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Everything you need to know about police radar, laser and speed cameras in South Australia

1) What are the different types of police radar / laser & speed cameras used in SA?

a) What is the respective the tolerance / accuracy of each device?

 

b) What are the guidelines for use of this equipment?

 

c) How do these devices make mistakes?

i) Moving Radar errors and mistakes

 

ii) Laser (LIDAR) errors and mistakes

 

iii) Speed camera errors and mistakes

2) What products offer the best protection against these types of police radar / laser / cameras?

a) What are the laws governing the use of radar / laser detectors?

 

b) Can the police determine if you are using a radar detector?

3) What are the penalties / demerit points and speeding fines for SA?

a) If I know I wasn't speeding, how can I challenge / beat a speeding fine

4) What are the road fatality statistics for Northern Territory?

5) Summary for police radar, laser and speed cameras in South Australia

What Radar / Laser speed measuring devices are used in SA?

Firstly, it needs to be explained that there are four different RADAR bands (frequencies) used throughout the world plus LASER (which is completely different to radar).

The four radar bands include:

X-Band (10.275GHz up to 10.775GHz) - not used anywhere in Australia

K-Band (24.050GHz up to 24.250GHz)

Ka-Band (33.400GHz up to 36.000GHz)

Ku-Band (13.175GHz to 13.675GHz) - not used anywhere in Australia

Radar (short for radio and ranging) works by transmitting a pulse of electromagnetic (EM) energy, also referred to as RF energy at a moving object.  Using the Doppler principle the radar gun ‘listens’ to the change in pitch of the radio waves as they reflect off the moving vehicle and thus determines the speed.  Similarly, when a train blows its whistle as it passes you – you can hear the change in pitch of the whistle, as the train moves past. 

The radar beam starts out as a small diameter pulse when it leaves the radar gun, but grows quite rapidly as the distance increases from the gun.  At a distance of 300 metres, the radar beam is now 100 metres tall and 200 metres wide! If 6 cars were simultaneously hit by a radar beam (six vehicles driving down the freeway), 6 pulses would come back to the radar gun, and the radar gun would detect (and report the speed of) the largest signal of the 6 signals present.  To overcome this shortfall, the latest radar units with Digital Signal Processing (DSP) can identify the strongest and the fastest targets to try and help the police officer identify which vehicle's speed is being displayed on the radar gun.

Because the radar beam is so large when traveling down the road, a radar detector can be located almost anywhere in or on the vehicle, and it will detect the radar signal.  Radar will penetrate glass, plastic, even people, but is reflected by metal and metallic objects.  Radio waves will only travel in a straight line, so you are relying on reflections of other objects to give you advanced warning if you do not have a line of sight with the radar gun.

Traffic radar uses a radar beam to measure speed. Think of the beam as a searchlight. It’s invisible because it’s made of microwaves instead of light, but otherwise it acts very much like a light beam. It travels in straight lines. It’s easily reflected. It scatters as it is passed through dust and moisture in the air. And — this is essential — it has to hit your car before it can determine your speed. Radar can’t see around corners or through hills. It can’t see you when you are behind another vehicle. When in the clear, how strongly your vehicle reflects determines at what distance the radar can detect your speed. Generally, larger vehicles reflect more strongly than smaller vehicles. Trucks are more “visible” at further distances than cars. The principle on which radar operates is absolutely reliable. Radar equipment, on the other hand, is only as good as the quality of its design and manufacture. Traffic radars tend to be unreliable. They’re cheaply made and therefore vulnerable to many interferences that cause false readings. And, compared to the military and weather radar which have rotating antennas, traffic radars are vastly simplified. This simplification means that traffic radar cannot tell one car from another. The operator has to do that, and since the operator can’t see an invisible beam any better than you can, he frequently doesn’t know which vehicle’s speed is being read. This is a source of many undeserved tickets.

As a defense against radar detectors, many police radar units can be operated in the Instant-on mode, also called the Pulse mode. This means the radar is in position, but it is not transmitting a beam. So it cannot be detected. When the target is within range, the radar operator switches on the beam and the radar calculates the speed, usually in less than a second. This calculation happens too quickly for the target (you) to respond in time.  Still, you can defend against Instant-on by recognizing it when the operator zaps traffic ahead of you.

As well as radar, there is also LASER (also known as LIDAR, - LIght Detection And Ranging), which operates at a frequency of 904nm ‡ 33MHz. A police laser (LIDAR) gun emits a highly focused beam of invisible light, in the near infrared region of light, at 904nm of wavelength, with the beam being around 50cm in diameter at a distance of 300m from the laser gun. Unlike RADAR which determines a vehicle's speed by measuring its Doppler shift, police laser (lidar) calculates speed by observing the changing amount of time is takes to "see" reflected pulses of light over a discreet amount of time.

Because the laser beam's diameter is so narrow, if a laser gun is aimed at the license plate, the beam is so small, that most times, none of the laser signal would actually “spill over” up to the windshield, where your detector is mounted.  Thus, a radar detector with laser detector mounted on the windscreen would not even detect the laser beam targeted on the license plate (or headlights or bumper for that matter). This means the beam of a laser gun is accurate enough to target a single vehicle out of, let’s say, six vehicles driving down the freeway. The laser gun can target and detect that single vehicle in less than ½ second after the trigger is pulled, while the surrounding vehicles would not detect the laser beam as it passed right beside their vehicle! 

