Alarming stats forces fixed speed cameras at 100 high-risk school sites in major crackdown

Speeders beware — fixed cameras are coming to a school zone near you. The Cook Government plan is aimed at catching “idiots” who flout the 40km/h limit as WA children try to safely find their way to school. It comes after staggering Road Safety Commission figures found more than 80 per cent of drivers travelling through the school zone exceeded the speed limit. Of those, 33 per cent were detected travelling between 60 and 70km/h and another 21 per cent between 50 and 60km/h. Under the new scheme, 20 new school zone safety cameras — costing $5 million — will be leased and rotated through more than 100 school sites considered high risk. While the cameras are fixed, they can be removed and relocated to other sites. The first cameras have already been installed at Soldiers Road near Court Grammar School at Mundijong. Infringement notices will start to be issued on the first day of Term 3, on July 27. “It’s of constant concern to me and the school principal in regard to drivers travelling along Soldiers Road that simply don’t respect our school zone and put our students at risk at our pickup and drop off area,” David Gossage, chairman of the school board for Court Grammar said. “Road safety initiatives, such as these new cameras, make a vitally important contribution in teaching drivers to slow down and respect school zones. “The new cameras are another important tool for educating the broader community on the dangers of speeding around our schools and putting our students at unnecessary risk.” More than a dozen schools have been identified as high-risk locations, including Maida Vale Primary, Banksia Grove Primary, Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Hale School and Lake Monger Primary. “If you can’t slow down to 40 kilometres an hour outside a school, you’re putting children’s lives at risk, so that’s exactly why we’re introducing these new cameras,” Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby said. “Drivers who choose to speed in school zones at 60 or 70 kilometres an hour are reckless idiots. “No parent should have to worry about whether their child is safe when they’re crossing or near a road and that’s why we’re taking action.” The crackdown follows several serious speeding incidents near schools, including a case in February this year when police allegedly detected a Volkswagen Golf travelling at 103km/h in a 40km/h school zone on Gnangara Road in Henley Brook. The 23-year-old male driver was charged and his vehicle impounded for 28 days after allegedly travelling 63 km/h over the limit. Mr Whitby also revealed the government would put mobile speed cameras along Albany Highway, starting this week. Capable of operating 100km apart, the cameras would effectively work as point to point cameras — like those currently used on Forrest Highway. “Too many drivers slow down for a camera and then put their foot straight back down so by deploying these trailers up to 100 kilometres apart on Albany Highway, we’re targeting dangerous driving across an entire journey,” Mr Whitby said. “The Cook Labor Government is committed to strengthening our road safety education, enforcement and technology to protect our State’s growing community.”