MOTORISTS who speed have been warned, the odds of getting caught in NSW is set to increase with police set to introduce mobile speed camera vehicles.
Six of the camera cars will start patrolling the roads from Monday week.
Within a year the State Government will ramp up the mileage of the vehicles to 12,200 hours of speed enforcement a month.
“The cameras are being introduced as part of the NSW Government’s $170 million Road Toll Response package,” NSW Police and Roads Minister David Borger said
“I wish the Government did not have to introduce mobile speed cameras but we are taking this action to reduce the road toll and help save lives.
“Speeding is the leading factor in fatalities on NSW roads … with almost half of all deaths involving speeding,” Mr Borger said.
The mobile speed cameras will operate in warning phase for at least a month, meaning drivers caught speeding by these new cameras will initially receive a warning letter instead of a penalty notice.
“This is not about revenue raising, it is about saving the lives of people who use NSW roads,” he said.
Given the Coffs Clarence Area Command’s unwanted infamy as the worst area in the State for road related deaths, it’s expected the mobile units will be included in future road operations in the region.
Last year 460 people died on NSW roads – 86 more than in 2008.
Almost half of those fatalities involved speed and when mobile speeds cameras were introduced in Queensland and Victoria they help to deliver a 25 per cent reduction in casualty crashes.
“Speeding was the main contributing factor in the rise of the road death toll last year, which is why we are introducing these cameras,” Mr Borger said.
“The fact is that mobile speed cameras work – they slow down drivers, they change driver behaviour, and they save lives,” he said.
