VICTORIAN MOTORISTS will need to be extra vigilant from this week onwards. The Police and Victorian State Government have commenced a massive roll-out of new and upgraded speed and red light cameras across the state’s road network.

A grand total of 53 camera sites will either be established or upgraded, with 31 sites getting cameras for the first time and 22 sites being upgraded from wet-film to digital camera technology. All but six sites are in metropolitan Melbourne.

An extra 3000 hours of mobile speed camera operation will also be a part of the Victorian road safety blitz, with the Victorian Police saying 1000 of these hours will be allocated to rural trouble spots and other high-risk stretches of road.

The crackdown on speeding is part of the Victorian Government’s push to slash the road toll and reduce serious injuries from road accidents by 30 percent by 2017.

“Under the strategy we have seen tougher enforcement, strong public education campaigns, a new Graduated Licensing System for young drivers and additional road infrastructure that has contributed to reduce the impact of road trauma on the Victorian community,” Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas said.

“The increased use of road safety cameras will provide continuous coverage at a large number of sites across the state. Victorians can be sure that people who put others at risk by speeding or running red lights will be caught.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Police Deputy Commissioner for Road Safety, Ken Lay:

“I know speed cameras are not a popular topic with drivers, but the simplest way to avoid a fine is to avoid the crime,” he said.

“Those people who run red lights and exceed speed limits deserve to be caught and fined. Road safety cameras play a vital role in driving down our road toll.”

For a full listing of the new speed camera sites, head to:                                                 www.justice.vic.gov.au/camerascutcrashes