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NEWS: Radar detector, police speeding
fine and laser jammer news 2006.
Speeders
Targeted
 Courier Mail QLD. By
Edmund Burke November 04, 2006 11:00pm
QUEENSLAND'S first
fixed speed cameras will be installed on the Story
Bridge by the end of next year, The Sunday Mail can
reveal.
The Gateway Motorway and sections of the Bruce Highway
will also be among the first camera sites.
State Transport Minister Paul Lucas made the
announcement after reviewing the results of a Sunday
Mail investigation which found motorists defying speed
limits at notorious Brisbane black spots last week.
A specially commissioned speed gun clocked one motorist
doing 92km/h on the 60km/h Story Bridge on Friday
morning.
The bridge was the scene of a major crash in May when 11
people were hospitalised after an eight-car pile-up.
Motorists were caught doing more than 80km/h in a 50km/h
zone at the scene of a fatal accident on a suburban road
at Algester.
On Ashgrove Ave at Ashgrove, the tests found drivers
routinely breaking the speed limit by 15km/h.
Mr Lucas said he was shocked by the findings.
"The detection of people speeding by The Sunday Mail
clearly shows that some people just don't get the
message," he said.
"A location like the Story Bridge is a particularly
dangerous place to be doing those kind of speeds and we
have had serious accidents there in the past.
"I am going on the record now and saying that we want to
start rolling fixed cameras out at these locations by
the end of next year."
Mr Lucas said he believed motorists would support the
introduction of the cameras.
"Speed is responsible for 20 per cent of our road
accidents," he said.
Signs will be installed warning motorists they are
entering camera zones.
Mr Lucas said the introduction of fixed cameras might
increase the number of fines but said the extra revenue
would go into improving roads.
Police figures released last week showed 203,202 mobile
speed camera notices were issued by Queensland Police in
2005-06.
Police Minister Judy Spence said that in September,
speeding offences rose 23 per cent compared to the same
period last year.
"Sadly, the most alarming statistic during this period
was our road toll," she said.
"Already this year 271 people have been killed on our
roads."
There was only so much the police could do, she said.
"Drivers must start taking responsibility for their own
actions."
$20m fall in speed
fines
By Kelvin Bissett, The Daily Telegraph
September 18, 2006 12:00am
MOTORISTS have turned the tables on the hated fixed
speed cameras, slashing their fines revenue by more than
$20 million in just one year.
After years of setting records for fines, fixed cameras
had their revenue crash in 2005-06 to $33.4 million – a
huge cut on $54.1 million the previous year.
The sudden fall is partly due to a decision by Treasurer
Michael Costa, when roads minister, to reduce the least
serious speeding fine from $130 to $77.
But it is not the only explanation, as the total number
of fines issued has also fallen by 12 per cent, leading
the NRMA to suggest the effectiveness of the fixed
cameras was on the wane.
NRMA head Tony Stuart said drivers are now getting smart
about the locations of the cameras and it was time to
shift the resources to highway patrol police to keep the
road toll down.
"There are limits to fixed speed cameras because
motorists adjust their driving habits when approaching
them," Mr Stuart said.
"That is why the NRMA believes the Government needs to
give police more resources for Highway Patrol."
He said the cameras, with their delayed fines through
the mail, were no substitute for a police officer
pulling over a speeding driver.
Figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph under Freedom of
Information showed the number of motorists caught
speeding fell from 403,047 to 350,524.
Mr Costa reduced the fine for speeding up to 15km/h
above the limit to $75 in April 2005, while also adding
an extra demerit point for the offence, to address
concerns about revenue raising.
Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal said he had no problem
with the fall in revenue from the cameras "if that means
people are slowing down and getting the message that
speed kills".
He said an independent report last year found speed
cameras dramatically improved road safety.
"There was a 90 per cent reduction in fatal crashes at
speed camera locations and 20 per cent reduction injury
crashes," Mr Roozendaal said.
An analysis of the year-on-year fines issued at each of
the 114 camera sites shows big falls at many locations,
including at 40km/h school zone sites.
However, a new camera located on the west-bound lanes of
the Cross City Tunnel was a success, issuing 9083
motorists with fines worth $1,160,675.
Suits "loom" after
speed camera ruling
By Amy Fallon
The Herald Sun.
March 22, 2006 08:11pm
THE New South Wales Government may have to repay
millions of dollars to motorists who were fined after
being caught by speed cameras, following a ruling in a
Sydney court today.
The NSW Supreme Court threw out an appeal by the Roads
and Traffic Authority against a magistrate's decision in
favour of a man who claimed there was a technical fault
in a speed camera photo of his vehicle.
The man succeeded in having the traffic conviction
thrown out when he challenged the speeding charge in
Hornsby Local Court last August.
Magistrate Lawrence Lawson dismissed the charge after
the RTA could not provide an expert witness to prove the
speed camera image was not doctored.
The man's lawyer, Dennis Miralis, told Macquarie Radio's
Phillip Clark that the rejection of the RTA's appeal had
opened the way for a class action by thousands of
motorists demanding their money back.
Mr Miralis said his client was alleged to have been
doing 81km/h in a 60km/h zone on Parramatta Road at
Auburn and fined $75.
In court, the RTA handed up a photo which showed his
client's vehicle, the speed limit and the speed at which
he was allegedly travelling.
The RTA relied on that photo to get a conviction, but Mr
Miralis argued the photo was not evidence of what had
actually happened, because the security indicator that
was supposed to be on the camera was not shown on the
photo.
The magistrate agreed, and the RTA then appealed the
decision in the NSW Supreme Court.
Today, the Supreme Court found the photo was unreliable
and could not be accepted as major evidence.
Mr Miralis said the decision was a "very significant win
for all motorists".
He said it may mean that any motorist who had been fined
and convicted on the basis of a photograph similar to
his client's could have their conviction overturned.
"I think it does mean that," he told Macquarie Radio.
"The RTA was today shown in the Supreme Court not to be
complying with the law themselves."
RTA lawyers had told the magistrates court they could
not find an expert to prove the authenticity of
mathematical algorithms published on each picture,
despite being given eight weeks to compile their case.