Other than radar and laser, there are other ways of calculating a vehicle's speed being:

• Vascar - This is not a radar or laser, system; rather it is a glorified stopwatch that relies on the policeman's honesty and accuracy. They are mounted in the police car and are often used when following the target. When the target car goes past a landmark (usually a white marking across the road), the timer is started and when the car goes past the second landmark, the timer is stopped. It is hooked up to the patrol car's speedometer to give a target speed reading. It relies on the button being pushed at the right time and the pacing distance to be long enough to overcome any timing errors. The only countermeasure is careful observation, or a GPS unit if it's a regularly used Vascar area.

• Piezo-electric strips - pressure-sensitive strips embedded in the roadway (a set distance apart if speed is to be measured - typically 1-3 metres).

• Inductive Loops - embedded in the roadway detect the presence of vehicles, and with two loops a set distance apart vehicle speed can be measured.

• Arial Speed checks (similar to Vascar)

None of these are used in the South Australia , other than red light cameras, which use the sensors built into the road.

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In South Australia, the police use the following speed measurement devices:

Hand-held radar:

The hand-held radar guns used in SA are the Genesis VP directional units, operating on K-band and manufactured by Decatur Electronics, Inc in the USA.  These were introduced in 2001, at the same time as the Ultralyte 100LR Lidar guns.  Most radar detectors will give advanced warning if a car in front of them is targeted with this radar unit.

Dash Mounted radar (aka moving radar) set up in police cars:

The KR10-SP manufactured by Kustom Signals Inc in the USA was the first dash mounted K-band radars used in SA police cars.  The KR10 can be used in stationary and moving mode, and can be used in "instant on" mode or "constant on" mode.  One antenna for front only or two antennas for front / rear can be used.

SA police cars have been upgraded with a newer dash mounted (moving radar) for their highway patrol cars, with dual antennas for targeting cars in both directions.  It is unclear whether the latest radars are the Silver Eagle or Golden Eagle from Kustom, although both models operate on K-band.  Lately, SA police have also been using unmarked BMW motorbikes with moving radar in a crackdown against speeding bikers.

Hand-held laser (aka lidar):

The very first laser guns used by the SA police were the Kustom Prolaser II manufactured in the USA.  Like all laser (lidar) guns, these operate at 904nm frequency.  The Kustom Prolaser II has an electronic "cross hair" target in the view scope, which is used to aim at the target vehicle.  The speed is usually read in less than one second.  The Kustom Prolaser two's were replaced by the newer LTi Ultralyte 100LR model as of 2001, but you may still find the Prolaser in use in some police departments.  Both laser gun models trigger the same alert on a detector.

SA police, like many Australian states, now use the LTI Ultralyte 100LR speed laser (lidar) gun.  The LTI Ultralyte 100 LR used in Australia is the 100pps (pulses per second) model displaying speed and distance in km/h and km respectively.  This unit has been in operation since 2001 replacing the older Kustom Pro-laser II model.  Identical in frequency (904nm) the Ultralyte is the most popular model Laser (Lidar) speed gun in Australia.  Like all laser guns, it can acquire a vehicle's speed in less than one second.

Mobile Speed Cameras:

SA speed cameras such as the Traffipax camera system usually mounted on a falcon or commodore.  The camera operates on the Ka-band at 34.4GHz and is best detected by a radar detector with Ka-narrow band filtering.  Wideband Ka detectors offer poor performance against these type of photo radar speed traps as the scan range is much higher on a wideband detector.

In 2004 the South Australian Government began trialing the use of speed cameras mounted in wheelie bins claiming it would help improve the state's road safety. The state Budget makes provision for the new system. Acting Transport Minister Paul Holloway says police and Transport SA will begin trialing the wheelie bin cameras in locations where it is too dangerous to mount a speed camera in a car. Mr. Holloway says the State Government's aim is to reduce the road toll. "We do have a particularly poor record [and] we were the worst of all the states when this Government came to office," he said. "We do need to continue to work and look, this new trial of putting a camera in a wheelie bin is just one way in which we can add to the armoury of police."

Watch the SA government's anti-speeding TV commercial demonstrating a variety of speed detection equipment.

Fixed Red Light / Speed Cameras:

Vic company wins SA red light contract

The South Australian Government has awarded a contract for 18 new red light and speeding cameras to a Melbourne company, after problems with an earlier batch made in Germany.

The makers of the cameras had to fly to Australia to fix them earlier this year.  Flett Steele from the SA Transport Department says the Australian company, Redflex Traffic Systems, won the $2.3 million contract because it had the best offer.

But he admits it will make things easier.

"As you know we've had problems with the other cameras and they've had to be sent back to Germany to be repaired," he said.

"These cameras, as far as they'd have to go is Melbourne."

State Opposition transport spokesman, Martin Hamilton-Smith, says $36 million has already been spent on German-made cameras, which still are not being used.

"We were told we would get 48 cameras for that amount of money," he said.

"We have none at the moment and if we have 19 cameras back in Germany they don't work.

"Now we have this announcement today that we're going to buy new cameras from somebody else. There doesn't seem to be any sensible plan here."

A spokesman for the Transport Department says the 19 German cameras that were faulty have been repaired and should be returned to South Australia shortly.

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How accurate are these devices?

