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Speed Limit Margins Reduced

South Australia police are set to reduce the margin for error in their speed camera equipment to around 5km (previously believed to be 8kms). SA Police Commissioner Mal Hyde last week stated that official margins would be reduced.

Alborz Fallah

12:5609 July 2007

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For the majority of road users, Australian Design Rules (ADR) state that a car's speedometer needs to be accurate to around 10km of the actual speed. This means vehicles can be traveling at 70km/hr while the speedometer only shows 60km/hr.

Interestingly, South Australia police department's own speed detection adviser Lex Felix, is warning the police department that motorists will be unfairly fined due to lower margins. Mr Lex Felix is part of an organisation that also advise NSW, Victorian and QLD police on speed detection issues.

Mr Felix, who also trains police officers on the use of equipment, labeled the latest move by the SA police as "a money-grab off innocent people".

"The bloke in the street has no chance with these tolerances. They have no way of knowing the true speed of their vehicle. There should be a tolerance level of at least 8km/h in a 60km/h speed zone.

SA Police Minister Paul Holloway has refused to comment on the issue, noting that it is strictly a police matter.

We suspect the latest move by the SA police department is another attempt at raising more revenue from speed detection units. South Australians be warned!

Source: News.com.au