New safety cameras are being introduced to make intersections safer by enforcing both speeding and red-light offences.
Safety cameras use digital technology that is capable of detecting both red-light and speeding offences and will be replacing the current outdated wet-film red-light cameras that began operating in 1988. Safety cameras will be installed at 200 locations over four years.
The purpose of safety cameras is to reduce the number of crashes at traffic lights.
Crashes that result from drivers running red-lights can be particularly severe because they often involve the front of a vehicle impacting with the side doors of another vehicle. Passengers and drivers are not as well protected from side impacts as frontal impacts.
Evaluations of camera enforcement of red-light offences conducted in Australia and overseas have shown this type of enforcement is clearly effective in reducing casualty crashes at intersections. When the evaluations were considered together it is estimated that camera enforcement of red-light offences reduces the number of casualty crashes at intersections by around 30 per cent.
Speeding increases the risk of a crash and the severity of the crash outcome, the risk of causing death or injury in an urban 60km/h speed zone increases rapidly even with relatively small increases in speed. Speeding through an intersection is an extremely risky behaviour and puts other road users at risk.
The use of cameras to enforce speeding has proven road safety benefits. An independent evaluation of the NSW fixed speed camera program found that at sites where speed cameras have been installed there has been a 70 per cent reduction in speeding resulting in a 90 per cent decline in fatalities and a 23 per cent reduction in injuries.
Safety cameras will be installed at sites which meet specific criteria. These criteria are based on the number of crashes and cost to the community of crashes at a location. This ensures safety cameras are installed at intersections that need them most. The addition of speed enforcement will provide an additional road safety benefit at the camera location.
There will be no new offences or penalties for speeding, running a red-light or speeding through a red-light. Drivers who commit a red-light or red arrow offence will receive the current penalties for these offences. Drivers who commit a speeding offence will receive the relevant speeding penalty.
All intersections with safety cameras installed will be signposted with the new safety camera sign.
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/speedandspeedcameras/safetycameras/index.html
