Speed camera types
Australia and New Zealand use several kinds of road safety camera. Each kind looks different on the road and checks something different. The filter on the map lets you show only the kinds you care about.
The number on each marker is the speed limit at that place now. A yellow disc means a lower limit applies at this hour, such as a school zone. See how the limit is worked out.
Fixed speed camera
On the road
A grey or black box on a pole by the road, or on a gantry over the lanes. It stays in one place for years. Most states put a camera warning sign on the approach.
How it checks a car
Radar or sensors cut into the road surface time each car over a short distance. Some sites have white lines painted across the lanes. The photo can use them as a second check of the speed.
On the map
A dark camera icon on the speed limit sign.
Red light and speed camera
On the road
A box on a pole at an intersection, a few metres past the stop line. It faces the traffic or looks at the back of the cars.
How it checks a car
Sensors in the road before the stop line tell the camera when a car crosses on red. Many sites check speed at the same time, on green, amber and red.
On the map
A red traffic cone icon.
Point-to-point, average speed
On the road
Cameras on gantries or poles at the start and the end of a long stretch, often a highway. Signs at the start name the zone.
How it checks a car
Each camera reads the number plate. The time between the two points gives an average speed. A car can pass each camera at the limit and still be over on average. Some states run these zones for heavy vehicles only, and the signs say so.
On the map
A teal road icon at each camera the source lists.
Mobile speed camera site
On the road
A car or van parked on the verge, marked or unmarked, with a camera on the dashboard or on a tripod. Police pick from a list of approved sites, and a site can be empty most days.
How it checks a car
A radar or laser unit in the vehicle aims at passing traffic. The operator stays with it while it runs.
On the map
A purple van icon. A purple glow means police published a plan to use that road today.
Speed camera trailer
On the road
A small closed trailer, parked beside the road with no one in it. It runs on batteries, often with a solar panel, and can stay for days before it moves.
How it checks a car
Radar, the same as a mobile camera. The trailer works day and night without an operator.
On the map
An ochre caravan icon. Queensland publishes these sites.
Mobile phone and seatbelt camera
On the road
Cameras on a gantry or a pole over the lanes, or on a trailer. They look down through the windscreen.
How it checks a car
Software flags a photo that seems to show a phone in the driver's hand or a passenger with no seatbelt. A person then checks the photo before a fine goes out.
On the map
A pink phone icon.
Warning signs
Signs before a camera differ by state and by camera kind. A fixed camera usually has a sign. A mobile car or a trailer may have a small sign, or none. A missing sign doesn't change the limit.
The safest use of this page
Agencies put cameras where crashes or speeding are common. Treat a marker as a reminder of the limit on that stretch. The sign on the road wins over the map. Read the terms of use.