The algorithms, known as MD5, are used as a security
measure to prove the pictures have not been altered
after they are taken.
Mr Miralis said today the RTA, which has already
admitted that the camera software is flawed, was still
admitting that photos did not have the correct code on
them.
Lawyers now want to know if the camera software has
existed since it was introduced in 1999, Channel 7
reported tonight.
NSW Premier Morris Iemma said the Government was not
"jumping to any conclusions" over the matter.
"We're going to go through the judgment, study it very
carefully," Mr Iemma said.
But Opposition Leader Peter Debnam said the Government
had known about the problem years ago.
"They simply didn't do their homework and fix the
problem and now it could literally cost millions of
dollars," he said.
Seven said the worst case scenario was that the cameras,
worth approximately $150 million a year in revenue to
the Government, may lead to the repayment of up to $1
billion in fines.
Police defend accuracy of speed camera
From The West Australian
By Gareth Parker
May10, 2006
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner John McRoberts leapt
to the defence of Multanova speed cameras in the
strongest possible terms yesterday, saying he had
“absolute confidence” in the accuracy of the devices.
Mr McRoberts rejected strongly claims that Multanovas or
hand-held laser speed detectors were susceptible to
“ghost readings” – widely inaccurate speed readings
caused by rain, winde or other environmental factors.
He was responding to claims by South Australian
crash-tester Grad Zivkovic that up to 15 per cent of
radar readings could be inaccurate.
Mr Zivkovic, an experienced automotive engineer, began
investigating the accuracy of speed cameras about five
years ago after discovering his own radar gun
occasionally threw up radically inaccurate results.
Mr McRoberts said the manufacturer of Mr Zivkovic’s
Stalker Pro radar gun recommended it only be used for
sporting purposes, like measuring the speed of baseballs
or tennis balls, and not law enforcement.
Mr McRoberts said WA Police’s Multanovas were calibrated
and maintained on a weekly basis by accredited
technicians and operated by trained staff.
Operators performed checked over and above those
recommended in the Multanovas operating manual by
checking speed readings with a handheld laser speed
detector.
If the two devices were more than 1kmh different, the
Multanova was withdrawn immediately from service and
sent back to the laboratory for testing, Mr McRoberts
said.
“We have the most robust operating procedures for this
equipment for one reason – to give the motoring public
absolute and unequivocal confidence that our equipment
is fit for purpose,” he said.
Mr McRoberts admitted Multanovas could be inaccurate in
heavy rain or a dust storm, as claimed by Mr Zivkovic,
but operators were told to suspend the operation of
speed cameras in those conditions.
“This is a recognised and documented part of our
training procedures,” Mr McRoberts said. “And let’s face
it, how often in the metropolitan area, which is where
we predominantly use speed cameras, do we get that very
heavy rain or a severe dust storm?”
There was no mention of ghost readings in the Multanova
manual.
Police still refuse to release the manual, quoting a
contract with the German manufacturer that cites
commercial confidentially.
Doubt cast on speed
readings
From The West
Australian
By Gareth Parker
May 09, 2006
Up to one in eight speed camera readings could be
inaccurate because of weather conditions such as rain or
wind, a leading automotive engineer claimed yesterday.
South Australian-based Grad Zivkovic said radar and
laser technology used by WA police were susceptible to
“ghost readings”, which could affect accuracy by up to
30 per cent. Police have rejected the claims.
He told Today Tonight, in a program to be broadcast on
Channel 7 at 6.30 tonight, that speed camera user
manuals warned about the possibility of ghost readings.
But Australian police departments, including WA’s,
refuse to release their manuals to the public, citing
commercial confidentiality clauses in contracts with
manufacturers.
Mr Zivkovic, who conducts crash testing for car
manufacturers, said car companies refused to accept that
readings from radar or laser speed cameras were accurate
for the purposes of crash testing and they would not
reply on them.
His doubts about the accuracy of speed cameras surfaced
when he bought a Stalker II hand-held radar, which uses
technology similar to WA police speed cameras, as a
back-up system for his crash testing.
During testing, he crashes cars at 48kmh, measured by at
least two independent photographic systems. He was
stunned when the radar occasionally threw up readings as
high as 150kmh.
“I was under the impression they were very accurate and
they very rarely made mistakes, Mr Zivkovic said.
“Since I got mine and used it for four or five years I
discovered about 10 to 15 per cent of readings are
inaccurate.”
He said extreme weather could cause inaccuracies. Water
splashing from wet roads, tree branches blowing in the
wind and dust could all interfere with a radar or laser
beam, affecting reliability. Readings could also be
affected if radar or laser beams bounced off metal
objects like garage doors, road signs or other passing
vehicles.
In one South Australian case, a motorist received a
traffic infringement notice alleging his parked car was
travelling at 65kmh.
Police spokesman Sgt Graham Clifford immediately
rejected Mr Zivkovic’s findings.
“He is entitled to his opinion, but our cameras are
tested over and over again,” he said. “Our people want
to get on and make the road safe.”
The WA Police policy manual, released to The West
Australian warns “heavy rain and blowing dust can cause
a scattering effect which may reduce the effective range
of radar devices”.
The accuracy of
Multanova Speed Camera is put to the test
From Australian Drivers
Rights Association
Press Release (Features on Today Tonight program)
May 08, 2006
ADRA’s Position:-
1. Enforcement of speeding is necessary in any road
safety program.
2. Direct visible policing and immediate intervention is
a much more effective deterrent than receiving a
speeding ticket in the mail.
3. Multanovas were recently scrapped in some North
American states. In Calgary this had the backing of the
Police Union and Association, in favour of putting more
cops on patrol.
4. WA’s current road safety strategy is based on
outdated research and policies devised in the 1990s.
They are skewed toward punitive measures that raise
revenue, rather than more effective and innovative road
safety strategies.
5. While our peak WA road safety body continues to
receive 100% of its funding from speeding fines, we will
continue to hear outdated statistics and rhetoric that
support policies aimed at raising more revenue.
6. Current authoritative research has blown away that
speeding myth. The greatest cause of fatalities and
accidents, is not speed …. But rather, Driver
inattention and driver misjudgement.
