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Australian drivers nation-wide face penalty increases for a string of driving offences from July 1, with the move said to be designed to lower the country's road toll – though the increased revenue will surely be a motivator, too.
In NSW, for example, all fines increase with CPI at the beginning of every financial year – in this instance, it's 3.2 per cent – no matter where the road toll stands.
Here are all the changes you need to know about across Australia.
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NSW
Possibly the biggest change in NSW is a major update to point-to-point cameras, or average speed cameras. To date, the cameras have only detected heavy vehicles, but from July 1, they will detect cars, SUVs and motorbikes in two locations — between Kew and Lake Innes and between Coolac and Gundagai, according to the SMH.
Elsewhere, all fines have increased. Using a mobile phone is now $423, and five demerit points – or $561 in a school zone.
Also important to note that the term 'mobile phone' is misleading – it can apply to tablets, music players and smart watches, too.
Victoria
The biggest change in Victoria is that drivers must reduce their speed to 40km/h on any road, including high-speed freeways, if passing a tow truck, emergency services or any roadside assistance vehicles with flashing lights.
it was a temporary rule, now made permanent, and while it's not a demerit-point offence (unless you're also speeding, of course), there are heavy fines of between $346 and $961.
Western Australia
Things are about to get a lot slower across WA, again according to the SMH, with some 550 roads having had their speed limits reduced.
Some urban areas are dropping to 50km/h – or 40km/h in high-pedestrian areas.
Queesnland
You don't want to be using a mobile device while on the move in Queensland, with the penalty a whopping $1250, up from $1209. It joins speeding and seatbelt fines in copping increases from July 1.
Some densely populated tourist areas will see the speed limit cut from 50km/h to 40km/h, too.
South Australia
South Australian drivers will need to allow down to 25km/h should they be passing a broken-down vehicle flashing its lights, or emergency services on a multi-lane road. That sounds downright dangerous on a freeway, but failure to do so will see fines of up to $1648 and seven demerit points.
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