Motorists travelling on two major New South Wales highways will soon be subject to speeding fines from average speed cameras, which the state’s government is turning on for all vehicles.
Average speed zone cameras detect a vehicle’s speed across a set distance, rather than a traditional fixed camera which only does so at a single location, providing a more comprehensive assessment of its speed.
New South Wales currently has 31 active average speed zones, however these have exclusively policed heavy vehicles since 2010.
In September, the NSW Government announced it would run a two-month trial at two point-to-point average speed camera zones, located on a 15km stretch of the Pacific Highway between Kew and Port Macquarie, and a 16km section of the Hume Highway between Gundagai and Coolac.
Now, the NSW Government has announced this trial will run from May 1 to June 30, during which time all motorists detected exceeding the speed limit by 30km/h or less will receive warnings.
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The two trial sites
However, motorists caught travelling at more than 30km/h above the speed limit will receive fines.
From July 1, 2025 these two average speed camera zones will begin enforcing all speeding offences for all vehicle types, with this stage of the trial set to conclude after June 30, 2026.
At its conclusion, the NSW Government will report back to Parliament on the outcomes of the 14-month trial.
Breaking the speed limit by 31km/h to 44km/h in New South Wales attracts a fine of $1097 and five demerit points, while exceeding the limit by 45km/h or above results in a $2959 fine, six demerit points and an immediate six-month licence suspension.
The move finally brings New South Wales into line with other states and the Australian Capital Territory, which use average speed cameras that can fine all vehicle types.
It’s understood only the two average speed camera zones which are part of the trial will start issuing speeding penalties, with the NSW Government previously saying six motorists had been killed on those stretches of road between 2018 and 2022.
According to an October press release, the state government said the NRMA – Australia’s largest motoring club by membership numbers – “will be part of the assessment process to ensure drivers have a voice in the review of the trial”.
“Regional NSW is home to a third of the population but is where two-thirds of all road deaths happen,” NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, said in a media statement this week.
“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.
“I know this trial will be a change, particularly for regional people who travel through the areas where these two camera lengths are in place, which is why we are committed to ensuring that the community is aware of what we are doing.
“We will have a communications strategy in place including the use of print, radio and social media as well as variable messaging signs and mobile billboards to help communicate the trial details to drivers and riders.
“We will also have clear warning signs installed before the enforcement sites, but most importantly we will have a 60 day warning period in place so that people have an opportunity to adjust their driving behaviour before they receive a penalty.”
It’s worth noting a total of 127 motorists were killed in 110km/h speed zones between 2018 and 2022, with six of these deaths occurring within the new average speed camera zones.
The state government says almost 80 per cent of fatalities in its existing average speed camera zones across the five-year period didn’t involve heavy vehicles – perhaps an unsurprising statistic given these vehicles account for just over eight per cent of the total distance travelled by vehicles through New South Wales.
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