The assumption being made here, is that the speed measuring equipment is being used according to the manufacturer's guidelines (see below).

The Genesis VP directional hand-held radar is accurate to ± 2km/h and can only be operated in "stationary mode"

 

The Kustom Eagle dash mounted moving radar is accurate to ± 2km/h in stationary mode and ± 3km/h in moving mode

 

The LTI Ultralyte Laser (Lidar) gun is also accurate to ± 2km/h and cannot be operated in moving mode.

 

The Traffipax speed camera is accurate to ± 3km/h

 

The Redflex speed cameras are accurate to 1km/h up to 100km/h then 2% for over 100km/h

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What are the guidelines for use of this equipment?

Contrary to what the government or police would have you believe, the accuracy of these "speed measuring devices" can be somewhat doubtful, particularly if the manufacturer's guidelines for use are not strictly followed.  Police officers, and mobile speed camera operators are trained in the proper use of these devices, but that isn't to say these guidelines are always followed.  It is estimated that 10% of all LIDAR infringements are incorrect and up to 30% of all moving radar speed readings are also incorrect!

The Australian standards AS 2898.2-2003:

"Radar speed detection - Operational procedures" - can be purchased HERE

The Australian standards AS 4691.2-2003:

"Laser-based speed detection devices - Operational procedures"

- can be purchased HERE

What does all this mean? It means that there are requirements for the correct placement and setup of speed camera devices as well as guidelines for the use of radar devices.  Rules that must be followed for setup, placement and testing! But are they?

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How do Police Radar, Laser & Speed Cameras make mistakes?

Moving Radar mistakes:

The Texas Department of Public Safety produced a comprehensive manual based on the Federal tests. It cautions operators, "...the radar does not generate 'false' readings. Anytime a reading appears, the radar has sensed a signal. The radar operator must be familiar with situations that can produce 'error' readings." If the operator does not detect the error, a ticket will be wrongfully issued.

Here are the radar "errors" detailed by the Texas manual:

1. Antenna Positioning Error
The radar beam travels in a straight line, neither bending around curves nor following the contour of hilly terrain. If the antenna is not properly positioned, it may seem to clock an approaching car when, in fact, it's clocking another car in the background.

2. Look-Past Error
Even if the operator aims his antenna properly, radar is still subject to "look-past" error. This is caused by the radar looking past a small reflection in the foreground to read a larger reflection behind. This error is all the more insidious because poorly-trained operators assume it can't happen.

Texas instructors warn, "It is a widely-held misconception that the reflected target signal received by the radar antenna will always be that of the closest vehicle to the antenna. There are times, due to traffic conditions, that the closest vehicle is not returning the strongest signal."

The Texas instructors confirm this problem with radar, saying "It is not unfair to say that the reading you register could be a larger, better target three-quarters of a mile down the road."

3. Vehicle Interference Error

Texas tells its radar operators that this "...situation becomes more critical if difference in patrol speed and interference-vehicle speed is five to ten mph. A target vehicle moving 61 mph may be recorded at 66-71. These borderline speeds are more difficult to detect with the eye."

4. Cosine Error
Cosine error produces a result similar to Interference error except no moving traffic need be present. A stationary object adjacent to the road, such as a building, or road machinery, or even a sign, makes a more efficient reflector than horizontal pavement. Therefore the radar uses that reflection as the basis of patrol speed.

If this reflector were positioned straight ahead on a collision path, the patrol speed estimate would be close enough. But the further the object is located off a direct line to the target, the lower will be the estimate of patrol speed. This is a simple trigonometry problem relating to the cosine of the angle between the target and the ground reflector, hence the name Cosine error. Since Cosine error always makes patrol speed seem smaller than it actually is, it always acts to raise the reading of target speed.

5. Double-Bounce Error
Microwaves are easily reflected. That's what makes radar possible. But the operator must be aware of the difference between an ordinary reflection and a bad bounce. Big objects such as trucks are very efficient reflectors, and it's possible for the radar beam to bounce off several moving trucks at once, always producing erroneous readings.

6. Beam-Reflection error
Because microwaves are so readily reflected, Texas instructors recommend caution, even in mounting the antenna within the patrol car. They say it's possible that a reflective path can be set up through the rear-view mirror that will produce radar readings on vehicles behind the patrol car when the radar is aimed forward. And those vehicles behind can be either coming or going, since radar does not distinguish directions.

7. Road-sign error
The ready reflectability of microwaves means that road signs are also source of errors.

8. Radio-Interference Error
According to the Texas course, "UHF radio now in use can force radar to read various numbers when you transmit, or just key the mike. Citizens band radio transmissions from within the patrol vehicle can cause ghosting (false readings)." It recommends that no radio transmissions be made while clocking target vehicles.

9. Fan-Interference error
When the antenna is mounted inside the patrol car, the Texas course says, "Radar will have a tendency to read the pulse of the fan motor (air conditioner, heater, or defroster)." The instructors go on to say, however, that the fan reading will disappear when a target comes into range, and that the fan will not distort the speed reading of the target car.

However, in the case of moving radar, they say, "Sometimes a steady fan speed will override patrol car speed reflected from the roadway." When this happens, the false speed reading produced by the fan will be substituted for patrol speed in the moving radar's calculation of target speed. Since the calculation consists of subtracting patrol speed from closing speed, if the fan reading is less than patrol speed, then the speed displayed for the target will be incorrectly high.

