SH1 blackspot leads to first fixed speed camera

This month, a camera will be installed on State Highway 1, just south of Kaiwaka.

Northland is getting its first fixed speed camera.

This month, a camera will be installed on State Highway 1, just south of Kaiwaka, on a stretch that has seen 19 crashes, two of them serious, in the past 10 years.

National manager of road policing Superintendent Steve Greally said cameras were an important part of the Safer Journeys road-safety strategy.

"In many cases, a crash can be significantly less severe, or even completely avoided, if the drivers involved reduce their speed. Police speed enforcement is just one of the measures which is effective in encouraging safer speeds and reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads," he said.

Police had worked with the Transport Agency and an independent transport sector expert to carefully select the latest high-priority sites based on crash risk.

They had developed the static camera site selection methodology to pinpoint spots that had a proven history of crashes or potential for crashes resulting in death or serious injury.

"We know they'll make a difference to road safety in the areas," said Mr Greally.

The cameras used the latest digital technology to monitor multiple lanes of traffic in both directions.

New signs would also go up, warning motorists they were in areas of high-crash risk.