General News
20 March, 2025
Every kilometre counts when it comes to casual speeding
Speeding is the biggest contributor to road trauma on NSW roads and to date, 59 people have lost their lives on NSW roads.
Hospitalisations for all serious injuries are up four per cent from 2023 to 2024 with speed the biggest cause factor.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) states that each year almost 140 people die and over 1000 people are seriously injured from speed‑related crashes. The organisation stresses, that speeding is not just travelling above the speed limit but also driving too fast for the road conditions.
According to TfNSW’s Quarterly Bulletin of Serious Injury Crash Data Quarter ending June 2024 (preliminary) there has been a six per cent increase in the reporting period for regional/outer metropolitan crashes in the western area.
Crashes involving or caused by speeding have increased by nine per cent. Other behavioural factors such as alcohol and fatigue have decreased.
Decreases have also been recorded for safety factors such as seatbelts not being worn and motorcyclists not wearing helmets. However, the statistics show that three per cent more pedal cyclists aren’t wearing helmets.
The majority of crash types are vehicles moving off path on a straight road, followed by curved roads or turning. Most serious injuries are recorded for drivers of vehicles followed by motorcyclists. 67 per cent of injuries are recorded for males.
30-to-39-year-olds are the biggest cohort of serious injuries and there are double-digit increases in injuries for children and youth, according to the report.
TfNSW advises that most speeding deaths occur at no more than 10 kilometres over the speed limit, which increases the crash risk four-fold. Regardless of crash causes, speed directly affects the force of impact – resulting in trauma outcomes.
This is because speeding drivers have less time to react to hazards and the distance travelled by the vehicle is greater to the stop point. Road conditions also contribute to longer stopping distances even at low speeds. At 40 kilometres per hour on a wet road it will take four extra metres of breaking for a vehicle to come to a stop.
Advice for drivers and passengers:
- Follow speed advisory signs. This will help ensure you drive through that section of road safely. Regularly check your speed so you are travelling within the limit.
- Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front (usually a three second gap).
- When travelling at higher speeds, increase the distance to allow at least five seconds so you have enough time to react and brake.
- In poor conditions (such as wet weather) drive slower and leave a larger gap between you and the vehicle in front.
- Ensure plenty of travel time, including time for rest breaks, so you don’t feel the need to speed.
- If you’re a passenger, speak up if you think the driver is going too fast.
New light vehicle average speed camera trial
Regional motorists are also advised that the NSW government will be trialling light vehicle average speed cameras in two prominent locations from May.
The cameras will be placed in warning mode for light vehicles on the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes, and the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai.
These two stretches of major highways have been chosen based on several factors, including known crash history. There was a combined total of six fatalities and 33 serious injuries between 2018 and 2022 at these locations.
In NSW, average speed cameras only enforce speeding offences for heavy vehicles however, data (2018-22) shows that almost 80 per cent of all fatalities and serious injuries across all existing 31 average speed camera lengths (such as south of Gilgandra on the Newell Highway) did not involve a heavy vehicle.
The camera trial will have a two-month warning letter period for light vehicle drivers caught speeding on both lengths of road before it is switched to full enforcement mode from July 1, 2025.
Minister for roads, John Graham said that speed remains the biggest killer on the road, contributing to 41 per cent of all fatalities over the past decade. “Studies from around the world show that using average speed enforcement cameras for all vehicles reduces the road toll, and road trauma,” said minister Graham.
Regional roads minister, Jenny Aitc-hison, said regional NSW is overrepresented in the state’s road toll. “Regional NSW is home to a third of the population but is where two-thirds of all road deaths happen. “With the majority of road trauma occurring in our regions we have chosen two regional locations to test the impact these cameras could have on road safety for all road users,” she said.
The Road Transport Act 2013 (the Act) was amended in October 2024 so that average speed cameras can enforce speeding by all vehicle types.
The highway trial will run for 14 months with two months in warning mode and 12 months in enforcement.
The government will report back to parliament the outcomes of the trial in 2026.
