Qld motorists busted for speeding at a rate of one every 30 seconds

Almost a quarter of a billion dollars’ worth of speeding fines were dished out on Queensland roads last financial year, with new figures revealing the shocking frequency at which motorists are caught.

QUEENSLAND motorists were slapped with a speeding fine every 30 seconds last financial year, with an extraordinary 1.08 million infringements logged across the state.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the speeding fine frenzy meant at least $230.44 million worth of fines were dished out on Queensland roads in 2018-19 — or a staggering $26,303 every hour of every day.

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Queensland motorists were slapped with a speeding fine every 30 seconds last financial year.

The more than one million speeding fines issued last financial year was up a whopping 11.4 per cent from the 971,995 the previous year.

This included more than 3000 reckless drivers who were busted speeding at least 40km/h over the posted speed limit, as well as another 7574 motorists who caught driving a dangerous 31 to 40km/h over.

The majority of speeding motorists — over 600,000 — were nabbed travelling 12km/h or less over the speed limit.

In total, there were almost 800,000 drivers who were given a speeding fines in 2018-19 — the equivalent of about one in four of the roughly three million car drivers in Queensland.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the Government would make no apologies for its road safety strategy, insisting speed cameras were in place to change driver behaviour.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey says speed cameras are in place to change behaviour.

“As road safety Minister, I’ve seen what can happen in a crash when speed is the main factor,” he said.

“I’ve listened to the victims, their families, friends and first responders, and witnessed the long-term trauma of losing a loved one.

“Fines only hurt when you do the wrong thing.”

Mr Bailey said every dollar raised from camera detected offences was reinvested into improving road safety.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington seized on the figures to accuse the Government of using Queenslanders as cash cows.

“If elected next year, the LNP will make sure the focus is on road safety, not leeching off motorists’ wallets,” she said.

“The LNP will bring back ‘speed camera in use’ signs to alert motorists to speed cameras as we want them to change behaviour immediately.”

RACQ spokeswoman Lauren Ritchie said the organisation was pleading with drivers to slow down and think about their speed.

“To hear that someone in Queensland is handed a speeding fine every 30 seconds, is a shocking statistic,” Ms Ritchie said.

“Speeding isn’t safe in any circumstance.”