Road safety cameras

The road safety camera program is a key part of our commitment to road safety.

Road safety cameras are used across the state to improve driver behaviour and create safer roads. Speed cameras and red light cameras have been shown to reduce injury crashes by up to 47 per cent at Victorian intersections.

The program runs in partnership between:

• Victoria Police
• Department of Justice and Community Safety
• Traffic Accident Commission, and
• Department of Transport and Planning.

Victoria Police enforce infringements issued under the program to:

• deter non-compliance with road rules, and
• encourage long-term behaviour change.

Types of road safety cameras

Speed cameras

Speed cameras are one of the most effective tools to prevent road trauma.

Speed contributes to around one third of Victoria's road deaths and serious injuries. Many of these occur on high-speed rural roads, which make up over 40% of all deaths and 20% of all serious injuries.

A small increase in speed can increase the risk of a collision. Even if the main cause of a collision is not speed, the impact will be less severe in a slower vehicle. The chance of survival is much greater the slower you are driving.

There are three types of speed camera systems:

• Fixed safety cameras are placed at signaled intersections. They can detect both speed and red light offences.
• Mobile speed cameras are used in areas that are high-risk, have excessive speed complaints or where speeding is an issue.
• Point-to-point camera systems are used on the Hume Highway and Peninsula Link. They measure average speeds over distance and take instantaneous speed measurements.

For more information, visit Cameras Save Lives.

Victoria Police officers carry out other speed enforcement measures to help save lives. This includes:

• use of mobile radar laser equipment
• high visibility patrol cars and unmarked vehicles patrolling streets, roads and highways.

Red light cameras

Red light cameras aim to deter drivers from driving through red lights.

Red light cameras operate at traffic intersections in Melbourne and some country areas.

Twenty per cent of all casualty collisions occur at major intersections in metropolitan areas. Most of these have traffic signals.

For more information about red light cameras, visit Cameras Save Lives.

Mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras

Mobile phone and seat belt detection cameras detect:

• drivers using portable devices like mobile phones while driving
• drivers and front seat passengers not wearing their seatbelt or incorrectly wearing their seatbelt.

Driver distraction from the use of portable devices is a major contributor to road trauma.

For more information about the cameras, visit Cameras Save Lives.

For information about mobile phone and technology use while driving, visit Transport Victoria.