Mobile road safety cameras

Mobile road safety cameras can be in unmarked vehicles or on a tripod outside the vehicle. They are put in the highest priority locations with a high crash-risk and speed-related problems.

To achieve Victoria’s road safety objectives in the most effective manner, enforcement activity must be consistent, meaningful and applied at high-risk times.

Victoria Police is the authority responsible for choosing locations and operating times of mobile road safety cameras in Victoria. The highest priority locations are those with a high crash-risk and speed-related problem areas.

An updated list of approved mobile camera locations is published monthly.

Mobile road safety cameras can be installed in unmarked vehicles or on a tripod outside the vehicle. Although mobile speed cameras are not sign-posted, they are not deliberately hidden.

How mobile cameras work

Mobile road safety cameras use a radar to determine the speed and the direction of a vehicle. The camera can detect speeding vehicles in 1 or both directions and from either side of the road.

Gatso T-Series Mobile Cameras

In December 2019, the Victorian Government deployed the Gatso T-Series mobile road safety cameras which can enforce over six lanes of traffic in either direction and can detect multiple vehicles simultaneously. The Gatso T-Series mobile camera is operated as a rear facing camera, installed in the back of the camera car to accommodate the various components and associated equipment.

If a vehicle is speeding, it will trigger the camera and create an image of the speed detection. A Target Vehicle Marker is generated automatically by the camera system to identify the speeding vehicle and appears on the image as a yellow triangle.

If there are multiple vehicles in a fine image, the offending vehicle is identified with the yellow triangle. Vehicles that are not speeding will not be marked in the image.

Section 83A Road Safety Act 1986 certificates produced from Gatso T-Series Mobile cameras contain the vehicle marker in the image.

Mobile camera accuracy

Prior to setup and at the end of each mobile camera session, the specially trained operator conducts a full inspection of the site (including speed zone and site boundary confirmation) and test shots are taken to ensure the system is working correctly.

Visit the speed verification page for more information about camera accuracy and the process before a fine is issued.

Operating guidelines

To maintain community confidence in the mobile road safety camera program, it is important for the operational use of mobile road safety cameras to be fair and reasonable.

The Victoria Police Traffic Camera Office (TCO) provides guidelines around the operation of the Gatso T-Series Mobile Cameras through the manual below.

Gatso T-Series Mobile Road Safety Camera Policy and Operations Manual
PDF 204.48 KB
(opens in a new window)

The guidelines specify that:

  • while using a mobile camera, the operator can park the vehicle on a footpath, a nature strip or a dividing strip
  • there are no technical or legal restrictions on placing a mobile road safety camera on a slope, gradient or hill.

The guidelines around the operations of the former Gatsometer Radar24-GS11 mobile road safety cameras are found in the manual below.

Mobile Digital Road Safety Camera Policy & Operations Manual
PDF 772.2 KB
(opens in a new window)

Updated