Police Radar And Speed Camera Rules & Reg's

[LTSJayce]

G'day crew.

I've noticed over the last six months or so a sneakier approach from both the local constabulary and the revenue raising white vans. I've seen police officers cowering behind trees with radar guns, camera vans parked halfway down steep descents, unmarked utes and much more. Whilst I've not been 'done', there's fair enough, and then there's what some of these revenue raisers are up to. If I'm driving like a tw*t, and get done for it, then I'm the first one to put my hand up and say it was my fault, but with all this zero tolerance b.s. and anti-hoon laws, I've been trying to find out what rights ANY motorist has.

I always thought if you got pulled over for speeding, you had the right to ask to see the radar gun reading. So if the radar operator is 200 metres further back up the road when the car that's had you radioed in pulls you over, ol' mate isn't going to be so happy to trot said distance to show you what you're entitled to.

Or that a speed camera couldn't be set up within so many metres from a corner, or on a descent...

I also thought any police car, unmarked or otherwise, geeing someone into street racing was 'baiting', but apparently it's still being done.

The list goes on, and IMHO, I think they're overstepping the mark. The law will always be on the law's side, naturally, but where it's getting blatantly flaunted, I'd like to know if we have any rights.

So what I'd like to know from you all is where any official legislation can be found, on the net or otherwise, that is up to date, on the operating protocols for both police officers and the U.S. speed camera vans. I'd rather not know any heresay or anecdotal evidence, just what the rules are. I'd imagine it's different state to state, so the A.C.T. rules are the most applicable here, but if someone finds the N.S.W. ones, that might help the Queanbeyan crew. Feel free to PM me if this search might get you noticed in a way you'd rather not, otherwise, post 'em up if you find them!

[StinkyPoo]

Some info... Don't know if it's relevant.

http://www.tams.act.gov.au/move/roads/road..._camera_program

BTW, I know I've looked through the ACT Legislation site and found some info but at the moment the search function is not working.

http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/

http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/li/current/r.asp

Edited December 11, 2008 by StinkyPoo

[sl33py]

Nothing new...

[a20089]

I tend to agree Jayce

When speed vans were first introduced, I and others in the MRA meeting were told signage had to appear between 0 and 50 meters before the camera. Now it is a very small sign if at all on the van. It certainly was not to be used on hills in any manner or within 100m of a change in the speend limit. Both are currently being broken.

Baiting can be argued (as can anything in law). I've been unsucessful in seeing/filming encouragement of street offences by officers in uniform occuring. If I do, someone will lose their job and it won't happen again. In saying that, ACT cops are generally more mature then NSW/VIC ones and are less likely to try that crap. There's so many opportunites to bust someone, there's no need to prompt people to do it.

It would be nice to see some law laid out.

[Shell]

yeah when those vans first came out there was all sorts of rules... they were only allowed to set up in a few locations which was very limited (for example, Adelaide Avenue between the lodge and kent St) but gradually they change stuff... it annoys me cos it's as if they think we're stupid and try to ease us into it so they don't get a big public backlash.

As soon as you accept one thing, they "up" it slightly, until it's like it is now.... speed vans pretty much sit anywhere and the signage is non existant.

As for cops, I have a friend who has just moved into traffic so I might try and ask her if there's some rules anywhere about what you mentioned Jayce. Being a bit of a revhead herself (drives a WRX, goes to bathurst each year etc) she's adamant she won't book people for doing stuff she would do herself... there should be more like her!

[LTSJayce]

As for cops, I have a friend who has just moved into traffic so I might try and ask her if there's some rules anywhere about what you mentioned Jayce. Being a bit of a revhead herself (drives a WRX, goes to bathurst each year etc) she's adamant she won't book people for doing stuff she would do herself... there should be more like her!

Can you ask her if she's married? LOL!

Yes, it seems we are slowly, but surely, been taken advantage of, and not in a "can I buy you another drink before the taxi ride home" kind of way! I agree with John that ACT police don't need to provoke trouble too much, as the idiots usually point themselves out easily enough, but there is some flaunting of basic rules that I'd like to check out...and I'd like you all to know about them, too!

Thanks for the links, S.P.; I'll be into them shortly.

[Michele]

I have found this site interesting in the past, It used to have some good pointers as to what was not allowed with some of the traps. Many of which still continue... however Mark won't pull up and let me take photos of the traps because he thinks that we will then be targeted.

http://www.speedingfineconsultants.com/

[zZzDanzZz]

the camera vans that hide around sharp corners are the worse! when you see one your instinct reaction is to check your speed, meaning your eyes are now off the road on a corner, which could be wet/have no guard rails etc. then after that if youre going a bit fast, you brake hard to slow down, which could then lead to brakes locking up and you going into another car or a cliff.

ive seen it happen too many times in the past. someone must have got their ass kicked as i don't see them much anymore

also it seems ACT police are actually good people. ive dealt with a fair few and they've always been good and not power tripping.

dunno about NSW police

[Gus-]

as it says....only a speeding car ahs to worry about a speed camera....

so true

[Bullet32]

That may be true Gus but their equipment cant be 100% acurate 100% of the time...

