cameras, and Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai – 16 kilometres between cameras.
Road signs will alert all drivers that their speed is being monitored by average speed cameras on the trial stretches, giving them the opportunity to adjust their speed as needed.
According to the NSW Government, these two stretches have been chosen based on a number of factors, including known crash history.
There were a combined total of six fatalities and 33 serious injuries between 2018 and 2022 at these locations.
Trials are proposed to begin with a 60-day period in which speeding drivers will receive a warning letter rather than a fine before normal enforcement, including fines and demerit points, begin.
Legislation is needed to facilitate a trial phase, or any future decision to use them permanently.
“NSW is the only jurisdiction in the world to use average speed cameras but restrict their use to heavy vehicles only,” said NSW Minister for Roads, John Graham.
“In the context of a rising road toll, now is the time to trial these cameras for light vehicles and understand if we can keep more people safe on the road more of the time.”
NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, said the trial of the average speed cameras for light vehicles is about encouraging all drivers to rethink their attitudes to speeding on our roads and change their behaviour.
“In 2023, speeding contributed to 44 per cent of road deaths in NSW, three quarters of which were in regional NSW,” she said.
“What’s more upsetting is that this behaviour is within drivers’ control.
“Our goal is to assess how effective the cameras can be in changing speeding habits and potential trauma benefits.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility – let’s all help each other get to our destinations safely.”
Road safety experts called for the use of average speed cameras at the NSW Road Safety Forum held earlier this year and the Government undertook to investigate their use.
In other news, Border Express has opened its brand-new facility at Perth Airport in Western Australia.