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Speed Laser (Lidar) mistakes

Police LIDAR can also make errors if not operated according to the manufacturer's guidelines.

1. Stationary - Laser cannot be used in moving mode, they must be used whilst stationary.  Similar to radar, laser cannot be used in the rain, snow, or high dust environments.

2. Interference - If for any reasons intended signal returns are interrupted, it may not be able to determine target velocity. Bright lights (such as Halogens) beaming directly into a laser aperture may desensitize or entirely masks target's echoes. The brighter and closer the light source the greater the chance of interference.

3. Cosine Error - Is the angle from 0* perpendicular to the target vehicle. The greater the cosine angle the greater the error. However, cosine error is always in favor of the motorist, one of the speed readings will be will be proportionally less than the actual speed of the target vehicle.

4. Sweep Error (also known as pan or slip error) - Is manifested when the laser is aimed at one part of the vehicle, say the license plate, and due to the motion of the operator, the laser also targets a side mirror during the same trigger pull. Sweep Error adds to the real speed of the target vehicle. See videos below.

5. Reflection Error - On very hot days with low humidity a visible mirage/reflection of the target vehicle is created. In many cases, when the laser is aimed at the target vehicle the infrared beam also receives readings from both the target vehicle and the mirage causing a Sweep Error.

6. Overexposure Error - When a laser gun receives an extremely powerful reflective signal, such as a sun flare off a vehicle, the computer's timer can't see return of the 904 nanometer signal it sent. It can't compute a speed reading. In general, the laser gun is looking for the strongest return reflection of its own emitted beam for speed computation.

LTI 20-20 exposed as unreliable (source)

Daily Mail, 15th October 2005.

Experts and two investigations by the BBC's Inside Out program and The Daily Mail have revealed that the police's favourite speed gun, the LTI 20-20, is flawed and can produce incorrect and unreliable speed readings. The device is used in some 3500 speed traps around the UK, but motorists have been prosecuted for speeding when they're adamant that they weren't over the limit. However, the main expert witness called by the CPS to defend the equipment in court is the boss of the UK importer, Frank Garratt, a former police officer and now a millionaire.

In tests the speed gun recorded a wall speeding at 44mph. (Yes, a brick wall, that's not a misprint) Other tests showed a bicycle doing 66mph and a parked car doing 22mph. The Daily Mail reports that even when the camera is set up following the police's own guidelines and the manufacturer's handbook some of the readings were wildly off the mark.

The newspaper wrote "The Mail can expose the scandal of a speed enforcement industry in which the collection of fines is considered paramount - whatever the consequences for innocent drivers caught in police traps by faulty readings." Lawyers told the paper that motorists are now rebelling by refusing to pay fines and fighting their cases through the courts. One solicitor, Barry Culshaw from Southampton, is representing 15 clients who all claim to have been a victim of faulty LTI 20-20 readings.

Another discovery, writes The Daily Mail, is that vital video film, often taken as secondary evidence, is often mysteriously withheld from accused motorists by the CPS. On at least 10 occasions the CPS has suddenly dropped the case against a motorist when ordered by a judge to hand over the revealing footage. 

Dr Michael Clark is Europe's leading expert on laser technology and a former directory of a company making laser detection equipment for traffic lights and car parks. He's also a fierce critic of the speed gun and has acted as an expert witness on behalf of many motorists since he defended himself after being caught for alleged speeding.

Dr Clark says the gun is defective because its wide beam can easily pick up the wrong vehicle and if not held firmly on the target (which is a difficult task itself) it can produce an erroneous speed result because of "slippage".

Reflections from road signs and from other cars, even stationary ones, can also make the laser device misinterpret the true speed of the vehicle. The LTI 20-20 works by sending out a beam to measure the distance of the target from the officer operating it and also how long it takes for the beam to reflect off the target and bounce back. The operator looks through the sights and sees a red dot which he aims onto the target and presses a trigger. Critically the beam must be held firmly at the same point on the moving vehicle. But if slippage occurs and the beam moves up, down, or along the vehicle the gun will measure an inaccurate reading.

In tests in the USA, it was shown that if the beam slips from the windscreen of a car down to its grille on the bonnet it can add 8mph onto the vehicle's measured speed. If it slips along the length of the car - which is possible when a vehicle comes around a corner into the speed gun's sights - a whopping 30mph can be added on to the reading.

The BBC's experiments with the LTI 20-20 were dismissed by both the UK importers and ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) saying it was impossible for the gun to make any errors and that the BBC used an American version of the gun which they claim has less reliable software.

However, that claim was been rejected by the Daily Mail who obtained a UK version of the gun - a LTI 20-20 Ultralyte certified by Tele-Traffic, the UK importers based in Warwick.

Dr Clark points out during the experiments that the gun uses a multi-mode laser which uses 3 beams, not one. Over a long distance the beams widen so if it's targeted onto one vehicle it can unintentionally hit another vehicle nearby by mistake. Dr Clark said "A policeman can't tell from 400 meters away - or even at a longer distance in many cases - exactly which car he is marking." To demonstrate his point they parked a car at the side of the road and drove a white van past it at just 3mph. The laser gun was pointed at the car from 371 meters away which, according to the handbook, is easily within its capabilities.

