Speed camera operator caught asleep at the wheel
An investigation is underway after a Sydney mobile speed camera operator appeared to be asleep behind the wheel.
The traffic cameras are automatic but those in marked speed zones require monitoring.
An operator on Sydney’s Northern Beaches appeared to be snoozing while drivers were pinged, catching the eye of passing motorists.
Road safety experts admitted it was not a good look.
“The operator in the vehicle must be fully cognitive the whole time,” motoring expert Geoff Luff said.
“Going asleep on the job really is not on.”
The National Roads and Motorists’ Association’s Peter Khoury agreed.
“You need to be awake to make sure the technology is working, make sure the warning signs are where you put them originally because you don’t want someone moving them on you while you’re asleep,” he said.
The program costs $21 million a year to run. In 2016, nearly 30,000 infringement notices were handed out, bringing in $6 million in fines.
The NSW government said the incident was being investigated, with a report due this week.