I seem to remember that the NSW government had to reimburse over 3000 fines this year due to faulty cameras.

[Michele]

That may be true Gus but their equipment cant be 100% acurate 100% of the time...

I seem to remember that the NSW government had to reimburse over 3000 fines this year due to faulty cameras.

and imagine being one of those 3000 who weren't picked up... yet faced double demerit points?

[Gus-]

that being said...faulty equipment is a bit different to hiding in bushes...

and i say let them hide...

[tridentt150v]

I've been done for speeding a few times, and yep I was speeding [bike and car], doing the 10% thing [110 n a 100 zone and then just going over the 110 as well, down hill etc]. I objected to the fact that I was the only person on a lonely straight excellent surface road with good visibility, but shut up and paid up, no real alternative to that.

But what I really want to say is that the various speed limits [110, 100, 80, 60, 50 etc] are only an upper limit not a set speed. We all tend to forget that on a 100km/h road, you can do 90km/h [boring I know, but bare with me]. So when the cops decide 'zero tolerance' and we are doing 105, we are in the wrong, we don't have to sit on 100km/h exactly, we can all cruise at 95 and a have a buffer margin.

Me, I'll probably keep doing what I always do and whinge at all the 95'er's holding up the traffic, but at least I realise that I do have an alternative, its just that that alternative is not that attractive to me [which proabaly means that I'm willing to pay the price if I'm caught]!

So if your caught speeding, then you have made a conscious decision sometime before it happened to take that risk, and only have yourself to blame [like me].........

[TURISMO]

what he said

[datto260Z]

I'm with these two ^^

I did read the rules a while back, there a lot of these little laws that if you fought it you will definately get off. Hell I even know a bloke that got off a 225kph in a 80 zone because he had a good lawyer, cost him $35 in fees, but most of the time, you almost have to try to get caught.

[RB ONEVIA]

and this.... im not going to write it all again... heres the link

CLICK

[DJ_On_Ice]

Recently I have spoken to a lot of cops in passing while doing some work out at Sutton Road and my girlfriends brother and his girlfriend is a cop. Generally I have found that yes, the attitude of the AFP are is much more mature then that of its NSW counterpart. I have however heard some pretty crap things uttered by the mouths of NSW and AFP officers, things like "I can't wait to get out there and book every f^%#$ng P plater I see etc." and all that does is perpetuate the image that cops are the enemy. As tridentt150v said, you have the choice at any time to reduce/increase your speed, which is why when even an unmarked car that is 'baiting' you can be accused of entrapment, but those accusations will most likely not stick.

Of course there are always bad apples out there, but at all times police are bound by Commonwealth legislation that in effect act as a Code of Practice. This legislation can be found here:

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/comlaw/management...93?OpenDocument

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/comlaw/management...14?OpenDocument

Fair enough that those links provide us with a lot of reading and unless you have a specific incident that you need to enquire into the specifics that regulate police activity, but I guess the best advice I could offer is when dealing with Police exercise the "reasonable persons" test. Is their action reasonable and is it justified correctly?

If you feel that a cop has acted inappropriately or breached their regulations, then report them or make an appeal through the relevant avenue.

http://www.afp.gov.au/about/complaints.html

One of the best ways to avoid any crap and also one of the best ways to protect yourself by knowing what laws you are bound by as a motorist and as they are ever changing it can pay to stay a breast (LOL, breast.. sorry.... back on track) of the rules:

http://www.tams.act.gov.au/move/driver_lic..._Rules_Handbook

For a full version of these laws you can check out the Australian Road Laws

http://www.ntc.gov.au/ViewPage.aspx?documentid=00794 (This is a pretty epic set of rules so it might pay to only refer to it if you have a specific question)

In terms of where speed vans – which are operated by TAMS on behalf of the Chief of Police – the locations for their approved operation can be found here:

http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/p...tions_sites.pdf

and further information regarding the speed camera program can be found here:

http://www.tams.act.gov.au/move/roads/road..._camera_program

[datto260Z]

Now thats an informative post, thanks DJ

[DJ_On_Ice]

HAHA :-) Too much?

[MIVEC]

The only time I was ever pulled over with the lights on the policeman asked me about 4 times in different ways what speed I reckoned I was doing and I just dodged it each time. He ended up just lecturing me and letting me go.

Luckily for me he decided to turn his lights on while I was half way through my gear change down to boot it. Hehe.