As soon as the van drove past the parked car the laser gun picked up the moving van. It was impossible to target just the parked car along and as a result the car was recorded as travelling at 3mph, even though it was really stationary. The experiment was repeated with the van doing 26mph and the gun clocked the parked car at 26mph.

Another problem is reflection from other vehicles. They pointed the gun at a different parked car and slowly drove the white van past. It recorded the parked car doing 22mph. Dr Clark explains "The beam sometimes catches the reflection of a nearby car. It zig-zags to this car before carrying on to the target vehicle and returns by the same route."

In their final experiment they pointed the gun at a brick wall with no moving vehicles in the area. They moved the beam along the wall instead of keeping it perfectly still on a single point to create the slippage effect. The gun was confused and showed a speed of 44mph. Dr Clark said "This shows how a traffic officer can mistakenly pick up a reading from a wall by the side of a motorway or even an empty road if he doesn't target a vehicle properly. Of course there's no record to prove if an officer had targeting the vehicle properly or not. Assumption of accuracy is always taken for granted even if the officer had unwittingly made a mistake.

ACPO state that the gun shouldn't be used at distances more than 500 meters, but Dr Clark says that it's being used in some cases at double that distance.

Despite the recent media interest in these issue the shortcomings of the gun was discovered nearly a decade ago in 1996 in the US state of New Jersey. The state temporarily banned the gun after a court witnessed someone targeting the gun on a wall of the courtroom and it measured 4mph. The lawyer, Joe Maccarone, defending a motorist accused of speeding called on an expert from NASA. The expert said that at just over 300 metres there was only a 60% chance of a human operator hitting a 12 foot wide target with a laser gun. Cars are only 6 foot wide so the chances of hitting something other than the target are very high indeed.

Hand-held laser mistakes videos:

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Speed camera mistakes:

Speed camera fine doubts
Posted Fri Apr 18, source: www.abc.net.au

Speed camera accuracy has been questioned in SA.

The South Australian Opposition says an apparent speed camera glitch means hundreds of motorists may have been wrongly fined.

An Adelaide man is disputing a speeding fine issued last January based on evidence from a mobile police camera on Main North Road, because of contradictory information about the camera's positioning.

The ABC Stateline program has revealed conflicting figures from the police and the SA Police Minister that suggest the camera was in two locations at once.

The Opposition's Iain Evans says a mistake has been made has called for any wrong charges to be dropped.

"Commonsense says all of the photos taken that day from that camera are likely to be wrong," he said.

"They all should be reviewed and, if they are wrong, they all should be withdrawn.

"If people have paid fines or lost demerit points, the demerit points should be reinstated and the fines reimbursed."

South Australia: Speed Camera Records Car  690 mph
 

Documents from a court trial in Australia prove speed cameras record motorists routinely driving at speeds up to 690 MPH.

Hand-held speed cameras in Australia are recording motorists travelling impossible speeds. One accused driver, David Gillan, decided that he would fight back against a ticket he received on a freeway south of Adelaide because he believed that he was not speeding. To prepare his court case, Gillan requested the speed camera operator's notes and calibration documents. When he received them, he noticed the camera had claimed one automobile reached 690 MPH and another 248 MPH.

The television program Today Tonight hired a traffic engineer, Grad Zivkovic, to recreate the error in Gillan's case. Zivkovic explained that a brick wall at the location was interfering with camera readings by reflecting the signal from the gun. It caused 90 MPH readings for cars that were obviously not speeding. At another location, the television crew set its cruise control to 37 MPH to test the speed gun. Zivkovic clocked them at 80 MPH.

"Police say 'trust us' and police also say 'trust manufacturer,' but we learn many times in our lives we have to check certain things to make sure they do operate correctly," Zivkovic explained on the program.

In 2004, more than 165,000 speed camera citations worth A$26 million were overturned after a woman proved her 1975 Datsun was clocked at a speed it was unable to reach. British media have also documented the same flaws in hand-held lidar speed detection devices, especially the LTI 20-20 model which is the commonly used in the US. (source)

Speed Camera Faults

We're probably all guilty of being lead footed at some time so when slapped with a speeding fine most of us cop it sweet but what about when you just know you weren't speeding?

Road safety engineer Grad Zivkovic is on a one man crusade to expose the faults of the speed cameras used on our roads to nab motorists.

He claims to know the camera's weaknesses but says police want to keep the information secret.

'You cannot get hold of a manual and you cannot get a camera. That lets down the general public for us to prove camera malfunction you have to have the manual. If you're not allowed then you probably have to pay the fine.'

Grad has been refused copies of the manufacturer's manual as well as the police operating instructions.

In the past twelve months Grad's helped eight drivers like Adelaide student Marek escape fines based on failings of the cameras.

'There was no way I was traveling anywhere near 100 km/hr,' said Marek.

Marek was pulled over by police zapped supposedly doing 100 km/hr in a 50 km/hr zone.

But Grad was able to prove in court that Marek was the victim of a ghost reading where some other object or disturbance affected the gun's reading.

It seems South Australia Police is keen to limit these kinds of challenges but is it for reason of road safety or revenue, considering Grad's Freedom of Information request for more technical information was refused on the ground of 'public interest' and 'commercial interest'.

'Cameras are revenue raisers and are actually not used to the full extent for saving lives on the roads,' said Grad.

