M1 speed camera: Gold Coast location where most drivers are being caught
An average of 25 drivers a day are being caught by a speed camera on the M1 – and most people don’t even realise it’s there. Full details.
Transport
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An average of 25 drivers a day are being caught by a speed camera on the M1 that most people do not realise is there.
Figures obtained by the Bulletin show that 9415 speed fines were issued by a trailer camera operated by police on the M1 at Worongary in the 2022-23 financial year.
When in use, the trailer is located behind a concrete barrier and a digital traffic sign near exit 75 heading south.
The total of offences detected at the location far outstrips the amount of fines issued at other points on the M1 in the Gold Coast where trailer cameras are used.
At Upper Coomera, 1161 fines were issued, there were 996 at Pimpama, 786 at Oxenford and at Helensvale the number was just 393.
Camera trailers have been used on Queensland roads since December 2016.
Given the minimum penalty for exceeding the speed limit was $287 last financial year, the Worongary location raked in more than $2.7 million in fines.
The cost of the fine was raised to $309 on July 1 this year.
A Queensland Government spokesperson said it made “no apology” for the use of the cameras amid an “unacceptable” number of lives being lost on the state’s roads.
“(The) Government’s focus is on reducing road trauma on Queensland roads. We use road safety cameras to save lives. Our road safety cameras include cameras that detect people who are speeding, disobeying red-lights, using a mobile phone illegally, or not wearing their seatbelt or wearing it incorrectly,” the spokesperson said.
“The easiest way to avoid being fined is to obey the law. We make no apology for prioritising the safety of Queenslanders on our roads.
“The number of lives being lost on our roads is unacceptable, particularly as road trauma is ultimately avoidable.
“In 2022, 297 people lost their lives on Queensland roads, 20 more than the previous year and 17 per cent higher than the previous five-year average.
“Each fatal crash has tragic consequences that affect families, communities, our first responders and health workers.”
The RACQ’s Young Drivers Survey this year discovered that speeding was a particular problem among drivers aged 16 to 24, with around three quarters admitting to speeding and driving while tired.
More than ten per cent said they exceeded the speed limit regularly.
“We need these young people to re-set their attitude towards driving. The road rules should be fresh in their minds, yet so many of them are blatantly ignoring the law and risking the lives of all road users,” RACQ’s Head of Public Policy, Dr Michael Kane, said.
“Last year, 297 people lost their lives on Queensland roads and the Fatal 5 contributed to the overwhelming majority of those deaths – that’s speeding, driving fatigued, drink and drug driving, distracted driving and not wearing a seatbelt.
“Young people are overrepresented in the road toll. From January 1 to the end of October 2022, 58 people aged between 16 to 24 were killed, making up almost a quarter of the deaths
on our roads.”
The news comes after it was revealed on Tuesday that a staggering 55,000 mobile phone offences had been caught on camera in Queensland in the past nine months.
The penalty for using a mobile phone while driving is $1161 and the loss of four demerit points.
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