Drivers warned of new fines ahead of major speed camera change in weeks

Yahoo

20-03-2025

Transport officials in the country's most populous state are cautioning drivers that, within weeks, average speed cameras in select areas will no longer be limited to tracking heavy vehicles — they will soon monitor all vehicles on the road.
Also known as point-to-point cameras, the added speed surveillance will start in two NSW locations from May 1, after first being announced last year. It's the latest bid to combat the rising number of deaths on Australian roads, which have increased on a steady trajectory in recent years.
Existing cameras along a 15km stretch of the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes and those on the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai are now set to monitor all vehicles, having previously only scanned for heavy vehicles, a Transport for NSW spokesman confirmed to Yahoo News Australia.
Those locations are hotspots that frequently attract crashes. As it stands, drivers caught speeding in NSW face hefty fines, depending on how far above the limit they are driving. The most severe penalties apply to those caught speeding by more than 45km/h over the limit. Light vehicle drivers face a maximum fine of $3,300, while heavy vehicle drivers can be fined up to $5,500. Additionally, a minimum six-month licence disqualification is imposed.
Average speed cameras work by measuring a vehicle's speed over a set distance rather than at a single location. By recording the time a vehicle passes two fixed points along a road, they can calculate its average speed between them.
If the vehicle's average speed exceeds the legal limit for that stretch of road, the driver receives a penalty notice. The cameras are particularly effective in reducing speeding over long distances, discouraging drivers from simply slowing down for traditional fixed cameras and then speeding up again.
Dr Ingrid Johnston, CEO of the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) told Yahoo News Australia she believes more urgently needs to be done in the country to minimise road trauma. Johnston previously encouraged the use of road safety initiatives like speed cameras, and called on governments to lower speed limits in areas with high pedestrian and cyclist activity.
In NSW, the point-to-point cameras in the two selected areas will operate in trial mode for two months, with those caught speeding to receive warning letters.
After that, offending drivers will be slapped with a fine and handed demerit points from July 1.
In NSW average speed cameras currently enforce speeding offences only for heavy vehicles. However, data from 2018 to 2022 reveals that nearly 80 per cent of all fatalities and serious injuries across the state's 31 average speed camera zones involved other vehicles.
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Global studies have consistently shown that enforcing average speed limits for all vehicles significantly reduces crash-related injuries and fatalities, NSW Minister for Roads John Graham said.
"We know that speed remains our biggest killer on the road, contributing to 41 per cent of all fatalities over the past decade," he said. "We know the trial will be a change for motorists in NSW, so it will be supported by community and stakeholder communications. All average speed camera locations have warning signs installed."
In Australia, 2024 was given the grim title of the deadliest year on our roads in over a decade. Governments are facing mounting pressure to take bold action to reduce road fatalities, with data revealing the death toll has been rising in recent years at a pace not seen since 1966.
Research conducted by the federal Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) showed that 1,300 people died on Australian roads in 2024 — up from 1,258 in 2023.
It's a widely held belief in the country among some drivers that Australia's death toll on roads is merely a reflection of our rising population. Many have argued that as our population increases, it's only natural that more people will be killed on roads as a result.
And while it's true that population increases do in part contribute to official figures, the argument oversimplifies the issue and ignores key statistical and contextual factors. Johnston said that if road deaths were purely a result of population growth, the rate of deaths per 100,000 people would remain steady.
However, Australia's road toll is rising at a faster rate than population growth, meaning something else is driving the increase. "Since 2020, the death rate per 100,000 people has gone from 4.3 to 4.4 to 4.5 to 4.7 to 4.8 and for the year to date, in 2025, it's 4.9," she explained.
"It's been consistently trending upwards for the last four years, and it's looking like it's going to be another year again."
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