SAPOL claims by withholding the information it is protecting the manufacturer's trade secrets not it's own revenue stream but how can any of this be also in the public interest if the effect is that motorists are kept in the dark over the accuracy of their speeding charges.

'The government can still buy more and more cameras which will result in the same thing that our road toll won't go down or the government could spend more money on roads and better driver training,' said Grad. (source)

Camouflaged Speed Cameras a Grab for Cash:

S.A. Opposition Friday, October 13, 2006 (source)

The South Australian Opposition says the use of camouflaged speed cameras in the Adelaide Hills is a massive grab for cash by the State Government.

Last weekend, police caught more than 360 people speeding on the Lobethal to Cudlee Creek Road by using hidden speed cameras.

The Opposition's transport spokesman, Martin Hamilton-Smith, wants the Government to make a commitment that there is no policy to introduce hidden cameras across the state.

"What it will deliver is a huge revenue gain to the state treasury if across country South Australia, across the metropolitan area, black spots and other major roads [are] going to have concealed and camouflaged cameras," he said.

"There'll be an awful lot of people paying an awful lot of money".

"Certainly I'll be now consulting the stakeholders."

I'd like to know whether the community really want this and if the community don't want it then I'll be taking some action in the Parliament to stop it."

The State Government says it has no role in the positioning of speed cameras.

A spokesman for the Transport Minister says decisions about the use of speed cameras are made entirely by police.

Earn a quick buck 18sep05

Drivers have been fined more than $2.5 million in one year for slightly exceeding the 50km/h speed limit on just three city roads.

The revelations have prompted claims of "blatant revenue-raising" amid allegations many motorists are confused about speed limits on wide city streets.

The most lucrative stretch was the six-lane King William Rd between North Adelaide and North Tce, which reaped $926,586 from motorists traveling more than 50km/h but under 60km/h.

A list of the top 10 roads for speeding fines for drivers exceeding the 50km/h speed limit but not going over 60km/h last year shows seven of the 10 were in the Adelaide City Council area.

The figures were released by Police Minister Kevin Foley in answer to a question by independent MP Terry Cameron, a long-time opponent of speed cameras.

"The way they do the 50km/h zones is a bit stuffed up," Mr Cameron said. "I call it (King William Rd) the million-dollar road." The large number of fines shows motorists are confused about speed limits in the Adelaide City Council area, according to councillor Anne Moran.

She said the decision to limit speeds on arterial roads in the city to 50km/h, unlike similar roads outside the city, was "blatant revenue-raising".

"It's like saying `welcome to the city – and here's a $200 fine'," Ms Moran said.

King William Rd ranked number one in the top 10 list of metropolitan roads for the most number of motorists caught speeding between 50km/h and 60km/h by speed cameras in 2004. Other roads in and around the city which were targeted by police were North Tce, Hutt Rd, Jeffcott St and Peacock Rd, all making the top five.

King William Rd averaged more than 100 infringements each week. Motorists were fined an average $169 and lost one demerit point.

In November 2003 council wrote to then transport minister Michael Wright asking for changes to the speed limits on Peacock Rd and King William Rd, but the request was rejected in February 2004.

Again, in April 2004, the council approached Mr Wright to review the decision to keep the Festival Centre portion of King William Rd at 50km/h. In August the request was refused.

Subsequent approaches to Transport SA for approval to place permanent and temporary speed limit signs on the affected roads had met with mixed reactions. A council request to paint speed limits on some roads was made in February 2004, but was not replied to until six months later.

That request was also refused.

"The figures make it plain that there's confusion among Adelaide drivers – the Government is being stubborn in its refusal to explain their position, or to allow for better signage," Ms Moran said.

The 50km/h rules were brought in by the Government in March 2003 with a three month grace period. In the first full year of operation more than 90,000 motorists were caught speeding between the new and old limits and were fined a total of $13.6 million.

The figures also show the most lucrative country road for drivers breaking the 60km/h speed limit was Pine Ave, Hahndorf, with fines of $86,965 for the 12-month period.

South Australia: Speed Cameras Used on Safe Roads 

Speed cameras are more often found on safe roads than dangerous roads in South Australia.

Opposition leaders in the South Australian Legislative Council have shown that speed cameras are being used far more frequently on safe roads than they are on dangerous roads. Police figures released during questioning in parliament show that in three years, cameras were used on the region's most dangerous road only thirteen times.

Two additional examples provide the contrast. A road without a speed camera, King William Rd at North Adelaide, had 100 injury accidents. A road where speed cameras were used eighty times, Fiveash Drive south of Adelaide, had only eleven injury accidents, none of which were fatal.

In response to this information, Liberal Member of the Legislative Council Michelle Lensink said, "The Government clearly is using areas where people are known to speed to raise revenue."

In the first six months of last year, speed cameras in the region issued 32,750 tickets generating AUD $3,516,871 in revenue. From March 2002 to January 2005, irate Australians attacked nine speed cameras causing $18,710 in damage. (source)

German engineers sent to fix speed cameras

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What is the best defence against each of these speed measuring devices??

Simple! - "Don't speed" - I hear echo amongst the narrow minded.  That's fine, and we agree whole heartedly, but "Don't speed and you won't have to pay a fine" assumes three very important things:

1) The speed limit is clearly indicated (Kwinana Freeway road works with two different posted speed limits on either side of the road ring a bell?)

