Speeding

• Speed remains one of the key factors in fatal and serious injury crashes on our roads, and was a likely contributing factor in one-in-three fatal crashes in 2020.
• “Only a little bit over” matters: exceeding the speed limit by 3km/h is associated with a 25 per cent increase in crash risk. At 5 km/h over the limit, crash risk increases by close to 50 per cent
• As a vehicle’s speed increases, the time it takes for the vehicle to stop also increases.
• The higher the speed, the greater the impact.
• Studies show that small increases in the speed you are travelling can have large increases in the level of injury or the likelihood of death.
• Drivers travelling at 65km/h in a 60km/h zone double their risk of being in a crash. The risk increases even more at higher speeds.
• In average conditions, a car travelling at 60km/h will take 45 metres to stop when braking suddenly, and a car braking at 65km/h will still be moving at close to 32km/h after travelling 45m.
• Speed cameras/red light cameras have reduced injury crashes by up to 47 per cent at Victorian intersections.
• For every one percent reduction in average speed, there is on average a three percent reduction in casualty crashes.
• Even at lower speeds you can be at risk of injury in a crash. Your impact speed in different types of crashes will determine your level of injury. Serious or fatal injuries can happen as a result of a:
  • Head on collision at 70km/hr
  • Side impact collison at 50km/hr
  • Side impact collision with tree 30km/hr
  • Impact with pedestrian 30km/hr

• Driving 5km/h less can reduce the severity of injury if you crash and can mean the difference between death and serious injury.
• Make sure you drive to the conditions – reduce your speed if the road quality isn’t great or if weather conditions are dangerous.
• Don’t feel pressured to drive above the posted speed limit if someone is driving close behind you.
• Saving time because you’re running late is often given as a reason for speeding. In reality the difference is not significant. If you drop your speed from 70km/hr to 60 km/hr over a 10km trip, your trip will only take an extra 86 seconds.
• When driving in busy precincts, be extra careful and look out for other road users, especially pedestrians, cyclists and children.

The penalties for speeding

There are multiple penalties for speeding. These include:

• A minimum $240 fine
• Demerit points
• Licence suspension
• If you are speeding at 45 km/h or more over the speed limit (or 145 kilometres per hour or more if the speed limit is 110 kilometres per hour), then your vehicle can be impounded.

The penalties are:

To find out more about penalties visit the VicRoads website.

Saving lives through speed enforcement

Victoria’s road safety camera system has played a critical role in reducing the number of lives lost on our roads.

Speed cameras are one of the most effective tools in the fight against deaths and injuries from collisions. There are three types of speed camera systems – fixed, mobile and point to point.

• Mobile speed cameras can be located in response to high risk areas of road trauma, excessive speed complaints or identified areas where speeding is an issue to enforce speed limits.
• Fixed safety cameras are placed at signaled intersections and can detect both speed and red-light offences.
• A point to point camera system is used on the Hume Highway and Peninsula Link and it measures average speeds over distance.

Road safety cameras are only one tool in the fight against the road toll. Victoria Police has more officers than ever before carry out additional speed enforcement measures using mobile radar laser equipment, high-visibility patrol cars and unmarked vehicles patrol streets, roads and highways to enforce speed limits and help save lives.

Speed camera locations

Each fixed road safety camera location in Victoria can be viewed on the Cameras Save Lives website

How camera locations are selected

Fixed cameras

Fixed camera locations are determined by a committee chaired by Victoria Police and has representatives from Department of Transport and the Department of Justice and Community Safety (External link).

This committee reviews requests from various sources, including members of the public, local councils, community organisations, Department of Transport, Victoria Police and Members of Parliament.

Considerations for the installation of a fixed road safety camera include:

• location crash history (data on fatal and injury crashes)
• road type
• site suitability for a camera
• demonstrated accident risk.

Mobile cameras

Mobile road safety cameras are used in unmarked vehicles and rotated through locations assessed and approved by specialist traffic police.

These locations must satisfy at least one of the following:

• recent history of speed-related crashes
• complaints of excessive speeding
• identified by Victoria Police to be a speed-related problem location.

Further information about road safety cameras can be found on the Cameras Save Lives website

• The TAC supports road safety cameras as they have proven to be one of the most effective ways to get drivers to slow down and ultimately save lives. There has been a 47 per cent reduction in crashes resulting in death or injury at intersections with safety cameras. Find out more about road safety cameras
• Combating speed through enforcement and education is a priority of the Victorian Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, which aims to halve road trauma in the state by the end of the decade. The strategy’s action plan has seen a 75 per cent increase in mobile camera hours and will see 35 additional speed and red-light cameras installed at high-risk intersections to further deter people from speeding.
• The TAC installed eight major new roundabouts in 2019/20 to curb speed. A large number of crashes happen at intersections and roundabouts help to reduce these incidents.
• We also work with local government areas to support campaigns to reduce speed. Find out more about TAC grants
• See our Wipe off 5 campaign for more information on low level speeding.