Average speed cameras are being trialed in New South Wales to assess the road safety benefits of expanding their use from heavy vehicles to all vehicles.
All other mainland Australian states and the ACT already use average speed cameras for light vehicles as part of their speed enforcement programs.
According to the NSW Government, speeding is the biggest killer on the State’s roads, contributing to 41 per cent of all fatalities over the past decade.
Regional NSW is home to a third of the population but is where two-thirds of all road deaths happen.
Two trials will be conducted on limited stretches of highway in regional NSW to assess whether these measures reduce speeding at these locations, improving safety and preventing injuries and fatalities.
Road signs will alert all drivers that their speed is being monitored by average speed cameras on the trial stretches, giving them the opportunity to adjust their speed as needed.
“NSW is the only jurisdiction in the world to use average speed cameras but restrict their use to heavy vehicles only,” said Minister for Roads John Graham.
“In the context of a rising road toll, now is the time to trial these cameras for light vehicles and understand if we can keep more people safe on the road more of the time.
“All other mainland Australian states and countries like the UK, Norway, Italy and the Netherlands have found average speed cameras to be effective and we aim to be as rigorous as possible to be sure they will also reduce road trauma in NSW.”