2) Your car's speedometer is accurate.

3) The radar, laser or speed camera that measures your speed was accurate.

So what happens when you are driving down the road, sitting on 80km/h (according to your speedometer) in an 80km/h stretch of road, but you cop a speeding fine?

We will analyze each SA speed measuring device and discuss the products available:

Hand-held radar:

The Genesis hand held radar gun (made in the USA) operates on K-band.  The police officer points the "gun" towards the approaching vehicle and squeezes the trigger.  In this "instant on" mode you have little warning if you're the only car on the road.  The ideal situation for early warning is if a motorist in front of you is targeted and the radar beam travels past his car, and is detected by you.  Most radar detectors (cheap included) will detect the K-band radar at long range.

Dash Mounted radar (aka moving radar) set up in police cars:

The dash mounted Golden Eagle by Kustom Signals operates on K-band.  When the police officer is driving down the road "shooting" at on-coming traffic he is doing it in two ways; constant on or instant on.  In constant on, the radar beam is constantly transmitting down the road.  When an oncoming car enters the radar's beam, a reflected signal is returned to the gun, and a speed is displayed on the unit.  Again, any decent radar detector will give advanced warning in this scenario.

In "instant on" the radar unit is powered on, but not transmitting.  When the approaching vehicle is within range, the radar gun is then switched on (transmitting) and the target vehicle's speed is displayed within a second or two.  "Instant on" radar can be deadly, again, if you're the only car on the road.  For this reason it pays to keep a "rabbit" in front of you so he or she is targeted and you detect the radar in advance.

Some people have queried the possibility of a radar jammer.

Your most important question in purchasing a so-called radar jammer should be "does it work?"
 
You may have seen them advertised on other websites and some magazines: the passive radar/laser jammers (also known as radar scramblers).  Some passive jammers are

Phantom, Phantom II, Phaser or Phazar, the Phantom III and The Black Widow.

Passive radar Jammers DO NOT WORK!  These "jammers" are usually manufactured by a company called Rocky Mountain Radar (RMR). We have tested many of their units and we have yet to find one that works as advertised.

Know what to avoid before you purchase such a passive jammer, consider reading the "Jamming Testing Report" by Radar Roy first to find out why we do not sell and/or recommend them.

Active Radar Jammers - Not Much Improvement! You may have also heard of the active radar jammers with the name of Phantom RCD XP or The Scorpion. These do work to a limited degree.

Active radar jammers like those named above, only jam X, K with any success and have difficulty jamming Instant on radar.  Their effectiveness against Ka radar is even less, especially at close range.  Read a test report on active radar jammers here.

Hand-held laser (aka lidar):

Laser guns are another "deadly" device in that they can calculate your speed in less than a second.  Although most radar detectors include a laser sensor, they usually offer little more than a "ticket notifier" when they go off.  Having said that, there ARE circumstances where a laser (detector) can and has, provided adequate warning...although these are few and far times in between.  Click on the video below and to the left (allow pop-ups) to watch just how quickly a laser acquires a vehicle's speed.

So what is the best defenses against laser?  Well, as far as a detector goes, the best at detecting laser is the Valentine One.  Granted we just finished convincing you a detector is useless against laser, but the Valentine One, will give you the best chance of detecting "off-axis" laser from the car in front of you being targeted.  For proof that the Valentine is the best unit at detecting laser, you can read Bob's (The Veilguy) Laser Detector test:

"That being stated, these results suggest that, especially in close-range laser encounters, the Valentine 1 is the top performing laser detector, by a wide-margin, followed by the Escort 8500 X50 and more closely, the STi Driver, and the Beltronics RX65 Pro.."

But as aforementioned, just detecting the laser won't be enough.  The most cost effective solution is with the use of Veil anti-laser paint.  Veil will give you additional seconds warning time when used in conjunction with a good laser detector.  You can read more about Veil in our laser jammers section.

The best defense against laser is by the use of an active laser jammer.  Unlike most active radar jammers, active laser jammers do work.  An active laser jammer will prevent a speed being displayed for a brief time whilst you adjust your speed if necessary.  The best laser jammers for the Australian model LTI Ultralyte according to the Guys Of Lidar 2007 test are the Laser Interceptor and the Blinder.  You need to look at the results for the Ultralyte 100pps as these are the laser guns used in Australia.  The Laser Pro Park finished fifth in the test against these laser guns.

Mobile Speed Cameras:

The Traffipax speed camera used in SA operates from a car, and as such is able to be deployed to any mobile location by its operator.  The Traffipax speed camera operates at 34.3GHz (Ka-band) and at a small power output of 0.2-0.5mw.  Only the best radar detectors with a "Ka-narrow" setting can give adequate warning against this type of speed camera.

The best product for alerting to a fixed red light camera is a GPS device that stores these locations in a database.  Many GPS manufacturers offer products that add this service (called "point of interest") to their navigation products.  A GPS based device is perfectly legal to own and operate in South Australia at the time of writing.

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How does each radar detector perform detecting SA radars, lasers & cameras?

Due to the laws banning the use of a radar detector in South Australia, we cannot recommend the purchase of any "speed evasion article".  There are, however, drivers who choose to ignore these laws, and purchase a radar detector anyway.  Those doing so, would most likely choose a stealth radar detector, as only stealth radar detectors are 100% invisible to the Stalcar police radar detector detector (see below)

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What are the laws governing the use of radar detectors in SA?

