Speed equipment guidelines

Question

Are there specifications available for camera , lasers and hand held cameras and who governs these? Is there a national act governing this and is there a code of conduct regarding the installation and use of these? Where can the general public get hold of these rules, regulations and specifications. I ask these questions as I travel substantially throughout SA and in my opinion some of these cameras are used illegally by traffic officials as there seems to be no standard. If you look on the international websites regarding municipalities and governments who install cameras and the installation thereof you will find that these authorities strictly govern the installation and monitoring of them. I feel that in some instances the cameras are now been used for commercial gain and not for law enforcement.

Answer

The technical specifications / types / equipment details are all legislated in the Road Traffic Act and are specifically named and documented through standards supplied by the SABS. These are available from the SABS. Further technical data is available from the manufacturers (but that is not of interest in terms of what you are looking at). The use thereof (ie how the law enforcement is to be conducted as well as the method of prosecution) is covered in the Prosecuting Guidelines for Speed Devices as issued by the Dept of Transport. This is formed through a meeting of all the DPP in the provinces. View these guidelines on the Arrive Alive website under the section on speeding.