Victoria's road safety cameras are subject to a rigorous certification, maintenance and testing regime. Each camera system is tested regularly to ensure:
- the speed measurement device is properly calibrated
- any maintenance has been carried out in a satisfactory manner, and
- the system is in a satisfactory electrical condition.
On this page:
- How often are the fixed cameras tested and maintained?
- Testing a new location
- Who is authorised to conduct certification testing?
- Additional testing
- What are compliance certificates?
- Testing of mobile cameras
- Camera maintenance
How often are the fixed cameras tested and maintained?
| Daily | Camera vendor monitors the system daily |
| Quarterly |
Speed accuracy and speed reliability are tested quarterly Camera vendor carries out quarterly maintenance |
| Yearly |
Asset inventory, speed accuracy, speed reliability are carried out yearly Certification is undertaken annually |
Testing a new location
Before any camera location goes live, stringent end-to-end testing is conducted to ensure that the infrastructure, technology and processing complies with all requirements. This testing (called Site Acceptance Testing) includes physical assessment, software assessment, administrative assessment and image assessment.
Who is authorised to conduct certification testing?
Tests on road safety camera systems may only be conducted by a qualified testing officer.
Before qualifying as a testing officer, a person must meet the requirements set out in the Road Safety (General) Regulations 2009.
Additional testing
The Victorian Government undertakes rigorous system tests of all fixed digital safety cameras in addition to the testing required by the Road Safety (General) Regulations 2009. For example, an independent infrared system may be temporarily installed at speed camera sites to verify the data from the speed camera. This comparison of data confirms the speed camera’s accuracy of calculating and logging of speed.
Electrical measurements are independently recorded to establish that the electrical sensors of the camera systems are functioning correctly and efficiently.
The testing regime in Victoria exceeds the standards required by law and places Victoria among the leaders in Australian and international speed enforcement.
What are compliance certificates?
The Victorian Government is required to test all primary speed measurement devices once a year and maintain a record of certification for each device, as specified in the Road Safety (General) Regulations 2009.
The regulations require automatic detection devices to be certified before being commissioned.
Further compliance certificates are issued annually, after the device has been re-tested.
In issuing a compliance certificate, a testing officer is declaring that the device has been tested, found to be compliant and sealed to avoid any unauthorised interference with the device.
Compliance certificates may be used in court as proof that a device was tested and found to be operating correctly.
You can download compliance certificates for the fixed digital camera system from this website.
You can request a compliance certificate for a mobile camera by sending a request in writing to Civic Compliance Victoria, PO Box 1916, Melbourne, 3001.
Testing of mobile cameras
A State appointed Testing Officer is responsible for the testing and sealing of mobile road safety cameras and the issue of a compliance certificate every 12 months in accordance with the Road Safety (General) Regulations 2009.
Camera maintenance
Road safety camera contractors are responsible for performing all routine general maintenance functions on road safety camera systems.
All road safety cameras are subject to routine maintenance with all findings and actions logged in a maintenance report.
Each type of maintenance report provides information, such as:
- the tasks that are required to be conducted
- the required frequency of tasks
- a record of the status of each task
- comments in relation to a task.
In addition, photographic images may be included to provide visual evidence of the device status and technical site infrastructure. These can assist with assessing if there has been any damage to elements of the device, such as those caused by nesting birds. Sample images of vehicles may also be included to check the quality of images captured at the location.
How do we know the cameras aren't faulty?
Question
Why do speed cameras sometimes flash when there is no speeding vehicle?
Answer
Across the network, there are often a number of fixed digital safety cameras that are precommissioned, awaiting implementation to the live environment.
Before any camera location goes live, it is put through stringent testing to ensure the location is compliant. This includes physical assessment, software assessment, administrative assessment and image assessment. Sometimes this means a camera will flash without a speeding vehicle being present.
These cameras operate just as normal road safety cameras do – for example, they will flash when a car speeds through an intersection or runs a red-light – but while the camera is of precommissioned status, no fines will be issued.
