Alarming speed camera trend after Aussies warned of 'major trap' on high-risk roads

A staggering 27,000 fines were handed down to drivers across just five NSW school zones alone in the last financial year.

Victoria Road in Ryde beside an inset of a Revenue NSW fine and speed camera.
The NRMA is calling for an urgent audit into school zones after almost 30,000 fines were handed out across just five locations. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Getty/NSW Government

Road safety officials are demanding an urgent audit of school zones after alarming data revealed more than 40 per cent of parents in the country’s most populous state witnessed a near-miss, or collision, near a school in the past year.

A fresh NRMA report found a whopping 27,000 fines were issued to drivers in the last financial year caught speeding by just five school zone cameras. At one location, crucial signage was inadequate—often obscured by buses — raising concerns about the safety of children and pedestrians, as well as about the ability of drivers to be adequately informed.

The NRMA's Peter Khoury said it's for these reasons an audit is necessary, to ensure unsafe conditions in school zones are not left to fly under the radar, resulting in drivers being fined big bucks when they may not be entirely to blame.

Speaking to Yahoo News, Khoury said in response to community feedback, the authority conducted a physical inspection of the Victoria Road school zone in Ryde, Sydney, and found it had only two speed camera warning signs, not the mandated three.

A school zone sign in NSW showing the 40km/h speed zone.
Speed camera warning signs in school zones are being obstructed in some cases, according to the NRMA. Source: Getty

Warning signs play a critical role in alerting drivers they're entering a school zone and need to slow down. In particular, they benefit motorists who aren't local and might be unfamiliar with the area, Khoury said.

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"We were already going to be looking at a report into the structures of school zones, and that was what initiated our visit to this particular school," he told Yahoo News Australia.

"On Victoria Road, there's a lot of street clutter and distraction, which is the sort of stuff these audits will pick up. Whether it be overgrown branches or whatever it is that blocks your view of the signage — that's what we're hoping the government will assess."

Khoury last week warned drivers not to fall for a major "school zone trap" that occurs across back-to-back pupil free days in the lead-up to students' return. It sees drivers penalised at twice the typical rate.

While the pupil free days are designed to help teachers and staff plan for the term ahead without the presence of students, school zone rules still apply, with speed cameras switched on.

Across the state, the five school zone cameras that accumulated the 27,000 fines are located on Woodville Road in Chester Hill (7,813 fines), Princes Highway in Kogarah (5,642), Victoria Road in Ryde (5,173), Lane Cove Road in North Ryde (4,366) and The Boulevarde in Strathfield (3,933 fines).

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The NRMA survey — made up of 550 parents and carers of school-aged children in NSW and the ACT — also found nearly 60 per cent (56 per cent) identified speeding as their top concern, followed by a lack of parking (50 per cent) and parents stopping illegally to drop off or pick up their kids (42 per cent).

"Children are our most vulnerable road users and there is overwhelming community support for school zones that are only about keeping children safe," Khoury said.

"However, we need to be smarter about how we use school zones — it’s unacceptable to simply install a speed camera in a school zone and say the job is done. An audit of all school zones involving physical site visits — not just desktop research — is urgently needed to help identify safety improvements."

Meanwhile, new figures from Revenue NSW have revealed the NSW government handed down an incredible $34 million worth of fines for seatbelt offences in the past six months alone.

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The stark figures are a result of new technology able to detect much more specific offences, but many drivers in the state have argued they are innocent.

Seatbelt detection cameras were introduced statewide on July 1 last year, leading to a dramatic surge in the number of drivers and passengers caught without seatbelts, or wearing them incorrectly.

Data reveals a staggering 1,427 per cent increase in seatbelt-related fines issued between July and December 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.

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