Queensland’s covert school zone speed cameras have been active for less than a year, but their impact is already being felt as the unmanned technology has issued more fines than police.
ABC News reports 14,557 infringement notices have been issued by school zone speed cameras – which are disguised by the speed limit sign – between August 7, 2023 and June 30, 2023.
This equates to an average of about 1325 infringements each month since the cameras came online.
Between July 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, police – using radars, mobile speed camera vans, and motorcycle patrols – handed out 8913 fines to motorists speeding in school zones, an average of closer to 990 per month.
It also exceeds the number of school zone speeding fines handed out in the whole of the 2022-2023 financial year, where 13,571 infringement notices were issued.
This is despite there being just six school zone speed cameras active across the state at any one time, which have been rotated across 24 sites.
According to Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads, approximately 70 per cent – or 10,283 – of the speeding fines were issued to motorists caught exceeding the school zone speed limit by 11km/h or less.
Those who broke the speed limit by 11km/h to 20km/h accounted for 3955 of the infringements, with 295 fines handed out to those who went 21km/h to 30km/h above the speed limit.
Worryingly, a further 18 motorists were busted for going 31km/h to 40km/h over the speed limit, with six drivers caught exceeding the limit by more than 40km/h.
The cameras could’ve caught more motorists too, had they not been inactive due to “technical issues” for seven months prior to the August online date.
School zones in Queensland have a speed limit of 40km/h if the regular speed limit on said road is between 50 and 70km/h
Roads with higher speed limits see them reduced to 60km/h during school zone times.
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