Hon Jennifer Rankine News Release Minister for Police www.premier.sa.gov.au Minister for Correctional Services Minister for Emergency Services Minister for Road Safety Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Thursday May 31, 2012 POINT TO POINT SPEED CAMERAS
Legislation allowing innovative speed detection devices along two of the State’s major highways has been passed today, having received bipartisan support.
The devices - point to point cameras - are used to measure the time taken by a vehicle to travel between two fixed camera sites, to determine the average speed.
Today in the Legislative Council, members unanimously voted to support the change to the Road Traffic Act 1961.
Minister for Road Safety Jennifer Rankine said death and serious injury from road crashes is of major concern to the State Government – so far this year 42 people have lost their lives on the State’s roads.
“Speeding on highways continues to be a major cause of road crashes and road trauma,” Ms Rankine said.
“Technology such as point to point cameras are being introduced in South Australia to help reduce speeding and improve road safety, particularly in rural areas.
“These cameras detect speed over a wider area, as opposed to a single point in time. This method of enforcement is to be a fairer way of measuring speed and recognised as best practice.”
Point to point technology will be used on the Port Wakefield Road and the Dukes Highway.
In the last five years, 20 people have died on the Dukes Highway and nine people have lost their lives on Port Wakefield Road.
Future sites may include Victor Harbor Road, South Eastern Freeway, the Northern Expressway and Sturt Highway.
Point to point technology is used interstate for both trucks and cars as well as internationally – in the United Kingdom and Netherlands and Scotland.
Cameras will not use the existing Safe T Cam network, which has been set up to monitor fatigue in heavy vehicles.
Media contact: Simonne Reid on 0400650951
The average speed of the vehicle is calculated by dividing the distance between cameras by the time taken to travel between both sites. If the average speed of the vehicle is in excess of the speed limit, the driver will be issued a traffic infringement notice.
Aside from the $60 Victims of Crime levy, all revenue collected from anti-speeding devices goes into the Community Road Safety Fund.
Since the Community Road Safety Fund was established in 2003, a total of $602 million has been allocated to pay for road safety projects across the State.
Media contact: Simonne Reid on 0400650951