UNSW Sydney Professor Rebecca Ivers has welcomed a new speed camera trial in NSW, which will track the average speed for cars in a state first.
The NSW Government announced on Sunday that average speed cameras would be trialled for light vehicle speeding enforcement, marking a first for the technology, which has previously been limited to monitoring heavy vehicles in the state.
Average speed cameras, also known as point-to-point cameras, average the speed travelled over a section of road between two cameras. It is considered a fairer form of speed enforcement than a single point camera.
“Average speed cameras are used widely in other settings to manage speeding behaviour with great success, and their use has been shown to lead to significant reductions in road crashes and deaths” said Prof. Ivers, Head of the School of Population Health at UNSW Medicine & Health.
Research has shown the use of average speed cameras reduces fatal and serious crashes by 25-46%, Prof. Ivers said. They also provide other benefits such as smoothing traffic flow, as more people travel at a uniform speed, which can reduce rear-end collisions.
“This is a very welcome announcement amid our rising road toll,” Prof. Ivers said. “Speed is a factor in at least 40% of road fatalities and is of particular concern in rural and remote parts of the state, which account for nearly 70% of the road toll.”
“Road safety experts have been calling for the introduction of average speed cameras for light vehicles in NSW for many years. It is such a cheap and cost-effective way to reduce deaths on our roads,” Prof. Ivers said.
Professor Ivers is currently overseas, but will be available to provide further comment from 3pm. She can be reached at:
E: rebecca.ivers@unsw.edu.au
M: +61 414 726 975
Media contact:
Kate Burke
News and Content Coordinator, UNSW Medicine and Health
E: kate.burke@unsw.edu.au
