The days of average speed cameras in NSW only enforcing offences for heavy vehicles is set to finish, with dates of an impending trial for the cameras’ use on light vehicles now set in stone by the state government.
A 15-kilometre section of the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes and a 16-kilometre section of the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai have been selected for the trail, which will commence from May 1.
New South Wales is currently the only jurisdiction in Australia that uses average speed cameras solely for the enforcement of speeding offences for heavy vehicles or has no set plans to change in the future, however data has shown almost 80 per cent of all fatalities across the 31 existing average speed camera sites in the state between 2018 and 2022 did not involve a heavy vehicle.
A combined six fatalities and 33 serious injuries have been recorded at the two trial locations between 2018 and 2022.
Studies have shown average speed enforcement for all vehicles leads to a significant reduction in the total of crash-related injuries and fatalities.
The trial will see light vehicle drivers issues with a warning letter should they be caught speeding on the sections in the first two months of operation, with demerit points and fines to be issued from July 1.
It will be run for a total of 14 months, with the NSW government to report outcomes to parliament in 2026.
Existing enforcement of heavy vehicle offences at the sites will be unaffected by the trials.
“Regional NSW is home to a third of the population but is where two-thirds of all road deaths happen,” NSW Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison says.
“With the majority of road trauma occurring in our regions we have chosen two regional locations to test the impact these cameras could have on road safety for all road users.
“I know this trial will be a change, particularly for regional people who travel through the areas where these two camera lengths are in place, which is why we are committed to ensuring that the community is aware of what we are doing.
“We will have a communications strategy in place including the use of print, radio and social media as well as variable messaging signs and mobile billboards to help communicate the trial details to drivers and riders.
“We will also have clear warning signs installed before the enforcement sites, but most importantly we will have a 60-day warning period in place so that people have an opportunity to adjust their driving behaviour before they receive a penalty.”
Average speed cameras in the state have been shown to have cut the number of serious injuries and fatalities from crashes involving heavy vehicles by about 50 per cent when compared to the five years of data prior to their installation.
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