National Motorists Association Australia

MEDIA RELEASE

23 December, 2001

Timely warning about Christmas road-safety

The National Motorists Association Australia issued a timely warning to the Police Minister that it is vital that speed cameras and speed enforcement are used to promote safety rather than revenue raising during the Christmas period.

Queensland Liaison Officer James Wright said today that this is the right time to ensure speed cameras are used properly. "The Police Minister has claimed that speed cameras aren't used for revenue raising and been heavily attacked as a result. In the Christmas season at a time when road deaths have been rising he must ensure that the cameras and enforcement are used at appropriate locations. There is no point in having longer speed camera hours and increased speed enforcement if it isn't used to promote safety. He must take steps to satisfy himself that all is in order."

Mr Wright pointed out that there are several notorious locations in Brisbane where speed limits are obviously set too low and speed enforcement is nothing more than revenue collection. "It is obvious that booking anyone who exceeds the speed limit at a location like the Bradfield Highway on the Story Bridge or Hale Street, Paddington is nothing more than a cash grab. In both cases the roads are zoned at 60kph but it is obvious you can go faster without compromising safety"

"Drivers crossing the Story Bridge don't drive at normal highway speeds. They reduce their speed to take into account the comparatively short length of the highway and the close proximity of roads at the city end with features requiring slower speed driving. However 60kph is an absurd limit on that road. Zoning it at 80kph in accordance with the normal speed of the traffic would be more suitable. "If we must have rigid enforcement of speed limits, at least set them to sensible levels first" he said.

"Enforcing speed limits at locations where they are obviously set too low erodes the effectiveness of any attempt to reduce road deaths. It wastes police who could be allocated to tasks promoting safety." Mr Wright also said "The revenue raising focus can be seen in the current television advertising campaign which promotes the view that speed is the leading cause of accidents when in fact less than 5% of accidents are caused by speed. (source: p36, Road Traffic Crashes in Queensland: 2000) Surely, if the government was serious about road safety they would target the most significant factors." The top three are 'Disobeyed traffic rules'(not including speeding) (39%) 'Inattention' (31%) and 'Inexperience' (23%).

We need full cooperation from all parties involved to prevent tragedies at Christmas. Authorities need to do their share to keep road deaths down and this means police resources must be used to promote safety not revenue." Mr Wright said.

For Comment, please contact:

James Wright
Ph: 040 306 6986