The state government has announced the introduction of new mobile speed cameras which capture high-quality images of both the front and rear of a vehicle.
Police minister Michelle Roberts unveiled the new cameras on Friday, which she said would give police a greater capacity to detect and prosecute speeding motorcyclists.
“For too long, speeding motorcyclists have avoided detection by speed cameras because they have no front number plate,” she said.
“While the majority of motorcyclists abide by the road rules, there are some who think they can thumb their noses at our speed limits.
“These new cameras will close that loophole which has allowed speeding motorcyclists to blatantly flout the law and put their lives at risk.”
The technology captures both front and rear images of the rider and registration of the motorcycle simultaneously providing police with better evidence to identify and prosecute riders.
Up until now, only red-light speed cameras at selected intersections and some fixed speed cameras on the freeway have had the capacity to capture the rear registration plates of speeding motorcyclists.
The new cameras would be fitted to vehicles which can be parked on the side of a road and enable a vehicle’s speed to be read from the front, while the vehicle is photographed from behind.
Licence plates were removed from the front of motorcycles about 35 years ago, following concerns about the metal plates inflicting severe injuries to riders in the event of an accident.
On Western Australian roads this year, 25 motorcyclists have been killed and 19 seriously injured in crashes.
In many of those, speed was found to be a factor.
“Speed is a major factor in fatal and serious injury crashes in WA and contributed to around 38 per cent of motorcycle fatalities this year,” Mrs Roberts said.
A number of accidents in the Peel region have claimed lives during the past few years.
In October, 2016, a motorcyclist died in a crash in Barragup.
Local resident Ben Kelly died in July 2016, after a crash on Mandurah Road in Meadow Springs.
Following Mr Kelly’s death, his relatives started a campaign called “Ben’s Legacy”, which encouraged motorists to take more care around motorcycles.
