A speed camera is really a traffic administration device that has other names including road safety camera, photo enforcement and photo radar. Speed camera spots are generally over or beside a roadway, or they might be set up in a police car or trooper's vehicle. They detect traffic violations for example cars running red lights, speeding, illegal use of a bus lane and other offenses.  

Another type of camera may be the automatic number plate recognition or ANPR systems that were developed as a mass surveillance technique. Police officers often use ANPR to make sure collecting tolls on pay-per-use roads as well as to record the movement of traffic or people. The most recent ANPR systems may also be utilized to detect average speeds of the traffic under surveillance.  

Some speed camera locations are set up for bus lane enforcement. In this method a sensing unit stationed in the highway activates a plate recognition camera. The registration plate number is compared with an authorized vehicle list. Additional plans have the camera within the bus. For instance, inside london, Red routes are monitored because stopping is not allowed on these major commuting and bus routes.  

Bus lane camera enforcement evaluating was basically begun on February 23, 2009 in New York City. The actual bus lanes were monitored in Midtown Manhattan on 34th Street for taxis using the lanes illegally. Fines of 150 dollars were imposed on violators. A miracle on 34th Street did not factor in to the test period.  

Proper speed camera locations help monitor compliance with speed laws. They might use LIDAR, Doppler or ANPR (automatic number plate recognition). Mobile or fixed systems can record the amount of time it requires a vehicle to maneuver between two distant locales or sites. These locations could be just a few hundred meters apart to several hundred kilometers apart. These are the ANPR cameras.  

The idea is designed for these cameras to record the time period it requires the vehicles to include the specific distance. Then the auto's average speed for your journey is calculated. This technology uses infrared equipment tied in to a computer to identify the vehicle's registration number in real-time. Infrared lighting also allows cameras to take the photographs any time of the day.  

The speed camera concept can be traced straight back to 1905 where it is noted in an edition of Popular Mechanics magazine at the time. The caption reads, "Time Recording Camera for Trapping Motorists" and also the blurb goes on to describe the way the speed is determined between two known points in line with the time it takes to go from one towards the other. Time stamped photographs alllow for good evidence in the courtroom. These cameras developed through the years as new technology was developed.  

In New South Wales, fixed speed camera locations are sites that must meet certain criteria. These sites are selected according to accident rates, crash and injury statistics and posted speed limits. "Blacklengths" are stretches of roadway that have a higher accident rate along with a known speeding problem. The cameras were installed on blacklengths, school zones and other areas noted for traffic violations.