How to find speed cameras in your area
About 30 per cent of all road accidents in Australia are a direct result of speeding, and in NSW it is estimated 40 per cent of all road fatalities are due to speeding.
Each state and territory government insists having speed cameras as a deterrent keeps that number at bay.
Throughout Australia, several different types of cameras are used to catch out motorists on several different traffic offences, including:
Fixed speed cameras
Red-light speed cameras
Mobile speed cameras
While some states have signs in place warning drivers of an upcoming speed camera, other states feel it is better to catch you by surprise. There are, however, ways to figure out where speed cameras are located across Australia.
How to find speed cameras in NSW
There are 110 fixed speed camera locations in NSW, according to Transport for NSW, as of October 2019.
Fixed speed cameras are utilised through high-risk locations throughout NSW, or areas where there have been a pattern of severe crashes.
In NSW, all speed cameras locations are signposted - even mobile speed cameras are clearly marked, however in November this year, the state government proposed getting rid of the signs.
“Signs there to remind people to do the right thing they are going into dangerous locations and want people to slow down around dangerous locations,” NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury told Yahoo News Australia.
Online, drivers can search for the current locations of speed cameras by location and road through the Transport for NSW website.
Through the search, people can also search for mobile speed cameras and red-light speed cameras.
According to the page, more red-light speed cameras locations have been approved to roll out across NSW from September 2019 to 2020.
In NSW, not only are locations for speed cameras selected based off crash history and whether a road is ‘high risk’ or a ‘crash cluster’, the community does get to have a say.
Under the NSW Speed Camera Strategy, NSW residents are able to nominate locations they wish to have a fixed speed camera placed online.
Once a community member has nominated a location, it is reviewed against crash criteria by the NSW Centre for Road Safety.
How to find speed cameras in Victoria
Unlike NSW, Victoria does not warn motorists there are cameras ahead with signage.
However, there are still ways for people to figure out where speed cameras are throughout the state.
Through Victoria’s Cameras Save Lives website, people can search for cameras by suburb, street location or offence location.
Alternatively, the Cameras Save Lives site also provides a detailed list of all the fixed cameras in the state.
The list also shows the date the camera was last tested and the certificate of compliance, also referred to as the ‘test certificate’ can be viewed.
Victorians can also suggest a location for fixed speed cameras.
Suggestions are referred to the Fixed Camera Site Selection Committee, alternatively, if someone would like to suggest the location for a mobile speed camera they can do so through Crime Stoppers or Victoria Police.
How to find speed cameras in Queensland
Like NSW and Victoria, the Queensland State Government also has all the speed camera locations from around the state listed on their website.
Through Google Maps, you can also check to see all the different traffic cameras around the state.
When deciding the location for a speed camera, or a red-light camera, there has to be a “number” of speed related crashes on a section of the road within the last five years, and the severity of those crashes is also considered.
Whether high-risk speeding behaviour is common in that particular area is also considered.
In addition to the fixed cameras around Queensland, there are also 3000 mobile speed camera sites located throughout the state, selected based on crash history at that site.
“You can expect to see speed enforcement anywhere, anytime on Queensland roads and you must always drive within the speed limit,” the Queensland Government says.
Through the Queensland Government’s Open Data Portal, people can also search for active mobile speed camera sites.
How to find speed cameras in South Australia
In South Australia, where speed cameras were installed, there was up to a 21 per cent reduction in injury crashes.
South Australia also uses speed and red light cameras to discourage offences.
The location of a fixed camera is determined by Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) and in consultation with South Australian Police.
Speed camera locations are mapped in South Australia on the speedcamera.sa.gov.au website. The map identifies speed cameras by suburbs and road name.
In addition to this, through the News and Publications section of the speedcameras.sa.gov.au site, people can keep up to date when a new camera is added in the state.
The website also gives motorists an insight into how mobile speed camera locations are selected - the driving force being collisions involving fatalities, hospitalisation or occupants being treated by doctors.
How to find speed cameras in Western Australia
You can view all the locations for fixed speed, red light and combined cameras in Western Australia through the Western Australia Police Force’s website.
“The Western Australia Police Force is happy for drivers to be aware of most speed camera locations to encourage them to slow down and try to prevent a serious or fatal collision,” the website says.
Every week, the locations for all the mobile speed camera locations are compiled into a PDF file which can be downloaded.
However, the Western Australia Police force does warn on their website while the location listed of the mobile cameras is accurate when it is published, locations may change without notice.
Not only are the locations for the mobile speed cameras published online weekly, according to the state government’s website, the locations are also printed in newspapers and broadcast on radio.
How to find speed cameras in the ACT
For Australia’s Capital Territory you can search for traffic cameras through the state’s Open Data Portal or through the Access Canberra website, which will redirect to the Open Data Portal.
There are three signs place ahead of speed cameras in the ACT.
300 to 500 metres away from the camera is a sign saying 'Speed Camera 24 hours', at the 150 to 250 metre mark, 'Speed Camera Ahead' and 'Heavy Fines Loss of Licence' at 50 to 100 metres from the camera.
Like in NSW, the ACT allows submissions from the public to nominate new mobile camera locations, and according to Access Canberra the ACT Government is dedicated to adding an additional 100 sites each year.
Related:
How to find speed cameras in Tasmania
All of the eight permanent speed cameras in Tasmania can be found listed on the Tasmania Police website.
The fixed speed cameras operate 24/7 and according to the Tasmania Police website, the technology allows police officers to undertake other road safety duties.
A Tasmania Police spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo News Australia the state uses “a combination of marked and unmarked operations, using a number of speed detection devices and fixed cameras across the state”.
“Fixed speed cameras are just one of the speed enforcement strategies we use; others include mobile speed detection devices, high visibility patrols and unmarked police vehicles and motorcycles,” the spokesperson said.
How to find speed cameras in the Northern Territory
Speed camera locations are listed on the Northern Territory governments website.
In addition to the fixed speed cameras, red-light cameras are also used, however the is no information available on the locations.
According to the Northern Territory’s Police, Fire and Emergency Services website, three speed camera vans from the Speed Camera Unit are located in Darwin and Alice Springs.
It was confirmed to Yahoo News Australia police do utilise mobile speed cameras.
Those vans are used in other locations during traffic campaigns and operations.
According to the Road Policing Strategy, speed is a factor in a quarter of road fatalities in the NT.
Other resources to find speed cameras
Now with multiple navigation tools, drivers can preview speed cameras along their route, or be alerted to them when they are coming up.
Smart phone apps like Waze and Google Maps show drivers where speed cameras are, and let them know what the speed limit is for a specific road.
Using these navigation tools, not only can people see where fixed and mobile speed cameras are, drivers can also add in a location of a camera they spot along their route.
Waze also allows drivers to add the locations of police they see on the roads and report accidents to assist other drivers.
However, in the past police have warned people it is illegal to touch their phone while driving.
"If you're entering any information, if you're touching the screen for example, then you are breaking the law," WA Police Minister Michelle Roberts told Nine News back in August.
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