7. West Australian drivers are fed up and cynical about
our outdated road safety strategy, and call upon the
government to investigate new strategies to improve road
safety.
8. Poor driving, poor signage and poor roads should be
the focus, ……. not on making drivers poorer.
9. The latest announcement of the WA State Government to
double and triple fines and penalties is ill advised.
Similar measures taken in the Eastern States has so far
proven to be ineffective. Based on road fatalities
statistics for the 12 months to February 2006, NSW road
fatalities has increased 11%, Qld has increased 10% and
Vic has remained the same.
President, ADRA
Big increases in
speeding fines unwarranted hit on motorists
From The West
Australian
By Unknown
May 08, 2006
Responsible motorists have good reason to be outraged at
the State Government’s decision to double and treble
speeding fines in the name of improving road safety.
No one could quarrel with the objective of making our
roads safer for all who use them.
But it is questionable whether road safety is increased
by imposing draconian penalties on careful drivers who
exceed arbitrary speed limits by a few kilometres an
hour.
With the random and often irrational placement of road
signs indicated speed limits, it is often a challenge
for drivers to discover what limit applies to the
stretch of road on which they are travelling.
What is the rationale for increasing the fine from $50
to $75 for driving safely in the flow of traffic at
78kmh in a 70kmh zone which only recently had its limit
dropped from 80kmh?
The excessive increase in speeding fines is likely to
exacerbate the anger felt by many motorists at
Multanovas hidden on level roads in places calculated to
trap the maximum number of drivers.
From the steady flow of public criticism it is clear
that many motorists are sceptical at government claims
that speed traps are aimed at reducing speeds and not at
raising revenue.
If Community Safety Minister John D’Orazio was serious
about using Multanovas to increase road safety he would
insist that they were places at dangerous black spot
areas, clearly sign-posted to slow the traffic down.
Raising fines from $350 to $1000 for offenders who
exceed the speed limit by 40kmh may be intended to catch
irresponsible drivers who race at 1210kmh on suburban
streets – but only too often such drivers are young
people with few assets who have no hope of paying such
heavy fines.
Enforcing these high penalties could be difficult, even
impossible.
Even responsible motorists could be hit by $1000 fines
if they fail to notice the increasing number of 40kmh
signs which litter the kerbside where roads are being
upgraded or repaired.
With so much roadwork taking place, particularly between
Perth and Mandurah, it is often hard to keep up with the
changing speed limits. When a 100kmh road changes
repeatedly to 40kmh or 60kmh, and there is not a workman
in sight, drivers can easily get to 40kmh over the limit
without realising it.
With such high penalties at stake the traffic
authorities should make it a priority to ensure that
temporary 40kmh signs are removed when workmen are not
actively engaged at a site.
Rather than alienating the great majority of responsible
drivers with hidden Multanovas and heavy fines, Mr
D’Orazio would be better advised if he analysed the
cause of most traffic accidents and took appropriate
action.
There is a good case of raising the level of driving
skills required for getting a licence, or having a
second, more rigorous test to advance from probationary
status to a full driving licence.
Increasing the number of demerit points for traffic
infringements is an effective means of improving road
safety by keeping erring drivers off the roads without
the need for huge fines.
Truck drivers in particular will be heavily peanlised by
the latest measures. At a time when soaring fuel costs
make it a struggle for many to survive it is relevant to
ask if fines of up to $1250 are justified or necessary.
New road penalties to
rake up $20m
From The West
Australian
By Graham Mason
May 06, 2006
The State Government will rake in an extra $20 million a
year from tough new traffic fines it officially
announced yesterday.
As revealed in The West Australian yesterday, speeding
fines will rise across the board with the fine for
speeding more than 40kmh over the limit nearly trebling
from $350 to $1000.
Fines for drivers not wearing a seatbelt will increase
from $150 to $200 while drivers not keeping to the
left-hand lane will now lose two demerit points instead
of just receiving a $50 fine.
A Road Safety Council push for tougher penalties for
people driving while using a hand-held mobile phone was
rewarded with the demerit point penalty trebling from
one to three.
The council had also pushed for the fine for speeding up
to 9kmh over the limit to be increased from $150 to $100
with the loss of a demerit point but Police Minister
John D’Orazio said the fine would only be $75 and there
would still be no loss of demerit points.
“We’ve not added a demerit point to the 0-9 kmh category
because we think there are some times where people might
inadvertently speed,” he said.
The new fines and penalty structure, due to begin on
January 1, has been based on crash risk with those
offences more likely to result in collision being more
heavily punished.
Defending the fine rises, Mr D’Orazio said that the
Government would also increase the money it spend on
safety.
“I anticipate we will spend far more on road safety but
I can’t outline those because you will see them in the
Budget,” he said.
The Government has also introduced higher speeding fines
for drivers of heavy vehicles weighing more than 22.5
tonnes.
This would see drivers of heavy vehicles fined $150 for
speeding between 0-9 kmh over the limit.
Truck drivers more than 40kmh over the limit would be
fined $1250.
Transport Workers Union boss Jim McGiveron said he was
disappointed that heavy haulage drivers were being
treated differently.
“All people should be treated the same by the law
regardless of what configuration of vehicle you drive,
the penalty should be the same,” he said.
Road Safety Council director of policy and strategy Jon
Gibson said there was evidence that a mix of increased
fines and demerit points and community education would
deter people from speeding.
“We are very happy in terms of the increased in the
penalties” he said.
“This is not about raising additional revenue, this is
about trying to change people’s behaviour, it’s about
penalising those people who break the law.”
RAC spokesman David Moir said the new penalties were
fair and he supported no demerit penalty for drivers
only speeding up to 9kmh over the limit.
Speeding fines to
treble, extra demerits in traffic shakeup
From The West
Australian
By Graham Mason
May 05, 2006
Some speeding fines are to treble and drivers guilty of
other offences will be hit with increased demerit points
in a shake-up of traffic penalties to be announced by
the State Government as early as this weekend.
