Australasian biker news

Queensland missed out on at least $2 million revenue from fines because cameras could not identify motorcycle, car and truck plates.

The Sunday Mail can reveal 60 per cent of all photos of speeding motorcyclists were rejected because motorcycles are not required to have front numberplates - only at the back - so could not be identified.

Last financial year 2553 motorcyclists - an average of 212 a month - were caught speeding by the cameras, but could not be identified and fined.

Police photos revealed one motorcyclist was caught on camera in August this year doing 123km/h in a 60km/h zone at Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast, but escaped without penalty.

Speed cameras recently caught other motorcyclists who were doing 108km/h and 104km/h in 60km/h zones, and 151km/h in an 80km/h zone in Brisbane - potentially endangering lives.

In each case the motorcyclist should have copped a $700 fine, eight demerit points and a six-month licence suspension because they were more than 40km/h over the speed limit.

But the camera detections were rejected because they did not show numberplates.

Inspector John McCoomb, officer-in-charge of the Traffic Camera Office, said motorcyclists were not being deterred from offending.

"There's a propensity for motorcycle riders to actually not only flout the law in relation to the fact that they feel they can't be detected, but to go that bit quicker and therefore drive more recklessly in the process," he said.

"The fact is, particularly from a technology situation, we're not actually catching up with them.

"That is very, very frustrating, bearing in mind a huge percentage of our fatalities come from motorcycles."

Insp McCoomb said one speeding motorcycle caught in front and rear camera shots had no plates, and another motorcyclist covered his rear plate with his hand when he realised there was a speed camera behind him.

State Transport Minister Paul Lucas yesterday promised to hold a trial early next year to assess the suitability of electronic tags to identify motorcycles.

Radio frequency identification or other technology could be fitted to a registration sticker or rear plate to allow cameras to identify motorcycles without front plates.

Police figures also showed 17,000 vehicles - mostly cars - also escaped penalties for speeding and running red lights last financial year because plates were obscured, unclear, too small or missing.

Mr Lucas has asked the Transport Department to examine the possibility of increasing fines for illegible plates and introducing a demerit points penalty, similar to NSW and Victoria.

He said the Department also would report on the feasibility of dropping the $20 replacement fee for plates older than 10 years, so there would be no excuse for illegible plates.

Motorists currently face fines of up to $240 for not replacing old or illegible numberplates.

Some police and road safety campaigners say it is time for wraparound or stick-on front plates to be introduced for motorcycles.

Pedestrian Council of Australia chairman Harold Scruby said it was a scandal that so many motorcycles, in particular, were avoiding camera detection.

"We have to get bad drivers off the roads, and the only way to do it is through a demerit system," he said.