NSW Fines to increase + More

[AWD Chaser]

http://www.news.com.au/national/spee...-1225846678421

SPEEDING fines will be raised 5 per cent and mobile speed cameras rolled out across the state from July as part of a government push to curb the soaring road toll.
And motorists who accrue more than six demerit points will be specifically targeted with road safety information in a campaign against repeat traffic offenders.
The moves are part of a $170 million road safety package in NSW.
The state's toll has climbed to 104 already this year.
Almost half of all accidents are caused by speeding - more even than alcohol-related crashes - and the Government wants to make breaking the speed limit as stigmatised and frowned-upon as drink-driving.
Mobile speed cameras using obsolete "wet" film were phased out from 2005, leaving NSW the only state not to use them.
But from July 19, six marked vans will hit the streets, eventually clocking up more than 12,000 hours on the roads every month.
Motorists will be told in advance about the target areas but not when the vans will be there. And for a month from July 19, drivers caught speeding by a mobile unit will only receive a warning instead of a fine.
Other parts of the package include:
- The speed-camera function at digital red-light safety camera sites will be turned on as cameras are installed;
- A $50 million safety audit of major state highways, including the Great Western, Mid-Western and Mitchell, with audits planned for the Oxley, Sturt and New England;
- A $50 million safety upgrade of high-crash areas, including installing corrugated lane lines, wire rope barriers and wider shoulders on roads with a history of head-on crashes or vehicles running off the road;
- $45 million for council road upgrades;
- A $10 million safety awareness and education campaign; and
- $4 million on fencing for pedestrian accident hotspots.
"These measures are designed to improve safety on roads with a serious crash history, as well as target speeding," NSW Transport Minister David Campbell said yesterday.

[Corzza]

Here we go again.

They will never stop all this

[JC]

How can 6 vans do 12000 hours per month? That's 2000 hours each and there are only max 744 hours per month per van (31 * 24).

I like the way they say speeding contributes to majority of crashes - that's actually a misleading statment. Police record that speed is a factor, but that may be inappropriate speed, which is different to speeding. Inappropriate speed can be done at less than the speed limit (eg 50 in a 60 zone when visibility is less than 10 metres is inappropriate speed).

Anyway, I guess we're not really surprised at this. Long live Canberra's laws and road toll - usually really low, and even the fatal last week was caused by an interstater.

[AWD Chaser]

Originally Posted by JC

I like the way they say speeding contributes to majority of crashes - that's actually a misleading statment. Police record that speed is a factor, but that may be inappropriate speed, which is different to speeding. Inappropriate speed can be done at less than the speed limit (eg 50 in a 60 zone when visibility is less than 10 metres is inappropriate speed).

For NSW 2008:
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety...tstats2008.pdf

• Fatal Crashes Involving Speed: 40% (143)
• Injury Crashes Involving Speed: 15% (2932)
• Non-Casualty Crash: 17% (4063)
• Total: 16% (7138)

For comparison:

• Alcohol Related Crashed: 4% (7138)
• Fatigue Related Crashes: 8% (3749)
• NOTE: These figures are out of a total of 42833, of which contained multiple causes - ie: Fatiuge, Alcohol Related, etc...

Speeding
The identification of speeding (excessive speed for the prevailing conditions) as a contributing factor in road crashes
cannot always be determined directly from police reports of those crashes. Certain circumstances, however, suggest the
involvement of speeding. The Roads and Traffic Authority has therefore drawn up criteria for determining whether or not
a crash is to be considered as having involved speeding as a contributing factor.
Speeding is considered to have been a contributing factor to a road crash if that crash involved at least one speeding
motor vehicle.
A motor vehicle is assessed as having been speeding if it satisfies the conditions described below under (a) or (b) or both.
(a) The vehicle’s controller (driver or rider) was charged with a speeding offence; or
the vehicle was described by police as travelling at excessive speed; or
the stated speed of the vehicle was in excess of the speed limit.
(b) The vehicle was performing a manoeuvre characteristic of excessive speed, that is:
while on a curve the vehicle jack-knifed, skidded, slid or the controller lost control; or
the vehicle ran off the road while negotiating a bend or turning a corner and the controller was not distracted by
something or disadvantaged by drowsiness or sudden illness and was not swerving to avoid another vehicle, animal
or object and the vehicle did not suffer equipment failure.

[Airmon]

So, they use their definition of speeding to roll out more Cameras, when their definition does not define speeding solely as being over the posted limit.
And they expect "speed" to not be a factor in as many crashes now because of these new camera's, that dont pick up all speeding offences....NSW Govt. Logic hurts my head.

Oh well, at the rate some of NSW roads are going anything over 50 will be too fast for the conditions, you'll jump bump across to the next lane.

[colossus]

Jeez we're turning slowly into Victoria (look how well their road toll is doing).

[jandj]

the real problem is the govt running nsw(ie labour party)they have to re-coup the money they hand out like candy.

[EDManual]

lucky they only raised it 5% I guess... In vic the fines raise with the CPI every year...

[Fev]

We all said we'd have to pay back those stimulus bonuses.. Didn't think it would be so quick!

[aussie muscle]

- A $50 million safety audit of major state highways, including the Great Western, Mid-Western and Mitchell, with audits planned for the Oxley, Sturt and New England;

Wouldn't they like, already know this? why do they need another audit (at $50m) to find out stuff they already have the answers to. (and why would it cost $50M to print out accident statistics?)

[AWD Chaser]

Originally Posted by EDManual

lucky they only raised it 5% I guess... In vic the fines raise with the CPI every year...

And the increase in fines last year when they changed the speeding brackets....

[Sapper]

Ummm....can someone explain to me how they can spend $50 million on a safety audit? I'd love to see the results.

[Bucknaked]

Originally Posted by EDManual

In vic the fines raise with the CPI every year...

I find that funny. Reasons why things increase is because of the ongoing cost associated being more, but increasing in line with the CPI is a joke. What part of fines needs to be hiked with CPI just to be maintained. Sounds like free money, and governments are victims of their own greed. Raise this, increase that, new tax this, more rates here. They will find anything to slug you with just to increase their revenue to combat their own incompetance. They arn't interested in cutting road tolls. They just need an excuse to install 100 new camera's. Same as the government will never ban smoking. Revenue raised from smokers would be a massive hole in the budget if they were no longer getting it.

[merlin]

Originally Posted by Sapper

Ummm....can someone explain to me how they can spend $50 million on a safety audit? I'd love to see the results.

They spent HALF A BILLION DOLLARS on the metro rail project where a shovel was never turned (it was drawn by Rees on the back of a napkin at lunch). They probably spent $50mil over coffee.

[XC GXL]

If it really was about education wouldn't they use the revenue to set up mandatory seminars for repeat offenders and people who speed excessively?

And these seminars should be on a Friday and Saturday night which is most likely the time these people want to be out. If they fail to attend then take their licence away!


Wayne

[deesun]

This will be like the planes, with not one car on patrol within the next 3 months and then we will hear nothing more about it. Notice they were showing the old cars nothing newer. Typical pre easter B/S. With the usual story being all leave has been cancelled for Easter blah blah blah, more waste.