Speed and red-light cameras raise revenue in NSW, but death toll continues to spiral

The NSW government reaped more than $183m in fines from red-light and speed cameras in 2015-16, up 8% - and yet our road deaths are up 25%.

Zeke Vidler, 15, who died in hospital on Saturday following a crash at Batemans Bay / Supplied

• A HORROR WEEKEND ON THE ROADS IN NSW
• ROAD SAFETY LOBBY DRIVES BETTER SKILLS
• NSW POLICE BEGIN BLITZ FOLLOWING ROAD TOLL RISE

SPEED and red-light camera revenue is up — and so are road deaths.

While the camera revenue used to fund NSW road safety campaigns has risen by 10 per cent and the state death toll is up a shocking 25 per cent, the NSW government is spending about $2.3 million less on road safety awareness than it did two years earlier and has ditched the graphic ads of the past, instead opting for safety messages from Victoria and New Zealand.

In figures just released, the NSW government reaped more than $183 million in fines from red-light and speed cameras in 2015-16, up 8 per cent on the previous year.

In 2014-15 figures more than $170 million was raised from speed and red-light cameras, up from $154 million the year before.

Speed and fatigue continue to be the biggest killers, while using mobile phones is a growing cause of crashes / Picture: Channel 7

Despite the increase in revenue, largely due to a hike in speed and red-light camera fines from $260 to $282, the government is outsourcing parts of its road safety campaigns. The fines go into the Community Road Safety Fund, the government’s main war chest to combat the road toll.

The NSW government spent $18.8 million on public road safety awareness and education campaigns in 2014-15, issuing just one road safety campaign. That’s in comparison to the $21.7 million spent on three advertising campaigns in 2013-14.

In 2015-16, $19.4 million was spent on 15 road safety campaigns, including around $1 million on the Towards Zero campaign, which was produced by the Victorian government.

Transport NSW said it produced three of its own ads in 2015.

A screengrab from the VicRoads road safety campaign video / Supplied

“Sharing campaigns and ads is best practice in road safety communications,” a spokeswoman said.

It is understood the government ditched graphic advertising, such as the old Kombi night shift ad tackling fatigue and sleep deprivation, after a 2010 expert group said the tactic didn’t work. Speed and fatigue continued to be the biggest killers, while using mobile phones was a growing cause of crashes. Seven people died over the weekend in five crashes.

NSW leads the nation with 391 deaths in the year to August, a 24 per cent yearly increase, as the nation suffers its worst road toll in five years (1292). Victoria’s road toll (278) has only increased by 11 per cent while Queensland (246) has only gone up by 2.5 per cent.

A screengrab from a recent TV road safety campaign ad / Supplied

NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay said the “increase in speed camera revenue and a rise in the road toll are not relatable”.

“The increase in speed-related fatalities in this year’s road toll is not happening at speed camera locations. Death and injury has decreased by up to 90 per cent at speed camera locations. Our speed camera program is working, but the reality is speed cameras can’t be everywhere,” he said.

“Every cent from speed camera fines is used to fund initiatives like flashing lights at schools, high-visibility policing, road safety engineering programs and education campaigns.”

Shadow minister for roads Jodi McKay said the government’s approach was failing.

A screengrab of a fatal motor accident at Chinderah in Northern NSW / Picture: Channel 7

IIN OTHER NEWS