The West Australian understands the penalty for
travelling more than 40kmh over the limit will leap from
$350 to more than $1000, bringing it in line with tough
penalties in the Eastern States. The penalty for
speeding up to 9kmh over the limit will double from $50
to $100.
Fines for using a mobile phone without an approved
hands-free kit will jump from $100 to $300 with demerit
points trebling to three.
Other lesser traffic offences will be downgraded after
the Road Safety Council recommended that fines and
penalties be based on the collision risk factor
associated with each particular offence. The West
Australian understands penalties for some pedestrian
offences, such as crossing a road within the vicinity of
a red light, will fall.
Council chief Grant Dorrington said yesterday penalties
associated with incidents that could lead to death on
the roads should be higher.
Police Minister John D’Orazio refused to detail
increases in penalties or demerit points.
But in his strongest hint that fines are due to rise, he
said there had been no substantial increase in traffic
fines since 1997.
“The Office of Road Safety commissioned a review in
2004,” he said yesterday. “That report has concluded and
I’ll make some announcements at the appropriate time of
what those outcomes will be.”
The report was presented to Mr D’Orazio two months ago.
It has not been released publicly.
Senior traffic police have been frustrated for years
that speeding penalties in WA are outdated and not a big
enough deterrent.
Opposition road safety spokesman John McGrath said Mr
D’Orazio’s comments were inappropriate when there had
been 64 deaths on WA roads this year, more than in the
same period in the previous two years.
“The Police Minister has been totally negligent in his
duty in sitting on the report when we have had too many
deaths on WA roads in the first four months this year,”
he said.
In short
From The West
Australian
By John Falconer, Mt Claremont
April 5, 2006
In September 2002 it was alleged my speed was 72kmh and
I received a fine for $100 and one demerit point.
This is my one and only traffic conviction in 50 years
of driving.
At the time I considered it impossible to have done that
speed, but being a former police superintendent, I knew
I could never prove it. I reluctantly trusted that the
Multanova and police system were correct.
But after reading the report (Opposition guns for
multanovas, ¾) I know that I was innocent.
I remember that occasion as if it were yesterday.
I had just crossed the traffic lights in Selby Street
junction with Cambridge Street and soon after changed
lanes (as I always do at this point) in order to take a
right turn at Underwood Avenue.
If I had known then about the possibility of a false
figure I would have appealed.
Give drivers 10kmh grace for Multanovas
From The West Australian
By Robert Taylor (State Politics Editor)
April 4, 2006
Drivers should be given up to 10kmh grace because of
accuracy problems with police speed cameras, a former
CSIRO scientist and WA Liberal MP Dennis Jensen said
yesterday.
Joining the attack on Multanovas, Dr Jensen said the
cameras had a minimal effect on cameras had a minimal
effect on reducing accidents put a big impact on
government coffers.
The Tangney MHR’s comments come on top of claims by
international radar expert Stuart Nixon that WA
motorists were being fined and losing their licences
because of errors in Multanova readings.
Mr Nixon claimed that cameras could be out by as much as
15kmh if speeds were measured while drivers changed
lanes.
Dr Jensen, who is seeking a publisher for a book he has
written on road safety, said a range of factors
contributed to the inaccuracy of speed cameras.
Apart from problems with the cameras, drivers also had
to contend with Australian design regulations which
allowed new motor vehicle speedometers to be 10 per cent
inaccurate.
He said variations in the rolling circumference of tyres
that were nominally the same size could also provide
inaccurate speedometer readings. But Dr Jensen said his
most damning finding on speed cameras was that their
impact on road trauma rates was minimal while they
continued to collect millions of dollars a year for the
State Government.
“They’re being used as revenue raisers. They should only
be used in areas with a clear crash history and in such
a way that you’re not detecting everyman but those who
actually are a danger on the roads,” Dr Jensen said.
He said the biggest contributing factor in OECD
countries to the declining road toll as a percentage of
population was improved vehicle design.
“A Monash University study on crash worthiness of
vehicles indicated that 70 per cent of the reduction can
be explained purely in terms of the crash worthiness of
cars. And obviously cars have improved, they handle
better, they brake better,” he said.
“Enforcement has a place put enforcement has been
nowhere near the major contributor that government would
indicate.”
Dr Jensen said the Australian standard tolerance for
speed cameras was 3kmh or 3 per cent, whichever was
higher, but WA Police operated on 1kmh up to 150kmh. “If
they set up the camera not perfectly parallel with the
road there’s potential errors there that has never been
codified by the police,” he said.
“There’s another potential error if the road has
curvature and then there’s the matter of changing lanes
or the car not travelling exactly parallel to the lane
which can happen in high wind.”
But despite the mounting scientific evidence against the
cameras, Premier Alan Carpenter stood by them yesterday.
“I support the use of Multanovas as a road safety tool,”
he said.
Opposition guns for
Multanovas
From The West Australian
By Ronan O'Connell
April 3, 2006
The Opposition has called for changes to speed camera
use after police admitted that Multanovas can return
false figures when measuring the speed of a car changing
lanes. Opposition road safety spokesman John McGrath
said it was unacceptable for Multanovas to return false
readings.
Police admitted on Friday that readings taken from cars
which were changing lanes could be wrong.
The admission came in the wake of claims by
world-renowned radar expert Stuart Nixon that research
he had done found Multanovas could be out by up to 15kmh
in such circumstances.
“Multanovas and speeding is such a big issue in the
community that the system has to be fail-safe,” Mr
McGrath said. “If there is any discrepancy in the
readings of Multanovas then there must be immediate
changes made to rectify that situation.”
Police Minister John D’Orazio said the best way to avoid
a Multanova infringement was to drive within the speed
limit. “I am confident that WA Police are operating the
Multanova cameras properly and fairly but there are
appeal processes available to people who feel they have
been incorrectly infringed,” he said.
Road Safety Council chairman Grant Dorrington also
supported the use of Multanovas. “Multanovas produce
correct readings 99 per cent of the time and are a
crucial way of keeping the roads safe,” he said. “This
research has not brought up anything police did not
already know and I don’t think there is any reason for
the accuracy of Multanovas to be brought into question.”
