Dylan Thomsen: AA Road Safety Spokesperson on the rolling out of more speed camera signs

The rolling out of more speed camera signs has support from the AA. 

Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced more than 100 signs will go up across the country, giving people the opportunity to check their speed and avoid tragic consequences. 

AA Road Safety Spokesperson Dylan Thomsen told Ryan Bridge it's a positive move.  

He says they expect to see a reduction in tickets being dished out at high-risk sites, meaning fewer drivers exceeding the speed limit.  

Thomsen describes it as a long time coming. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Road safety warning signs for fixed speed cameras are set
to be rolled out across the country. The government hopes
the move will allow key we's the opportunity to check
their speeds in high crash areas to avoid tickets and accidents.
The rollout will take place as NZTA takes over managing
speed cameras from police. The warning signs are already going
up and the AA Road Safety spokesperson Dylan Thompson is

(00:23):
with me now, Dylan, good morning. Do these signs work?

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Do we?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Presumably they do. We slow down when we see them.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Good morning, Ryan. We expect to see a big reduction
in tickets at these sites when the signs are rolled out,
which means obviously that we have less people exceeding the
speed limit at those high risk locations. So in our view,
this is a really good thing and has been a
long time coming. We're really pleased to see these signs
finally happening.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Okay, but that's assuming that all of the cameras are
in high risk locations. And it used to bug me
going to Wellington driving down not on a gorge and
you know you're going downhill, so everyone speeds a little bit.
But is it a high crash area? Are the cameras
in high crash areas they go.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Through a process to establish where the cameras are going
to go, and in the past has been involved with that,
So they definitely have looked to find either locations with
a history of crashes involving speed or areas where there's
a lot of people traveling above the speed limit. No

(01:30):
longer Gorge, I know it very well. I think one
of the things people forget there is at more peak times,
especially when you're coming downhill, there can be tailbacks of
traffic that come and and if you're going down there
faster than eighty and it's a bit weirt or something
like that, and you come around the bend and suddenly

(01:50):
a line of cars stopped in front of you, there
is a lot of risk there. But hopefully the signs
when they go up are going to help people going
down now ato on a Gorge to remind them that
there's a camera there, check their speed, slow down, get
a lot of the.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Risk doesn't how far are the cameras from the signs?
In other words, how long do you have to slow down?
If you are not that I'm saying you should speed
or that people do.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
But it's going to vary a little bit depending on
the environment, you know, so they'll have to adjust the
signs depending on roads and intersections and what's around. But
we're probably looking somewhere around two hundred meters either side
as a ballpark figure. And I think just one other
thing that's really im one of those because I hear

(02:34):
people talk about our trys will just drive above the
speed limits or they see one of these signs, they're
not slow down and then speed up again. There is
definitely a certain group of people who just try to
drive as fast as they can above the speed limit.
I would say those drivers already have a pretty good
idea where the cameras are. What these signs are going

(02:57):
to help us. The large bulk of people who aren't
trying to the speed limit, they're good drivers, they're trying
to follow the rules. Maybe they're just a bit distracted,
maybe they just have let their speed creep up. And
it gives those people chance to just a little financial
incenter reminder to take a look oh this camp by
coming up, check the speed, slowly down if you need to.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Dylan Thompson, thanks so much for your time. The AA
road safety spokesperson on the rollout of signs warning us
of speed cameras.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
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Speaker 2 (03:28):
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