New South Wales Considers Expanding Average Speed Cameras After Successful Trial

New South Wales (NSW) is considering a widespread rollout of road cameras that measure average speed, following a successful year-long trial that concluded in June. The trial, conducted on the Pacific Highway and Hume Highway between May 2025 and June 2026, demonstrated a drastic reduction in speeding incidents.

The cameras operate by calculating a vehicle's average speed over specific road intervals. Drivers exceeding the speed limit between these points are issued fines, which in NSW can range from $149 to $3,064.

According to the NSW government's findings, the average speed camera system is "likely to deliver clear road safety benefits." Currently, NSW already utilizes an extensive network of average speed cameras on major highways and tunnels, but these are restricted to monitoring heavy vehicles only.

The trial involved monitoring all vehicles on a 15km stretch between Kew and Lake Innes and a 16km stretch between Coolac and Gundagai. During this period, there was a 76% improvement in speed compliance. Initially, one in every 177 cars was caught speeding in the first month of the trial, a figure that decreased to one in 330 by the final month.

Government estimates suggest that an average speed camera system could reduce fatal crashes by up to 17% and serious injury crashes by 13%. NSW is notably the only jurisdiction globally that currently limits its average speed cameras to monitoring heavy vehicles, having first introduced them in 2010.

The government is expected to make a decision on whether to expand the cameras to monitor all vehicles after the state election scheduled for March. "The cameras currently only monitor heavy vehicles across major roads and tunnels," reads one report.

This potential expansion could impact millions of drivers if the trial's success leads to broader implementation.