The officer in charge of the camera section, Sen. Sgt
Carl Fisher, admitted that Multanovas could return false
readings of cars that were changing lanes but said the
inaccuracy would be negligible. He said Multanovas
usually cancelled such readings and that mistakes were
also sometimes identified by officers viewing footage of
supposed speeding offences.
More police on the
roads
By Kim McFarland,
Bayswater
Iain Cameron is now
touting for 30kmh residential speed zones and 90kmh
limits in the country, citing the laws of physics back
his argument that a crash at a lower speed reduces the
likelihood of serious injury.
Mr Cameron, I concur with this impressive observation.
However, before you rush too blindly into championing
this cause, and considering your interest in the laws of
physics, I thought I’d present a few other scientific
observations.
A speed camera placed on a straight section of freeway
cannot detect speeding motorists at a traffic black spot
10km away, even if it makes more money on the freeway;
every increase by 5kmh does not double the chance of an
accident; motorists with their eyes constantly on the
speedo due to a police commissioner suggesting we fine
motorists for doing 1kmh over the limit cannot observe
their surroundings effectively; the many motorists I see
driving home in the dark with their lights off cannot be
detected by police officers who are not on the road;
motorists I see regularly doing 60-70kmh in existing
50kmh zones are significant risk to community safety,
yet also cannot be detected by police officers behind
their desks.
My point is that the big-stick approach our State seems
to favour is possibly less effective than effectively
policing the laws that already exist. While we have
speed-camera committees that don’t actually discuss
speed-camera placement and a police forced more
interested in saving fringe benefits tax by preventing
officers from taking vehicles to and from work (just to
name two examples) you would have to be a fool to draw a
conclusion on how effective our current road laws are.
Let’s debate and shake up the whole dysfunctional
self-serving approach of the various government bodies
before further restricting law-abiding citizens.
It won't work
By Peter Woodward,
Subiaco
Again we are advised
that the Road Safety Committee is advocating the
lowering of speed limits in urban and rural areas.
As a retired road and traffic engineer with many years
experience in WA, I cannot accept that this proposal,
with a 90kmh limit in rural areas, would lower accident
rates.
Try driving at 30kmh next time you go out – you will not
get out of second gear. How would it be enforced?
Multanovas on every corner? Perhaps a good revenue
raiser but not a good idea.
The proposal for 90kmh in rural areas is even more
ridiculous. WA is a huge State with more than 100,000
kilometres of local government roads in rural areas in
addition to more than 20,000 kilometres of State
highways and major roads. Many rural roads have little
traffic and do not warrant policing. Major roads would
require extensive enforcement and travel times would be
increased by about 20 per cent.
The introduction of speed limits which are totally
unenforceable will not improve road safety.
Get serious
By P. Szalay, Duncraig
Iain Cameron’s “vision”
for 30kmh residential speed limit needs to be put into
perspective. The existing 50kmh residential speed limit
is not policed effectively because as much as it might
be denided, speed cameras appear to be placed in
high-traffic, low-people areas (main roads) where more
revenue can be earned. Like many suburban streets
(complete with children), mine has not had a speed trap
in years.
Following a series of crashes some years ago, the
residents petitioned the local council for a speed hump.
The final response was “not justified because only 20
per cent of the vehicles using the road were exceeding
the speed limit by 20 per cent or more”. So in a then
60kmh zone, 20 per cent of the vehicles were travelling
at 72kmh plus. Now we have a 50kmh limit and nothing ahs
changed – the majority of drivers just ignore it.
How is Mr Cameron going to police a 30kmh limit? His
“vision” doesn’t seem to address this. Does he think it
will just happen because he says so- or the road signs
say so? Seems a bit like King Canute and the incoming
tide. Get serious about existing speed limits on
residential roads first.
Ridiculous
By Marta Cormio,
Landsdale
Horse and carriage here
we come. The idea of reducing the speed limit to 30kmh
in residential areas is just ridiculous. I am a mother
and obviously I care for the safety of my child, but no
matter how low we put the speed limit there will always
be those people (especially the P-platers) who ignore
speed limits.
I often see young drivers in their V8 vehicles speeding
on the roads because they like the power of their car
and like to show off their driving skills to their
mates.
A wiser choice would be to ban young drivers from owning
such powerful caras until they reach a level of
maturity. If the speed-limit reduction goes ahead we
might as well start riding in a horse and carriage.
Expert opinion
By Frank Rundel,
Mindarie
A 30kmh speed limit in
residential areas – what a wonderful ideas. Why not drop
it to a 2kmh and save even more lives – or take it to
its logical conclusion and ban cars altogether and save
all the lives.
What these “experts” fail to realise is that imposing
ridiculous restrictions will lead only to still more
hooning as an expression of frustration by the small
portion of irresponsible motorists who cause the
majority of accidents.
If I suggest we ban all swimming to prevent drownings
and shark attacks, can I also please qualify as an
“expert”?
Red flags
By Peter Daniel, Butler
Grant Dorrington and
his team will certainly cut down accidents. If each year
they bring speed limits down by 10 or 20 per cent, we
eventually will be able to have a person walking in
front of all vehicles carrying a red flag. We should
then save people from dying and also save our police
force from having to get the hoons off the road.
More expensive
By Brian Alderdice,
Melville
The latest call to
reduce the speed limit to 30kmh has made no mention of
the cost to the driver. The modern car is not designed
to travel at 30kmh because at that speed it would be
able to do so only in a low gear. This would result in a
considerable increase in the amount of fuel used at a
time when petrol prices have never been higher. Will
travelling at this slower speed also increase the cost
of maintenance?
Extract from the West Australian.
The head of the State Government's road safety watchdog
says the speed limit on any WA roads where there is the
chance of a car hitting a pedestrian should drop to
30kmh.
“Our speed limits in Australia are comparatively very
high compared with Europe and the US,” Office of Road
Safety executive director Iain Cameron said.
Yesterday, Mr Cameron announced a package of radical
measures which he said WA should consider if it was
serious about reducing death or injury on the roads.
It includes a 30kmh speed limit on quiet residential
roads or any road where there was a chance a car could
hit a pedestrian.
