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Perth WA - Speeding fines income up $33m

Errant drivers were fined an extra $33.7 million last year after speeding offences increased almost 60 per cent on the previous year.

Police last year handed out 5600 more speeding tickets on average each week - issuing 789,134 infringements, compared with 496,468 in 2010.

Red-light offences dropped from 17,331 to 16,336 in the same period.

The total amount raised from red-light and speeding offences last year was $105.28 million, compared with $71.58 million in 2010.

The high number of motorists caught exceeding the speed limit by less than 10km/h is a concern to Road Safety Council chairman D'Arcy Holman, who claimed they caused the same carnage on WA roads as "high-level" speeders.

"Low-level speeding is one of the deadliest epidemics on our roads," he said.

"Driving just 5km/h over the limit doubles your crash risk."

Last year, 363,945 infringements were issued to WA motorists for speeding by 9km/h or less, which carries a $75 fine. In comparison, 54,533 fines were handed out for speeding by 20km/h or more.

The Office of Road Safety is reviewing penalties and will consider whether those motorists who exceed the limit by up to 9km/h should also receive a demerit point.

Despite the almost 60 per cent jump in speeding infringements issued last year Professor Holman claimed it was more likely to be a result of improved police enforcement and did not mean more motorists were speeding. "Compliance with speed limits in WA has been gradually improving over time," he said

Revenue from speed and red-light camera fines contributes to the Road Trauma Trust Fund - and the Government has committed to allocating 100 per cent of those fines to the fund from July - while the fines from on-the-spot offences are put into Treasury coffers.

The Road Safety Council's recommendations for RTTF spending include improving urban intersections, upgrading regional roadsides with sealed shoulders and audible edge lining and targeting drink and drug drivers.

Shadow police minister Michelle Roberts said last year's result was a "massive increase" in fines and most were at the lower end.

"I think it's the wrong priority," she said. "Complaints I get from the community are largely about hoon offences and the fact they cannot get timely police attention for hooning offences."

Speeding by 10km/h to 19km/h carries a $150 fine and two demerit points.

QLD Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson caught speeding on Story Bridge, fined $133

POLICE Commissioner Bob Atkinson has been caught speeding on the Story Bridge a blunder he has revealed two days after police and The Courier-Mail launched a road safety campaign.

Mr Atkinson was caught on February 3 and was believed to be travelling at 70km/h in a 60km/h zone.

He will lose one demerit point and pay a fine of $133.

Mr Atkinson said he was embarrassed because of his position and because he had just been promoting the road safety message to media.

"I feel as though I've let you down, I feel as though I've let my colleagues down (and) I feel as though I've let the community down," he told reporters in Brisbane.

He has blamed the offence on a lapse in concentration.

He told reporters that he did not see the speed camera flash while he was driving with a colleague to police headquarters.

"It was brought to my notice that there might be an issue last Friday," he said.

It's not the first time the police chief been nabbed for driving too fast.

Mr Atkinson said he received a ticket for a similar speeding offence in 2009 while holidaying in NSW.

He said he was also caught speeding in 1998 when he was an assistant commissioner in far north Queensland based at Cairns.

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Perth - Mitchell Freeway Fixed Speed Camera - Poliscanspeed Hell Raiser

ALMOST 80,000 speeding motorists have been clocked by a single fixed speed camera on Perth's Mitchell Freeway since it was first trialled in December.

After the 12-day trial - during which 20,000 speeding motorists were snapped - Perth's first freeway fixed speed camera has caught 78,723 vehicles travelling over the 100km/h speed limit, according to police figures released today.

While most were only marginally over the limit, with 75,200 caught doing less than 110km/h, at least one motorist in the past week was clocked at 213kmh and another at 159km/h seconds later.

``That obviously gives us an indication that cars are racing on the freeway, which gives us great concern,'' Assistant Police Commissioner Gary Budge said.

So far, 36 motorists have been caught travelling at more than 45km/h above the limit, meaning they could have their vehicles seized under so-called ``anti-hoon law'' legislation.

Victoria's New Speed Camera Commissioner

New Speed Camera Commissioner Role Explained

The Commissioners job is not to look into individual speed camera tickets, but to look for trends in the number and location of complaints.

The role is to provide the following:

• quality assurance and reporting: to independently monitor and review current camera operations
• investigate and review: any part of the system of the Commissioner’s choosing or as requested by the Minister
• complaints management: any person who feels aggrieved by the camera system can lodge a complaint with the Commissioner.

To make a complaint, an aggrieved person (or their representative) can write to the Commissioner’s office at the following address:

Street address:

Office of the Road Safety Camera Commissioner
121 Exhibition Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

Postal address:

Office of the Road Safety Camera Commissioner
Locked Bag 14 
Collins Street East
Melbourne VIC 8003

Telephone: 1300 651 838

email Your Complaint

Yes, they do accept email complaints, but they apparently don't have an email form worked out yet. 10th Feb 2012 ( Amazing when you consider that this should be part of the process.) In the mean time, I would send my complaint via their feedback form located here.

Click "Read more" below for more information - FAQs - explanations

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Victoria Gets Speed Camera Watchdog

Gordon Lewis is a former County Court judge who is Victoria's new speed camera commissioner. Picture: Ellen Smith Source: Herald Sun

THERE is no doubt speed cameras save lives and also no doubt they have slowed down most Victorian drivers.

But there is also no doubt many motorists view them as revenue raisers ahead of life savers.

Drivers see them on long, flat, safe stretches of road and conclude they are there to nab people doing just a few kilometres over the limit as they simply keep up with the traffic flow, which irks them.

Then there are those motorists who are convinced the cameras are inaccurate and get frustrated because it is just about impossible for a busted driver to prove the camera that snapped them was faulty.

It is this perception that speed cameras are both unreliable and revenue raisers that prompted Police Minister Peter Ryan to appoint an independent person to act as a speed camera watchdog, for which he should be applauded.

That person is former County Court judge Gordon Lewis, who is a welcome addition to the checks and balances that already exist on Victoria's traffic cameras.

Mr Lewis wants motorists to contact him with their complaints about the controversial cameras. He expects to be swamped, but sees finding out what concerns people have and taking action on them as the best way of changing their negative view of speed cameras into a positive one.

He has been given wide-ranging powers to investigate every aspect of Victoria's traffic camera system. While he can't force the Government to make the changes he recommends, he has been given assurances that action will be taken on his findings.

To help ensure that is the case, Mr Lewis will make his recommendations public, meaning if the Government chooses not to heed those recommendations then we will all know about it and much negative publicity for the Government will ensue.