A new road safety camera has quietly appeared on the streets of Victoria, and despite the fact authorities say it’s all about saving lives, the lack of information is making people suspicious.
The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) is currently testing a mobile road safety trailer camera in a few suburbs, but it’s not clear what it does. Victorians have concerns about surveillance, privacy, and enforcement, and they want to know what these cameras are watching.
What is the trial for the Victoria road camera?
The Victorian government has started testing a new type of traffic camera, a mobile road safety trailer camera, but they haven’t said much about what it does or how it works.
Some important details that have not been made public are:
- How the camera looks
- The exact traffic violations it is meant to watch for
- How it is different from other technologies utilised to enforce traffic laws
Even though it is being evaluated in public, the trial is being kept hidden, and the public can’t see or understand how it works.
No fines during the trial period
It has been confirmed that the cameras will not give out tickets during the trial phase, which will last until 2025 and into 2026. The main goal, on the other hand, is to collect data.
Officials say they are checking to see if the technology is:
- Correct
- Safe
- Works well in practice
The system will only be added to Victoria’s mobile enforcement programme if it passes all of these tests.
The government’s goals for road safety
The DJCS says that this trial is part of a larger state plan to cut down on deaths and injuries on the road by a lot. The long-term goals are:
- Cutting road deaths in half by 2030
- Ending all road deaths by 2050
A spokesperson from the department said that the program’s main goal is to change how drivers act and stop serious accidents from happening. To do this, they are “exploring new locations and trialling new equipment” all over the road network.
Where are the cameras being tested?
The mobile road safety trailer camera is now being tested in seven neighbourhoods:
- Tottenham
- Port Melbourne
- Toorak
- South Caulfield
- Heatherton
- Healesville
- Oaklands Junction
People who live in these areas may have already seen the new trailer units, but they might not know what they are as there are no official photos or information.
Worries about not being open
Both legal experts and the general public have criticised the government for not being willing to share important information.
Hayder Shkara, a well-known traffic lawyer in Melbourne, called the situation “outrageous” and said:
“We don’t know what cameras are being used in the trial.” We don’t know what they are keeping an eye on. We have no idea what they want.
He also talked about the possible risks to public trust and called it a “scary step in police monitoring.”
Are people using AI?
One of the few things we know for sure is that these cameras don’t use AI to enforce the law. This difference might make some people feel better about automated surveillance, but for a lot of people, it’s not enough.
People are still worried about what the cameras are watching, even if it’s not AI-based analysis.
Funding for road safety and revenue
One big worry with any programme that uses cameras to enforce the law is whether the programme is really about safety or just a way to make money. The DJCS has tried to ease these worries by making it clear that
- The Better Roads Victoria Trust gets all the money that traffic enforcement cameras make.
This trust is in charge of paying for improvements to infrastructure, such as:
- Replacing the road surface
- Fixing the road
- Strengthening the bridge
- More improvements for road safety
Some people may feel more effectively about this, but critics say that not being clear about how cameras are used could hurt the goodwill behind these statements.
RACV wants things to be clear.
The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) has also said something. James Williams, the RACV’s Head of Policy, said that he generally supports technology-based solutions that aim to lower the number of road injuries and deaths.
He did, however, say that RACV is:
- Actively looking for more information from the government of Victoria
- Stressing that enforcement should be about safety, not making money
Williams said, “Road enforcement activities and locations should always be based on safety outcomes, not raising money.“
Privacy and surveillance issues come up again
Victorian drivers have been confused or worried about camera infrastructure before. In late 2024, a trailer that gazed like it came from the future and was thought to be from Vitrionic, a company that makes mobile traffic enforcement devices, was seen in Melbourne.
People say that these trailers give
“Flexible traffic enforcement at places where incidents occur a lot and hard-to-see measuring points.“
This sighting, along with the new trial, has only made people more afraid that Australia’s roads will become more like a police state.
Who is in charge of the cameras?
A private company called SERCO manages and takes care of the traffic enforcement cameras in Victoria. When we tried to get a comment from SERCO about the trial, they hadn’t responded by the time this article was published, which left another hole in what the public knew.
Is it about safety or watching?
The state government says the initiative is part of a larger safety programme, but the public response is more complicated. People are starting to believe more and more about what the cameras can see, how they work, and what will happen to the data.
Is the trial of the Victoria road camera about making roads safer or seeing how far people will go?
Many people in Victoria are still uncertain without more openness.
The bigger picture – civil rights vs. road safety
There is no doubt that road safety is a very important issue. There are more and more deaths and serious injuries, but new technology could help change this trend.
But trust from the public has to be a part of the equation.
People need to know how and why enforcement technology is being used for it to work. Without this, even good ideas could be seen as intrusive or even dishonest.
Hayder Shkara put it best:
“I believe in road safety a lot, but this sounds like a very scary step in police monitoring.”
Last thoughts
The trial of the Victoria road camera has sparked a much-needed discussion about safety, privacy, and surveillance. It looks like a technology test that will lower the number of accidents and save lives. But it also brings up a bigger problem: the need for people to trust the government.
This trial will stay controversial and may even hurt its goals until more information comes out.
