From this morning's AGE And, judging from the comments on this thread, the headline is spot on. We love to speed and we think that we're infallible. Some of also think we can drink and drive without any probls. The advert is right. "If you drink and drive you're a bloody idjot." A couple of days ago I was in a car driven by wife. Suddenly I pointed out to her the driver in front of us was talking on his mobile, the driver next her was drinking what looked like coffee. When we stopped at the lights another driver next to us had a magazine resting on her steering wheel. Let's face it. Some drivers need to be smacked around the head to understand that when you're in front of a steering wheel, you JUST DRIVE -JUST DRIVE! And when drive, you drive according to a set of rules written for everyone. It cannot be done any other practical way. That's the system, them's the rules! We may argue about the rules in a legal, legislative way but until we have them changed then we must obey them. The rest of the arguments about govnt's being addicted to the raising of money etc, is all BS. Just behave on the road. It's very often, a matter of life and death. Stop the pocket lament!
One million lead-foot Victorians face fines
Jason Dowling September 2, 2007 MORE than a million Victorian motorists will receive a speeding or red-light camera fine this year, helping to pump well over $800 million in penalties into the State Government's coffers.
Almost one in three of the state's 3.5 million licensed drivers was caught speeding or running red lights in 2006, pushing the number of fines to more than a million annually for the first time — a staggering 57 per cent increase on 2004 when 711,054 fines were issued.
However, despite more Victorians being clocked speeding, the number of fatal accidents has dropped in the past three years since stricter speed-limit enforcement came into effect.
Government figures released to The Sunday Age through freedom of information indicate drivers cannot claim faulty cameras are responsible for the sharp increase in speed detection. The number of infringements withdrawn due to camera error has halved since 2004, when 487 fines were cancelled. Last year, just 237 infringements were withdrawn despite an extra 404,814 fines being issued.
The Government expects this trend to continue, with its budget papers forecasting a 6.2 per cent jump in fine and fee revenue this financial year, taking the expected total to $843 million.
Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said Premier John Brumby had now become the "million-fine Premier".
"He has been raking in speeding fine revenue now for eight years, and it's been a hallmark of his role as Treasurer and now Premier," he said. "He is addicted to it." Speeding fines accounted for a "huge amount" of the State Government's infringement revenue, he said.
He warned motorists that the drop in detected errors did not necessarily mean that the operation of the cameras had significantly improved. "There is also possibly an issue that people no longer complain and just pay," he said.
Police Minister Bob Cameron's spokesman, Alex Twomey, said the Government's speed camera policy had saved lives. "There can be no doubt that speed cameras have had a significant role in reducing the road toll since their inception in 1989," he said. "The Brumby Government has a proud record in road safety, and will continue to support Victoria Police and our road safety partners in doing everything we can to make our roads safer," he said.
The RACV's general manager of public policy, Brian Negus, urged motorists to slow down.
"Speed is one of the major contributors to the accident scene and we are certainly concerned to hear that it has reached one million fines and we would certainly urge all drivers to obey the speed limit, but also drive to the prevailing conditions of the road at the time," he said.
"The RACV endorses the use of speed and red-light cameras, but we have a very clear view that they should be located either where there is a speed-related accident problem or there is the potential for a speed-related accident problem."
Mr Negus said anyone who had concerns about the operation of a speed or red-light camera should contact the RACV.
A Justice Department spokesman, Lingam Palam, said the increase in the number of fines could be attributed to more motorists being on the roads.
"With an increase in motorists on the road, this increase in infringement notices is to be expected," he said.
Despite the jump in the number of fines issued, motorists generally had slowed down since stricter speed-limit enforcement was introduced in 2003. "The road toll during the four years following the imposition of stricter enforcement in 2003 averages around 340 deaths per year. This is some 60 deaths fewer per year than the average of the decade prior to 2003," Mr Palam said.
"You only have to ask an ambulance or police officer on the scene of a serious road accident to understand the value of these cameras."
The State Government has announced that a British company, Serco, will take over the management of traffic camera services at the end of next month.
Victoria's road toll last night stood at 204, the same as at the start of September last year.
