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SMILE, YOU'RE ON SPEED CAMERA!

Smile, you're on speed camera!


Drivers who slow down as soon as they spot a police speed camera unit will no longer have the chance to avoid a ticket if they were
speeding.

 

The latest addition vehicle to the Queensland Police mobile speed camera vehicle fleet, will have recorded the
driver’s speed long before the foot hits the brake.

Mobile speed camera vans have been redesigned to maximise the number of vehicles that can be detected flouting speed limits.
Queensland Police Service members were involved in developing the new design by using their skills to identify limitations in
existing models, and to construct, test, and trial the new vehicles.

Extensive trials were carried out in the Southern and Central Regions and the Sunshine Coast District. As a result the van is set to
replace many of the police fourwheel drive (4WD) speed units commonly seen on highways.

Inspector John McCoomb, State Traffic Support Branch, said the van trials were successful and their inclusion in the speed camera
vehicle fleet would help police combat motorists disregarding road laws.
“The rate of speed detections increased in the trial regions—as much as 150 percent at some sites—due to officers having better
control of the position of the radar beam,” Inspector McCoomb said.
“Such an increase is alarming and while the vans are ‘successful’ in apprehending speeding motorists,it’s disturbing that so many have
no regard for road rules and why they exist.”

In the older 4WD speed camera units, the camera was mounted in the front passenger area, while in the van the speed camera is
mounted in the rear of the van. Inspector McCoomb said by mounting the camera in the rear of the van the operator had the ability
to aim the radar beam to the left or right.
“In most speed camera units, cameras are mounted in the front and only capture images of speeding vehicles when the driver has passed by,” he said.

“Drivers see the speed camera vehicle, immediately slow down and pass the radar beam at a speed that is not a true reflection
of what the motorist was doing.”

The camera captures the images of the cars as they enter the radar beam, which reduces the opportunity for drivers to slow
down simply because they see a speed camera unit.

The Gatso camera is a slant radar device which projects a radar beam across the road at an angle of 20 degrees to the
road verge. The radar has the ability to measure vehicles either approaching or pulling away from the van.

New flash filters have also been fitted to the cameras, increasing the range of vehicles able to be captured on film.

“In the past police have been limited in which vehicles they could target because the flash was so intense,” Inspector McCoomb said.
“We couldn’t detect oncoming vehicles, especially at night, because the flash would dazzle the driver.

“New camera flash filters in the vans reduce the intensity of the flash and enable police to capture images of speeding motorists
regardless of their lane position.”

Senior Sergeant Trevor Bennett, State Traffic Support Branch, operates a speed camera vehicle and provides training
to staff employed in the Traffic Camera Office. He said while the directional ability of the radar and the new flash filters improved the
van’s effectiveness, these were not the only benefits the Vito offered.

“New Panasonic Tough Book laptops are more robust and incorporate updated technology. The officer’s work area is better
suited to the tasks they undertake and the van itself is practical and economical in suburbia.”

By Flo Turnbull
Media and public affairs branch

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