“Above that speed a pedestrian is struggling to survive
if they are hit,” Mr Cameron said.
Limits for major distributor roads and roads where there
was the chance one car could hit another side-on could
be 50kmh.
Fringe single-lane roads on the outskirts of cities
where cars could collide head-on could have a 70kmh
limit and for single-lane roads outside cities which
were not dual carriageways or divided by median strips,
the limit could be 90kmh.
“It is a question of how bold we want to be,” Mr Cameron
said. “People make mistakes on the road. We need to put
a road environment in place which is more forgiving of
driver error.”
Mr Cameron recently returned from studying traffic
conditions in Europe.
Many young drivers use
the phone, plant the foot: Survey
From The West
Australian
By Unknown
February 28, 2006
Almost half of young drivers regularly speak on mobile
phones and send text messages while behind the wheel,
and about a quarter have driven at more than 140kmh, a
survey shows.
The annual Safe Drive Young Driver survey, conducted by
Brisbane company Safe Drive Training, asked more than
3000 young drivers aged 17 to 20 about their driving
experiences and their attitudes.
The survey uncovered alarming figures.
Forty-four per cent of respondents admitted they
regularly used mobile phones, for voice and SMS, while
driving.
Twenty-six per cent admitted driving at speed of more
than 140kmh, despite most being P-platers, and 64 per
cent said they had been a passenger in a car that had
exceeded 140kmh.
Sixty per cent said they had perpetrated or been witness
to a road rage incident and 4 per cent admitted driving
under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Managing director and chief instructor for Safe Driving
Training, Joel Neilsen, said the survey highlighted the
need to train better novice drivers in skills and
attitudes.
School camera on cars
From The Sunday Times
By Joe Spagnolo
February 26, 2006
Speed cameras will be
mounted at school crossing throughout the state as part
of a radical new plan to protect children.
Police Minister John D’Orazio told The Sunday Times that
motorists were not heeding warnings about speeding in
school zones and he feared it was only a matter of time
before a child was killed.
The plan, which will go before State Cabinet in coming
weeks, would initially see about six cameras at the
state’s most dangerous school locations, but eventually
the scheme could be extended to other areas.
He said the proportion of drivers exceeding the speed
limit in school zones was nearly four times higher than
the WA average in other zones.
“The safety of our children is paramount and there is no
excuse for endangering children’s lives. If this measure
works and we save the life of just one child, then it’s
worth doing,” Mr D’Orazio said.
“Some of the things that have happened since the start
of the school year have been horrific in these school
zones and we need to send a clear message to the
community that will not be tolerated.
“These drivers are putting the lives of our children at
risk. The concept of having speed cameras at a
particular site will send a clear message that if you
are going to go through an area and break the speed
limit, you will be picked up and fined.”
Mr D’Orazio also wants to use the fines from speeding
motorists at schools to be spent on safety measures
around schools.
He estimates that six Multanovas placed at high-risk
schools would raise up to $17 million in the first year.
“Stopping speeding is the first priority, but I would
also like to see all revenue raised from cameras in
school zones used to fund safety measure around
schools,” he said.
“This could help fund the increasing demand for traffic
wardens and also provide funding for other road-safety
projects such as pelican crossings around schools.”
In the first three days of the 2006 school year, 1529
motorists were caught speeding in school zones. The
worst case was a 27-year-old man driving at 132km/h.
“Based on these figures, with 8 percent of traffic
likely to be exceeding the speed limit in the first
year, six Multanovas placed at six schools would raise
up to $17 million in the first year,” he said.
Car loss plan for
repeat drink-drivers
From The West
Australian
By Ben Spencer
February 22, 2006
Repeat drink-drivers could have their vehicle
immobilised in the driveway of their home or lose their
car altogether under a radical plan to be put to the
State Government.
The Office of Road Safety is working with government
agencies to bring amendments to the Road Traffic Act
into State Parliament by September, with a view to
having the laws in place by the middle of next year.
The changes would include giving police the discretion
to confiscate a driver’s keys for up to 24 hours when
they believe that person is at risk of driving while
intoxicated.
An alcohol ignition lock scheme, in which a
breath-testing device is fitted in a car owned by repeat
drink-drivers at the order of a magistrate, is also
expected to be included in the laws.
But Office of Road Safety head Iain Cameron said the
changes would be extended to enable a magistrate to
impound or immobilise an offender’s vehicle. The latter
is the favoured option.
Details of how a car would be immobilised were still
being worked through but Mr Cameron said there were
effective strategies to immobilise a drink driver’s
vehicle in their garage.
It comes after Queensland Premier Peter Beattie
announced a “three strikes and you’re out” plan at the
weekend under which offenders lose their vehicle
permanently for a third drink-driving offence.
“If we immobilise their car they can look at it, they
can wash it and they can keep responsibility for it and
pay the bills on it but they can’t drive it,” Mr Cameron
said.
“There are various flash mechanisms that enable you to
do that.
“To keep responsibility for the vehicle with the person
and not load the burden on to the police or other costs
on Government we think is the better option.”
Police Minister John D’Orazio said he would listen to
any measures that would cut the road toll, including
those put forward at a two-day road safety summit in
Queensland ending today, and that would include the
confiscation of vehicles.
“Anything that targets a reduction in the road toll is
something I would need to look at,” he said.
Mr Cameron said the alcohol interlock machines would be
the first option for dealing with repeat drink-drivers
but said they were not always adequate in preventing
intoxicated people getting behind the wheel.
Road Safety Council chairman Grant Dorrington called on
Mr D’Orazio to introduce the changes into Parliament as
soon as they had been finalised.
RAC wants to know just
what's driving us to distraction
From The West
Australian
By Jamie Fitzgerald
February 18, 2006
Applying make-up,
brushing hair, gazing at scantily clad females on
billboards and drinking hot coffee from drive-through
beverage outlets are some of the modern distractions
reported by motorists responding to an RAC survey on
driver concentration – and these are just the ones
people have owned up to.
The RAC has called on drivers to create a snapshot of
distractions facing drivers. Rather than making our
lives more streamlined and less complicated, technology
is among the chief of concentration reported.
