We've all done it: you drive past a white or silver SUV parked on the side of the road and think, "Was that a speed camera?" When you look down to check your speed, you've passed the parked vehicle and realize to your horror that you've been going several miles too fast.
Now suspicion turns to paranoia. Was that a speed camera? Did I just see a flash? How accurate is my speedometer? How can I check if I've just been pinged?
Paranoia often turns to despair as you try to work out how much of a fine you're facing and how old you'll be before you get your penalty points back.
Yes, speed cameras can make life pretty difficult, especially when the cheating factor (the amount of speeding that is tolerated by the authorities) is so low.
There is even an argument that people today do not look further than the needle on their speedometer when driving in order to avoid speed trap fines.
Opponents of cameras argue that drivers would certainly be safer if they kept their eyes on the road rather than on the dashboard.
Certainly not, say law enforcement officials who are addicted to the money raked in each year from speed cameras.
In some states, speeding fines are even included in governments' annual budgets.
In some states, processing a speeding fine can take up to 28 days (NSW) or just four days (Tasmania).
In any case, the game then becomes a waiting game in which you keep an eye on the mailbox to see if a warning letter arrives in the mail.
How long does it take to receive a speeding ticket? In some states it can take up to 28 days (NSW) or as little as four days (Tasmania). Generally, you'll have to wait about two weeks to find out if the speeding ticket was for you.
Is there a way to check if you've been pinged before the letter arrives? Can you just google how to check if you've been caught by a speed camera in NSW or VIC?
Not really, and the various agencies do not have an online source for this information. You can call the relevant department, but there is no official regulation that this verification can be done over the phone.
Mobile speed cameras are carried either in police cars or in vehicles operated (in the case of Victoria) by a private contractor.
The technology
Different states and territories use different technologies and systems for their speed cameras. There are two main types of cameras : fixed and mobile.
The fixed vehicles are usually located in high-traffic or high-risk locations (such as tunnels and major arteries), while the mobile vehicles are transported either in police cars or (in the case of Victoria) in vehicles owned by a private contractor.
Yes, that's right. The person operating a mobile radar device in Victoria is not a police officer .
Some states also have timing cameras, where one camera takes your photo and a second one a few miles later takes another photo. The time between these two points determines your average speed, which is then compared to the posted limit.
At intersections there are also often so-called red light speed cameras which, as the name suggests, catch drivers who either ignore a red light, drive too fast through the intersection, or both.
How do speed cameras work? The cameras use either radar, LIDAR or laser technology to measure the speed of passing cars and can detect individual cars across three or more lanes.
Thanks to newer technologies, speed cameras can film through the rear window of the camera car before you even reach them.
Essentially, the technician checks the speed of the car and if it is too high, the camera triggers. It's that simple.
Typically, cameras take photos after the car has passed them, but with newer technology, they shoot through the rear window of the camera car before you even reach the car.
So can a radar device detect you from the front? Absolutely. The distance from which they can shoot is only 12 meters.
From what distance can a speed camera capture you? As long as the car is close enough for the license plate to be clearly visible in the photo, there is no legal limit on the maximum distance.
Thanks to modern technology, the camera is not always equipped with a flash. In low light, some use a red flash (so as not to blind the driver) and sometimes a regular white flash is still used.
Does a flash automatically mean you'll get a ticket even if you see the bright flash? No, that's not the case, because there could have been another car in the frame at the same time that the camera identified as the speeding car.
In some states, speeding fines are even included in the government's annual budget.
Camera cars are often plain-looking mid-size SUVs that blend in well with their surroundings and don't stand out. The exception is some states where the law requires that a sign be placed on the road ahead of the camera to warn drivers. (Some states have lettered camera cars so you have a chance.)
However, it seems to have become something of a sport for operators to make the sign as difficult to see as possible. This is still better than in Victoria, where the law was recently changed and now allows the camera car to be placed at the bottom of a hill and/or hidden behind a tree or billboard.
The locations
Again, this varies from state to state, but there is often a website that lists the locations of all fixed speed cameras and sometimes even the possible locations of mobile speed cameras.
Any government law enforcement agency will tell you that the locations were chosen because they are hot spots or high-risk areas . However, experience does not bear this out.
Instead, they often seem to have been placed where they have the greatest potential to catch speeding cars and thus maximize government revenue.
The authorities will of course deny this, but you can make up your own mind. Either way, the revenue from speed cameras is a huge deal, even if these authorities would prefer you and I to call them safety cameras .
Any government law enforcement agency will tell you that the locations were chosen because they are hot spots or high-risk areas .
The law
Each state and territory has its own view of the speed limit tolerance - that is, how much you can exceed the speed limit before you receive a fine. The laws generally require that the actual recorded speed be set back by three km/h to account for small inaccuracies in the equipment and to make the legal case watertight.
Again, it depends on where in Australia you are when it comes to how much you get fined for speeding. It also depends on how far over the limit you were and most states use a band system where up to 10km/h over the limit you get one fine, between 10km/h and 20km/h another and so on.
You will also find that if you are more than 30 or 40 km/h over the limit (25 km/h over in Victoria), you face automatic licence suspension and a much higher fine.
Each state and territory has its own view on speed limits. (Image: Richard Berry)
Many people will tell you that they know how to avoid a speeding ticket. And some have done it. In some states, you can write a letter to the traffic department and claim that you haven't received a ticket in X years.
If the speed you are caught at is under 10km/h, you may sometimes be spared a fine and penalty points, but in Queensland, this "leniency" does not exist.
It is also helpful to know how to check traffic penalty points. In most states, you get 12 points and lose them each time you get a traffic ticket.
If you lose all 12 points in any one (usually three-year) period, you'll have to wait a few weeks for the bus, but you can check the status of your points by setting up an account with your state or territory's licensing authority and checking your points online.