(1) A person must not sell a radar detector or jammer, or store or offer a radar detector or jammer for sale.

(2) A member of the police force may seize, retain and test any device that he or she has reasonable cause to suspect is a radar detector or jammer.

(3) A device seized under this section is forfeited to the Crown if a person is found guilty of or expiates an offence against this Act in relation to the device.

(4) A device forfeited pursuant to this section must be disposed of in such manner as the Commissioner of Police directs.

(5) In proceedings for an offence against this Act, an allegation in the complaint that a specified device is a radar detector or jammer is proof of the matter so alleged, in the absence of proof to the contrary.

(6) In this section - "radar detector or jammer" includes any device for detecting the use, or preventing the effective use, of a speed measuring device (whether or not the speed measuring device employs radar in its operation).

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Can the police determine if you are using a radar detector?

YES! 

There are two ways a police officer can tell if you are using a radar detector in your vehicle:

1) By visual detection

If a policeman is operating in-car radar from behind you, and triggers an "instant on" burst, then sees your brake lights ahead, this could suggest you are operating a radar detector

 

If a Highway Patrol Car is coming towards you and again, turns on it's radar, the sudden "nose dive" of your vehicle's front end is a dead give away

 

Suction cup marks on the front windscreen

2) By  detecting it electronically

All radar detectors (except the Bel STi) emit some electronic noise, even though they are a passive device. Thus a product was created to "listen" for this noise congruent in all radar detectors...and so the RDD was born.

 

A radar detector detector (RDD) is a device used by police to determine if a vehicle is using, a radar detector.  RDD's were brought about by the need for law enforcement officers to determine if a driver was using a radar detector in a state or country where they are illegal.

 

The first RDD used in the NT was the VG-2 which "listened" for the radio frequency leakage (around 10.5Ghz) emitted by the local oscillator - inherent to all radar detectors.  Most radar detectors are now immune to the VG-2 (often referred to as "shadow-technology" but there is a newer RDD out, made by an Australian company; Stealth Micro Systems (SMS) of Australia developed the Stalcar (known as Spectre outside of Australia) and later followed with upgrades, the Spectre 2 and Spectre 3.  The Spectre II and III were so successful, that many law enforcement agencies around the world submitted large orders for these devices.

 

In 2003 the NT began adding the new Stalcar RDD to their arsenal which effectively made all radar detectors (except the Bel STi) vulnerable to detection.  If you don't have an STi, expect your old radar to be detected by this RDD unit at a distance of anywhere between 50 and 1000 feet.  See the latest Spectre RDD / Radar detector test results from Speed Measurement Labs.  As you can see in this test, the only RD to not be detected by any RDD at any range was the Bel STi.

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What are the Speeding Fines for SA?

Following the introduction of full time Mobile Random Breath Testing in South Australia in June 2005, new heavier penalties for drink driving have been introduced from 1 December 2005, which include:

• Immediate loss of licence for six months if you blow 0.08 - 0.149

• Immediate loss of licence for 12 months if you blow 0.15 or more

Demerit points and fines will also continue to apply to drink driving offences and the Court may also impose greater periods of disqualification for drink driving offences.

Loss of licence for second and subsequent offences also applies if you blow 0.05 – 0.079

Additionally from 1 December 2005, a new offence of excessive speeding will also apply to drivers and motorcyclists caught traveling at 45km/h or more above the speed limit. The following penalties will be incurred:

• Automatic loss of licence for six months

• Six demerit points

• Expiation fee of $500

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If I wasn't speeding, how can I challenge/beat a speeding fine?

If you have been booked for speeding, and you were, then you should face the music and cough-up.  But what if you weren't actually speeding?

Remember that when you are pulled over and booked for speeding, the incident is alleged… not proven! The following rules will ensure you do not make the mistake of answering the police’s questions the wrong way.

Quite often the first question a policeman asks you is "Do you know why I pulled you over"?  Here, the policeman is looking for an admission of guilt.  By answering him "because I was going too fast?" immediately incriminates you by admitting you were speeding (even if you weren't). 

The other question commonly asked by a policeman when he pulls you over is "Why were you speeding?" Again, he or she is looking for an admission of guilt.  Do not admit that you were speeding or may have been speeding. There will be no chance of defending yourself in court later on. Remember that you are not under arrest and your only obligation is to hand over your driving license and registration.

Remember the 3 rules when pulled over:

Rule number one is your answer to the question, "Why were you speeding?" Simply reply:

"I was not speeding Officer, I was sitting exactly on the posted speed limit"

Rule number two is your answer to the Officer if he persists in repeating question 1 by saying his equipment (Radar / Laser) has shown that you were speeding. Simply reply,

"I was not speeding Officer, if your equipment says I was then I would strongly suggest that it is faulty. Will you show me the last infringement notice you issued so I may compare to see if their speed was the same as the one you are claiming I was doing?"

In most cases, the policeman will show you your reading but refuse to show you his or her previous infringement fine, citing that he is not obliged to do so.

The third rule is perhaps the most important of all. Under the National Safety Committee guidelines for the use and implementation of Police Speed detection devices, the police are only supposed to be operating them in known "Black Spot" or high accident areas. Innocently ask the question to the policeman,,