It may be illegal for television screens playing DVDs to
be in view of the driver of the vehicle they are fitted
in, but one motorist reported almost crashing because he
was busy watching the screen in the car in front.
RAC membership general manager Mark white said the
results of the survey could help shape the body’s
policies on road safety in the future. “It is ironic
that things like signage and car technology like alarms
and alerts, though they have significant safety
benefits, can also contribute to the problem by being
distractions,” he said.
Mobile telephones, flashing neon signs and scanning the
roadside for speed cameras were among other reported
distractions.
Letter of the month
WINNER!
From Motor Magazine
By Jamie Fitzgerald
February 14, 2006
I returned recently from a short stay in Europe, where
you can travel on a motorway at a comfortable 180km/h
and not see one accident. I’ve just completed a road
trip back home and it was the most painful trip ever.
How do interstate truckies do this for a living? I spent
the whole time staring at my speedo and feeling paranoid
that I might have missed a speed limit change. I have
never seen so many speed cameras and mobile radars in
all my life. The worst part of the trip was from Harvey
Bay in Queensland to Port Macquarie in NSW. The road was
heavily pot-holed and there was a change in the posted
speed limit every 400m. It was completely ridiculous!
What made matters worse was all the idiots doing 80km/h
in a 400km/h zones, then speeding up to 105km/h when
they get to an overtaking lane. Often right next to a
speed camera.
I soon found drivers took to overtaking in
less-than-perfect spots, so they would not get booked.
These people were not speedsters, they just wanted to do
the speed limit. The government has got it all wrong –
they are actually encouraging reckless and dangerous
driving.
Not once did I feel stressed in Europe driving at
180km/h to 200km/h but here you are exhausted from just
trying to do 40km/h to 110km/h.
Cairns, QLD
Our editor’s just returned from a month’s driving in
Europe and knows exactly what you mean. That said,
driving in Europe, especially the cities of Italy, is
not always a walk in the park. Compared to Australia,
Italy is such a small country with a dense population
but they’re generally better open road drivers than us
and we’re better (just) at the city stuff.
Near-tragedy spurs
school traffic pleas
From The West
Australian
By Regina Titelius
January , 2006
Parents and teachers at Kelmscott Primary School want
the State Government to act immediately to ensure the
safety of children near their school after a boy was
knocked off his bicycle by a speeding motorist at an
intersection.
The call comes as the Government considers permanent
speed cameras for various school zones to catch speeding
drivers.
Under the plan, which will go before Cabinet within
weeks, six Multanovas would be installed in school zones
but not nearby streets or intersections.
Eleven-year-old Matthew Francis suffered a broken leg,
arm and nose when he was hit by a car as he was crossing
the intersection of Brookton Highway and Lefrow Road
last Wednesday.
Matthew was discharged from hospital at the weekend but
will be in a wheelchair for six weeks. It will be many
more weeks before he can get back on his bicycle.
Parents and teachers at the school say it was “an
accident waiting to happen” and have been lobbying the
Government and Armadale City Council for more than 10
years to make the intersection safer.
They want the speed limit cut from 70kmh to 50kmh and
the installation of a pedestrian island and a crossing
with lights. Kelmscott Primary School Parents and
Children Association president Sally Woollcott said
local and State governments had to do more about traffic
management.
“As a school community we’re trying to encourage parents
not to drive their kids to school,” Mrs Woollcott said.
“But how can we do that when, as a society, we seem to
be more interested in making things easier for drivers
rather than save our kids lives?”
Matthew has flashbacks of the crash and said he felt
lucky to be alive but would never ride to school again.
“Something needs to be done about that intersection and
my accident proves that,” he said.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan
is due to meet parents from the school today.
During a police blitz at the start of the school year,
1529 motorists were caught speeding in WA school zones –
the worst case was a 27-year-old doing 131kmh.
WA Road Safety Council chairman Grant Dorrington
welcomed the speed camera plan but said it was a “sad
indictment on our society” if cameras were needed as an
incentive to save children’s lives.
Shadow road safety minister John McGrath said that
instead of extra speed cameras – the six planned are set
to raise $17 million a year – more warning systems like
flashing lights should be used.
And they call this a
freeway?
From The West
Australian
By Gareth Parker
January 26, 2006
Inconsistent and
changing speed limits are frustrating drivers and
creating safety fears among rail workers.
Perth’s most important road system, the Kwinana and
Mitchell freeways, is in a shambles from resurfacing
works, the extension of Roe Highway and building the
Perth the Mandurah railway.
A slew of changing and inconsistent speed limits from
Powis Street in the north to Berrigan Driver in the
south has motorists confused and frustrated – and police
say the delays cause drivers to take risks.
During a trip on the freeways this week, The West
Australian counted 14 changes in the speed limit in the
25km between Powis Street and Berrigan Drive. In the
opposite direction, there were eight changes.
Virtually no one obeyed posted speed limits in the 60kmh
and 80kmh zones and the entire journey – which started
well outside peak hours at 2.30pm – took 52 minutes at
an average speed of about 60kmh.
Insp. Neil Royle, who heads the police traffic
enforcement group, called the freeways “a horror story”.
He had received regular complaints from works on the
rail project about motorists speeding through reduced
speed zones and putting their safety at risk.
Patrolmen often bore the brunt of confused motorists who
claimed not to know what the speed limit was when they
were pulled over and the confusion and long delays led
motorists to take silly risks.
The freeway chaos has hit motorists south of the river
hardest, with the Kwinana Freeway in various states of
disarray since 1998, when work began on installing a bus
lane on the Mt Henry Bridge. Since then they have had to
put up with disruptions from building dedicated bus
lanes, the Canning Bridge interchange, the duplication
of the Narrows Bridge, and now Roe Highway state 7 and
the railway.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan
said it was impossible to build a railway in the middle
of a freeway without disruptions but the end was in
sight.
“We’re a community, we’re all in this together,” she
said. “Quite frankly, I think it’s been handled pretty
well.”
She said most disruptive works associated with the
railway lines and Roe Highway stage 7 would be finished
by the end of March and speed limits would return to
normal.
