Average Speed Over Distance cameras: when you can be fined, prosecuted

Average Speed Over Distance (ASOD) camera systems are installed in various parts of South Africa, including KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport Road Traffic Inspectorate first used an Average Speed Enforcement system in a pilot in 2010 on the N3.

After the successful pilot, the system was rolled out to other roads in the province to curb speeding.

The Western Cape followed suit, and rolled out its 452km ASOD network to many of the most dangerous stretches of road in the province.

The Western Cape Government told MyBroadband it is looking at expanding the network along other parts of the N2.

The province’s Ministry of Transport and Public Works said where it has implemented the system, the number speed offences has decreased and a lower number of accidents been recorded.

How an average-speed-over-distance camera system works

Prosecuting guidelines for ASOD camera enforcement systems

The prosecution guidelines for ASOD camera systems form part of the “Prosecuting Guidelines for Speed Measuring Equipment and Traffic Light Violation Monitoring Equipment”.

The requirements for speed measuring equipment include:

• An accredited laboratory shall calibrate or verify all speed measuring equipment, all time or time interval measuring equipment. This must happen every 12 months.
• A land surveyor, an accredited laboratory, or suitable qualified person shall validate all distance checking markers for validation of speed measuring equipment.
• No prosecution may be instituted where the speed measurement was taken within 300 metres of the commencement of the speed limit zone.
• Only speed measuring or traffic light violation monitoring equipment installed in a permanently secured housing may be used for automated operations for prosecution of speed violations.

The requirements for average speed limit prosecutions over extended distances include:

• If equipment is used to capture an image of a motor vehicle to calculate the average speed of such motor vehicle over an extended distance, at least two images with description of location must be recorded – one at the start location and one at the end location.
• The date of offence and the time of offence must appear on the images.
• The information on the images and the information on the National Register of Vehicles should correlate with regard to the make and type of vehicle.
• The distance between the start location and end location shall be determined by a suitably qualified person.
• Speed limit signs together with average speed enforcement information signs must be displayed at the approach of an average speed over distance enforcement section.

The full Prosecuting Guidelines for Speed Measuring Equipment are available here.

More on speed cameras

Cape Town speed camera system details

New Cape Town speed camera system – how it works