Motorists across the Orana Highway Patrol region bucked a statewide trend in the 2016/17 financial year, with figures from the Office of State Revenue (OSR) showing a decline in speeding offences and fines.
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A total of $838,114 in fines were handed out by the local highway patrol during the 12-month period, a decline of almost 18 per cent from the previous year’s figure of $1,019,069.
The number of offences also dropped from 3,186 in 2015/16 to 2,531 in the recently-completed financial year.
Those figures fly in the face of the overall statistics for NSW, which saw more than $80 million raised through 241,424 speeding offences in 2016/17.
Both of those figures are up from 2015/16, which saw 222,983 offences recorded and more than $75 million worth of fines handed out.
NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said his organisation is at a loss to explain a drastic increase statewide, but admitted he was pleased to see the Orana statistics dropping.
“We are strong supporters of the highway patrol and to see those kind of statistics in Dubbo and the Orana region is encouraging,” Mr Khoury said.
“But the statewide figures are very disappointing.
“Back in 2014 the statistics were the lowest on record and they have spiked every year since.
“Everybody knows that speeding is one of the primary causes of serious accidents, so while we applaud the work being done to bring the numbers down in Orana, the overall state figures do need some work.”
...to see those kind of statistics in Dubbo and the Orana region is encouraging.
- Peter Khoury
Mr Khoury also said he was glad to see some of the revenue returned to road safety.
“The NRMA campaigned hard for there to be signs at the mobile speed camera sites, and for that revenue to be used on road safety and driver education,” he said.
“While we support work done to bring down the road toll, it’s important that motorists aren’t cash cows, and that the revenue goes back into safety measures.”
