Average speed cameras on the Mid North Coast now able to catch all vehicles, not just trucks

Drivers of cars, motorcycles and utes speeding on the Mid North Coast can now receive “warnings” if they are caught by an Average Speed Camera, a change made by the NSW Government from an old system that only penalised truck drivers going over the limit.

The average speed camera – now officially turned on and operating in “warning mode” for light vehicles– measures a 15-kilometre stretch of the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes, near Port Macquarie.

A second average speed camera now detects light vehicles between a 16-kilometre stretch of the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai.

Both cameras are part of a trial that began on May 1 and will continue until June 2026.

Speeding drivers caught during the first two-months of the trial will receive a warning letter. From July 1, the average speed cameras will switch to full enforcement and any drivers detected speeding will receive fines and lose points.

Why the change?

In September last year, the NSW Government announced the trial to expand average speed cameras from heavy vehicles to light vehicles as part of a Road Safety Forum.

All other mainland Australian states and the ACT use average speed cameras for both heavy and light vehicles. Until now, only heavy vehicles were detected by average speed cameras in NSW. 

“I would also like to remind heavy vehicle drivers that these cameras will continue to operate in enforcement mode for heavy vehicle offences during the entirety of the trial,”  Executive Director of Road Safety Regulation at Transport for NSW, Duncan Lucas said.

Fatality prevention

According to Transport for NSW, the trial will help the state government assess how effective average speed cameras are in changing speeding habits of light vehicle drivers to prevent injuries and fatalities.

Transport for NSW reports speeding is the biggest killer on NSW roads, contributing to around 42 percent of all fatalities.

Signage is now in place at the two sites to warn drivers of the change.

Image: Google Street View.