Police lower threshold for speed cameras

The New Zealand Police are catching more drivers driving over the speed limit after lowering the threshold of its speed cameras.

According to RNZ, tens of thousands more tickets have been issued to drivers travelling between 1km/h and 11km/h over the speed limit.

From January 2021 to the same month in 2022, the number of speeders caught had more than quadrupled from just under 20,000 drivers to over 90,000.

However, many of the fines were lower meaning the cameras were detecting drivers just over the limit and ticketing them.

That number added up though as $2.7 million in fines was generated in January 2022 whereas that figure was $600,000 in the year prior.

Police told RNZ that it had changed the speed camera settings to address “road safety outcome risks” which we assume is in reference to Waka Kotahi’s Road to Zero goals.

It also mentioned that its speed cameras have been upgraded to newer models that can detect speeders with more accuracy. They can also perform better in poor conditions like rain, fog, or night-time.

From next year, Waka Kotahi will take control of the cameras with the likelihood of new point-to-point smart cameras coming into play as well.

The transport agency recently wrapped up a six month trial of smart cameras that can detect drivers on their phone or not wearing a seatbelt. It caught around 240,000 drivers doing so at three intersections across Auckland.