Lesson learned: Slow down, look up or the cost could be much worse than a fine
The money from speeding tickets goes to improving roads. But safer roads also need safer drivers, writes Rebecca Levingston.
āWhat should I write my column about?ā I ask.
āGetting a speeding ticket,ā suggests my husband.
āBut I havenāt have one for years.ā
He looks at me. I look at him.
ā58 in a 50 kilometre zone.ā
Snapped. Fined. Bugger.
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Firstly, I know, I did the wrong thing. Iām sorry. Secondly, what a waste of money.
The fine is $183 and one demerit point.
I immediately start calculating what wouldāve been a more useful way to spend that money.
So many things. A couple of ugly Christmas rashies. Piano lessons. Those sparkly sneakers I decided were too expensive. Fluffy towels. A PCR COVID test in case I want to leave Queensland ā or is the Commonwealth paying for that now?
Maybe itāll help if I think of it as a $183 donation to the Queensland Government coffers. Wonder what theyāll spend it on? By law, all money from camera-detected offences must be reinvested in road safety. Top idea.
āBloody revenue raising,ā Iāve heard people say. I never understood that cranky logic. I figure itās pretty clear. Hereās a number, the speed limit, and if you go over it youāll get stung. Fair enough.
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I remember the first time I got a speeding ticket. It was 1994 on the Bruce Highway heading south when I was about 17. My parents were in the car and we were driving from Townsville to Brisbane.
A long straight stretch of road lay in front of me, the bitumen in the distance shimmering at times. I drifted over the limit. I got pulled over by a firm but friendly police officer who cruised up behind me and flashed his red and blue lights.
It made my heart jump into my throat. I trembled as he explained the fine. He drove off and I got into the backseat of the car and cried. Dad drove the rest of the way.
Of course I shouldnāt be speeding because itās dangerous. Iām ashamed. And Iāll be more careful now. Just like I was when I was a teenager. For me, fines work. Until I get busy or careless. And stupid. I hope I get smarter.
Wonder if the 1,782 people caught by Queenslandās new covert cameras this month will learn from their mistakes. 1,504 people got pinged for mobile phone offences and 278 people werenāt wearing seatbelts. 57 drivers were caught two or more times in the first four days the cameras were clicking.
If you break the mobile phone laws while youāre behind the wheel youāll get fined $1,033 and lose four demerit points. Anyone not wearing a seatbelt will cop a $423 fine and lose three demerit points. Ouch.
Hereās another number to consider. 56.
56 people are killed and 317 are seriously injured on Queensland road each year as a result of speed related crashes.
Slow down. Spend your $183 on something better.
Even better, be safe.
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