Vic: More speed cameras, higher fines (mobiles/seatbelts)...

[balthazarr]

From: http://www.theage.com.au/national/fi...1118-69zq.html

'Penalties for talking on a mobile phone while driving or not wearing seatbelts in a car will skyrocket 50% to $226.84 cents among initiatives to cut Victoria's road toll.

In other measures, there will be more speed cameras and more drug testing of drivers, which will almost double from 22,000 drug tests to 42,000 per year.

Victorian Roads Minister Tim Pallas said on Tuesday 30 per cent of drivers involved in fatal car accidents in Victorian roads had traces of one or more drugs in their blood.

He said that talking on a mobile phone while driving increased by four times the risk of an accident.

Last year 332 people died on Victorian roads - the road toll this year stands at 272.

Mr Pappas said speed cameras were an important part of the government's road safety strategy.

"If motorists do not want to lose money to speed cameras, the message is simple - slow down," Mr Pallas said.

Victoria Police also launched its biggest-ever traffic enforcement operation and will have a heavy presence on the roads over the Christmas-New Year holiday period.

Assistant Commissioner of Traffic and Transit safety Ken Lay said motorists who drink-drive in the festive period or ignore the speed limit will get caught.

"This operation is not about writing tickets - it is about changing motorists' behaviour and holding people accountable for doing the wrong thing," Mr Lay said.

AAP'

No doubt this thread will be closed, but here goes...

I have no problem with increased drug testing, or higher fines for talking on mobiles.

But more speed cameras? Government short on funds, are they? I'm just waiting for the day when there's a "safety" camera on every intersection... and why not, the things more than pay for themselves.

What Mr Lay says about it 'not [being] about writing tickets' makes no sense... if they don't write tickets, how are they going to make any change in behaviour?

Actually... it does make sense... because they're not writing tickets... it's all automated. :

As to the heavy police presence... GOOD. Bring them on. That's what we need - more police... police that can actually catch the idiots on the road, not some automaton camera that catches drivers "speeding" 3km/h over the limit.