The Western Australia government will invest $80 million in road safety reforms, focusing on regulating dangerous drivers.
The funding package will see more than 100 additional new cameras, including fixed point-to-point and safety camera trailers, installed across the state’s road network.
Part of the funding will result in $2.5 million being allocated to support a review of penalties and flexible infringement policies that will identify how good drivers can be rewarded.
The safety camera program expansion, worth $20 million, will include six new safety camera trailers, four pairs of fixed point-to-point cameras, 32 near miss cameras and 100 smiley face cameras with a focus on school zones.
The package will also include $27 million for road safety advertising and public awareness campaigns, $25 million to continue road safety upgrade programs and $5 million to increase capabilities for infringement processing, targeting high harm, high frequency offenders.
MORE OWNERDRIVER TRENDING STORIES:
- Ron Crouch Transport enters voluntary administration
- Trucking associations slam HVNL reform
- NHVR starts Tasmanian heavy vehicle blitz
- Senator reveals sham contracting focus ahead of ATO meeting
- Long distance driver strikes lead to new EA
The large expansion of safety camera technology follows an eight-month caution notice period for new mobile phone, seatbelt and speed detecting cameras.
The state government says dangerous drivers who consistently disobey the law will face more fines and demerit points with the additional safety cameras on our roads.
“This significant investment is part of our government’s commitment to saving lives on WA roads by delivering improvements across our road network,” WA transport minister Rita Saffioti says.
“We’re investing a further $25 million into key road safety upgrade programs, building on the more than one billion dollars invested through the Regional Road Safety Program for roadworks including resurfacing, widening and installing audible edge lines.
“Road improvements play a critical role in reducing the number of single-vehicle run-off-road crashes, one of the leading causes of death and serious injury on regional WA roads.”
Following the behaviour change demonstrated with the recent introduction of high-tech safety cameras, the WA government has committed to a significant expansion of camera technology including six new safety camera trailers which can detect mobile phone and seatbelt misuse around the state.
Four new pairs of fixed point-to-point average speed zone cameras will be located on major roads and highways between metropolitan and regional areas with Indian Ocean Drive and Great Eastern Highway being investigated as potential locations for the new cameras.
The Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure will also receive funding for more staff to support the expected increased volume of infringements.
The community will see a significant boost to education, road safety advertising and awareness campaigns, and more partnerships with community organisations to improve safety at a grassroots level.
All the revenue derived from the new safety cameras will go into the Road Trauma Trust Account to be spent on road safety initiatives. In the past 10 years, more than $1 billion has been invested from the account.
“We want to change the behaviour of bad drivers with tougher penalties while also recognising drivers with a good history to make Western Australian roads safer,” WA road safety minister Reece Whitby says.
“We know that most drivers do the right thing, which is why we’re undertaking review of penalties.
“The research is clear; safety cameras are an effective way of changing behaviour and lowering risk on our roads.
“The WA government is committed to building safe communities and safe driver behaviours, and already we’ve seen indications that people are changing their behaviour, and we want that to continue – but there are still drivers who ignore the law.
“Drivers who try to do the right thing should not be treated the same as dangerous drivers and high frequency, repeat offenders.”