Leeway given to motorists for exceeding the speed limit in Queensland will be tightened to improve road safety
June 18, 2013
The leeway given to motorists for exceeding the speed limit in Queensland will be tightened as part of a new police initiative to improve road safety.
A reduction in speed tolerances will take effect from July 1, but Queensland Police has ruled out revealing the level of tolerance.
Commissioner Ian Stewart says he is announcing the change, which coincides with the publishing of speed camera locations, now to give road users advance warning.
“Changes to speed tolerances will be incremental over time, and will be guided by evidence such as the road toll and public compliance with the speed limits,” he says.
“The level of speed tolerances won’t be revealed to avoid creating a de facto speed limit.”
Stewart says the State’s road toll “is unacceptably high” and that police will enforce speed limits to make roads safer.
The road toll is currently 138, which is 16 more deaths than the same time last year, 28 more than in 2011 and 30 more than the same time in 2010.
In 2012, there were 59 fatalities as a result of crashes involving speeding drivers or riders within Queensland, representing 21 percent of the road toll.
“The speed limit is the maximum. It is not a guide or a recommendation. We hope to not see an increase in the number of tickets issued at all,” Stewart says.
“If you obey the speed limit, and treat it as a limit rather than a guide, you won’t receive a ticket.”
Queensland Police will begin publishing speed camera locations from July 1 on its website.
