The area around the top of Mt Ousley is one of the worst areas for speeding drivers, according to police figures.
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Police data showed the top 10 suburbs for speeding offences over the past financial year – the suburb of Cataract at the top of Mt Ousley ranked seventh with 1544 fines.
Wilton – which features a section of Picton Road, including the Hume Motorway intersection – was in top spot with 3066.
Mittagong was second with 2256 and Waterfall (1646) was in fifth place.
South Coast Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Andrew Palmowski said police regularly conducted both mobile and stationary speeding enforcement at the top of Mt Ousley.
The speed limit drops from 100km/h to 80km/h at that location and Snr Sgt Palmowski said drivers either weren’t paying attention or ignored the change in speed limit.
Drivers should be mindful of their speed as they go down the hill,” Snr Sgt Palmowski said.
“The brake is right there in the middle of the footwell – it’s not hard to miss. For trucks it’s also important for them to maintain their speed of 40km/h.”
Snr Sgt Palmowski said even driving slightly over the speed limit could have serious effects in the event of a crash.
“Any increased amount of speed is always going to increase the potential for more significant injuries and increase the risk of a fatality occurring instead of just an injury,” he said.
Figures from the Traffic and Highway Patrol show speeding offences in NSW are rising with 249,814 people booked in 2016-17, an increase of 25,661 on the previous year.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, said the rise in speeding offences was of concern to all road users and urged drivers to slow down.
“Nearly 250,000 people were booked for speeding in the last financial year,” he said.
“This figure shows our commitment in identifying and prosecuting speeding drivers. However, it also indicates that personal responsibility is lacking on the part of too many road users.
“Speeding is still the number one killer on our roads, contributing to about 40 per cent of fatal crashes.
“When you combine speeding with other risky behaviours such as drink and drug driving, not wearing a seat belt or proper helmet, fatigue, or distraction, the results can be disastrous.”