But there would be more restrictions when work started
on new train stations at South Street, Leach Highway and
Canning Bridge, with work to continue until September or
October.
The Government had decided against uniform speed
restrictions for the entirety of works.
“If you’ve got a limit all the way along and people
can’t see obvious works happening, (they’ll) say ‘bugger
this’ and ignore it,” Ms MacTiernan said. She said the
railway would take traffic off the roads once it was
open.
Resurfacing the Mitchell Freeway last night cause big
southbound delays of up to 10km to Vincent Street after
access was reduced to one lane after 7 pm.
The routine work began a fortnight ago but holiday
traffic made congestion worse.
Road toll worst for 10
years
From The West
Australian
January 24, 2006
Motorists have recorded the worst road toll start to a
year in a decade – which police attribute to driver
behavior.
Since January 1, 18 people have died on WA roads, 12 of
them in the country. It is the highest toll since 1996.
The horror start follows the lowest road toll for a year
since records were first taken in 1961. Last year, 164
people died on WA roads.
Assistant Commissioner John McRoberts said seven people
who had died in crashes this year had been ejected from
the cars, suggesting that they were not wearing
seatbelts.
Another three deaths were of pedestrians.
“The feact is we’re at 18… which is almost at one a day,
“ he said. “It’s fair to say we got off to a terrible
start this year.
“People are responsible for these crashes, people need
to take responsibility for the way they use motor
vehicles.”
Please explain
From The West
Australian
By Vivienne Prandi
January 18, 2006
Does Grant Dorrington (Stop killing yourself plea to
bush drivers, 9/1) really know why young adults in the
country are over-represented in road crash statistics?
We in the country have a pretty fair idea, especially
when it comes to the lack of initial driver training.
Teenagers in small country towns have no access to
driver training and learn from parents or other adult
drivers. They don’t get the type of driver education
that city dwellers take for granted.
Three years ago our Safer Kojonup committee initiated an
advanced driver training course for our youth. It has
been very successful, with none of the participants
being involved in accidents subsequently. They have been
instructed on the effects of speeding, alcohol
consumption, the use of seatbelts, how to avoid
accidents and driving for the prevailing road
conditions.
Last year, our committee attempted to obtain a grant
from Roadwise under the Community Road Grants Program
which states that the aim of these grants is “to prevent
road crashes causing serious injury and death”. Mr
Dorrington, the grant application was rejected on the
ground that such driver training and education did not
meet the criteria.
Luckily, with the support of the local Rotary Club,
shire council and many dedicated volunteers, Safer
Kojonup was able to run the course.
If educating our country drivers to become responsible
road users is not a priority for funding, then please
stop laying the blame on our communities.
Road spy to drop RBT
alert
From The West
Australian
January 13, 2006
Random breath test
locations will be removed from a controversial new SMS
scheme after police and motoring groups condemned it as
dangerous.
Road Spy launched on the Gold Coast this week and set to
expand to Perth within months – said it would stop
providing RBT alerts in the hope of creating a good
relationship with authorities.
But WA police still want it outlawed and have labeled it
irresponsible.
WA Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan said the service
was in the same league as radar detectors which the
Government planned to ban.
Police Minister Michelle Roberts said despite the RBT
concessions she would still consider legislation to
prevent Road Spy operating in WA.
SMS alert to warn
drivers or RBT sites
From The West
Australian
By Peta Rasdien
January 12, 2006
A new SMS service which
alerts WA motorists to random test location, speed traps
and traffic hazards using “spies” could be on offer
within months.
Known as Road Spy, the service was launched on the Gold
Coast this week and is expected to be rolled out across
Australia over the next six months. It involves a team
of spies gathering the information, which is then sent
to subscribers.
But it has already raised the ire of Queensland
authorities who are threatening to make it illegal to
profit from publication of RBT sites.
Creator Adam Bush said he had already received calls
from people interstate who want to subscribe,
particularly in Perth, where WA Police Minister Michelle
Roberts plans to outlaw the sale and possession of radar
detectors. A subscription costs $149 for six months.
Mr Bush said the service had 300 road spies, including
regular road users like taxi drivers and couriers, who
alerted the service to RBT units, speed traps and
traffic problems.
But he denied it would undermine road safety measures.
“The more people are aware of where the RBTs are and how
many there are, it will hopefully reduce the number of
drink drivers, “ he said.
Road Safety Council chairman Grant Dorrington said the
scheme went dangerously close to encouraging people to
break the law. He questioned the legal implications for
Road Spy if one of its subscribers used the information
to avoid and RBT location and ran over someone while
drink driving. It was not the same as the existing
system of revealing speed camera locations because it
would reveal the exact location and time that a speed
trap or RBT was set up.
Motor Trades Association executive director Peter
Fitzpatrick said the scheme would not be in the best
interest of road safety.
Western Australia to
ban radar detectors.
ABC News, 9 January
2006.
Radar detectors look set to be banned from Western
Australian roads this year.
The move, which would bring Western Australia in line
with the eastern states, is part of a plan to tackle
dangerous driving.
Radar detectors are commercially available in Western
Australia and widely used, but the state's Road Safety
Council says the devices encourage people to speed and
break the law.
Police Minister Michelle Roberts agrees and has told the
ABC she will usher in new laws to ban them.
"When Parliament returns in March, we'll have a number
of new road safety initiatives, the banning of radar
detectors will be a priority for us," she said.
Ms Roberts says the Government is also planning to apply
its anti-hoon laws to people caught driving 45
kilometres or more above the speed limit.
Ms Roberts says people caught driving at those speeds
could soon risk having their cars impounded for up to
three months.
Fourteen people died on Western Australia's roads over
the Christmas break - most of the fatalities were on
country roads.
Police are still investigating a crash which killed a
41-year-old man in Dardanup, in the state's south-west,
at the weekend.
Police say the man lost control of his motorcycle about
6:30pm AWST on Saturday - he died at the scene.
Grant Dorrington from the Road Safety Council says more
needs to be done to raise safety standards in regional
areas.
"Most of them are driving from town to town or out to
their farm where the roads are not policed all the time. |
