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More than a million speeding fines worth more than $400m have been issued to motorists on South Australian roads in the past five years, figures obtained by RAA show.
Latest SA Police show 202,358 speeding fines were issued last year – 3,548 more than the preceding year and the highest number since 2020.
It means police have issued 1,008,709 speeding fines worth around $417m since 2019.
The huge number of fines has prompted RAA to remind drivers that speeding is one of the fatal five causes of road trauma.
RAA Senior Traffic Engineer Matt Vertudaches said motorists risked more than a fine and demerit points when speeding above the limit.
“Inappropriate speed continues to be a major contributing factor to serious and fatal crashes,” Mr Vertudaches said.
“Even small increases in speed mean you will travel a longer distance before you can react and bring your vehicle to a stop if something unexpected occurs on the road.
“RAA is urging drivers to stick to the speed limit and arrive safely every time they get behind the wheel.’’
The number of speeding offences picked up by roadside police officers (non-camera) in 2023 was the highest since 2013, with 46,307 offences recorded.
By comparison, there were 96,438 fines detected by mobile cameras, and 59,613 by fixed cameras.
In the past four years (2020-2023), there has been a 26 per cent increase in the number of motorists caught by mobile cameras compared to the previous four years (2016-2019), and a 36 per cent reduction in the number of fines generated by fixed cameras.
Mr Vertudaches said this may be partly due to COVID-19 impact on traffic levels.
“While traffic levels are back to normal now, until recently there has generally been less traffic at peak times and locations, which may be why less drivers were detected by fixed cameras at busy spots,” Mr Vertudaches said.
“But alarmingly, 14,624 drivers were detected speeding at least 20km/hr over the limit last year, showing many drivers are still willing to risk a serious fine and put others in danger by exceeding the speed limit.
“Drivers should also remember that unless otherwise signposted, the default speed limit on South Australian roads in 50km/hr in built up areas and 100km/h in regional areas.
“Remember these are the maximum and the safe speed may actually be lower, depending upon traffic, prevailing weather conditions and the type of vehicle that you’re driving.”