Fifty-six drivers are caught speeding in Tasmania each day on average, with 10,363 infringement notices issued in just six months.
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North-West-based police Inspector Gary Williams said speeding was one of the main factors that caused fatal and serious crashes.
"Fatal and serious crashes are not only a massive expense to the community financially, but emotionally, their impacts on families and communities are pretty much immeasurable," he said.
Inspector Williams was not surprised by the speeding infringement numbers, but described them as disappointing.
"Any speeding over the applied speed limit increases your risk of having a serious and fatal crash," he said.
He said the number of speeders detected more than 30 kilometres per hour above the limit year to date was up by 16 per cent compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.
Inspector Williams said that was a major concern.
He said police were targeting all levels of speeding.
Tasmania Police statistics for the first half of the financial year showed the South was the state's lead-foot central, with 7297 speeding infringement notices issued during the period.
The police Western District had 1075 and the Northern District 1991.
Penalties for speeding range from $87 and two demerit points for exceeding a speed limit by less than 10 kilometres per hour to $994, four months' disqualification and six demerit points for exceeding a speed limit by 45 kilometres per hour or more.
If the 10,363 infringement notices averaged a mid-range $303 penalty, the speeders would have cost themselves more than $3.1 million.
Police reported there were another 2074 traffic infringement notices issued during the period.
They detected 157 drink and/or drug driving offenders, and conducted 16,932 random breath tests and 490 oral fluid tests (for drugs).
Police detected 353 disqualified and unlicensed drivers and 419 unregistered vehicles and clamped or confiscated 32 vehicles.
Inspector Williams said about a third of the speeding infringement notices were from fixed cameras.
The Southern District had the highest numbers for all of those matters, except for unregistered vehicles, where the Northern District was narrowly ahead.
The many other Tasmanian traffic offences and penalties include:
- Driving a motor vehicle while consuming intoxicating liquor, $346;
- cyclist exceeding speed limit, $87-$389, depending on how much above the limit;
- using a loudspeaker on or from a vehicle without a permit, $43;
- using high-beam headlights within 200 metres of a moving vehicle, $173, one demerit point;
- failing to return number plates as required after cancellation or expiry without renewal, $130; and
- driving with a person or animal in the driver's lap, $173.
Sean Ford
The Advocate Newspaper, Tasmania. Business, economics, politics, crime.
The Advocate Newspaper, Tasmania. Business, economics, politics, crime.
