Aucklanders pay disproportionate $50.9m of total NZ speeding fines in 2018 - but escape demerit points

One of Auckland's 12 speed cameras, on the corner of Remuera Rd and Koraha St, Auckland.

More than half the speed-camera tickets issued last year went to Aucklanders, who forked out $44.3 million, but mostly escaped licence demerit points.

In contrast to paying the majority of fixed and mobile speed camera tickets, Auckland motorists received a fraction of the officer issued speeding tickets that carry demerit points.

Of the $30m officer issued speeding tickets handed out in 2018, Auckland motorists were hit with just $6.6m — 22 per cent.

The road offence data reveals Aucklanders are paying a disproportionately high amount of speeding fines based on population.

Auckland accounts for 33 per cent of New Zealand's population, but 46 per cent of the total camera and officer speeding fines in 2018 were issued there — $50.9m of a national total of $110.3m.

However, 87 per cent of the time, these tickets landed Auckland motorists no demerit points.

Despite difference in numbers, road policing Inspector Mike Brooklands said NZ Police "have no interest in the dollar value when it comes to infringement notices".

Brooklands said the higher Auckland speed camera ticket numbers can "predominantly" be explained by the introduction of nine new fixed cameras in 2018.

"The Waterview Tunnel is also situated in Auckland, and unless some motorists start reducing their speed in this area, it is likely to continue to skew any results given the sheer volume of traffic that travels through the tunnel and past the cameras there," Brooklands said.

The Ministry of Transport's manager of mobility and safety, Brent Johnston, indicated the Government was not "currently exploring" changing road laws to include demerit points on camera issued tickets.

"While it might seem logical to extend the demerit points system to motorists caught by speed camera, there are a number of potential challenges," Johnston said.

"For example, current technology uses the identification of the vehicle and registration plate, and not the individual driver. Making a positive identification of who is actually behind the wheel becomes difficult as the driver may not the registered owner of the vehicle.
"There are privacy implications that would need to be given careful consideration if different information were to be collected from these cameras in order to support identification of drivers."
The relatively low frequency of officer issued speeding tickets follows data released under the Official Information Act revealing police had a 45 per cent turnover rate of new recruits in their road policing unit in 2018.

Auckland's Devonport Takapuna Local Board chairman George Wood said mailed speeding tickets from a camera are not a powerful deterrent on driver behaviour.
"I'm very surprised at the relatively low number of speeding tickets where officers actually stop the vehicle," Wood said.

"The fact that an officer stops a vehicle and actually points out the error of the person's ways is important, because getting a ticket in the post 10 days after you've incurred the infringement doesn't have anywhere near the impact an actual stop and discussion at the time has."

Wood, who was a police officer for 32 years, also cited the Republic of Ireland's road toll last year of 149, which has dropped from double that a decade ago though concerted increases to road policing numbers.

The Republic of Ireland has a similar population to New Zealand, yet 380 people died on our roads in 2018.

NZ's speeding ticket breakdown for 2018:

Mobile and static speed camera fines
Auckland: $44,355,410
NZ in total: $80,340,200

Officer issued speeding tickets
Auckland: $6,583,170
NZ in total: $29,990,070