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Spot Them Before They Spot You

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Being able to identify traffic enforcement cameras can help you prepare for them before it’s too late. Here is a guide to the different ones you may encounter in Singapore.

Knowing what different traffic cameras look like and how they work can encourage you to drive more carefully. You’ll find that, most of the time, slowing down or not trying to beat the light is the safer choice, not to mention it will save you from an easily avoidable fine! 

RED LIGHT CAMERA

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

As you may have guessed, red light cameras function to catch vehicles that beat the red light. There are currently 240 of them installed all over Singapore. Although some are easily noticeable because of their bright colours, others are inconspicuous due to their all-white exterior. Red light cameras can also be identified from their placement next to traffic lights, typically at major traffic junctions. 

FIXED SPEED CAMERA

The fixed speed camera is one of four types of speed cameras used to catch speeding vehicles. These cameras are planted into the ground and are brightly coloured. Unlike red light cameras, they can be located anywhere along the road. You’ll be able to spot them from a distance, thanks to their vivid orange-and-white stripes. But if you’re speeding, they will be able to catch you from a distance, too! There are 20 fixed speed cameras located across 11 roads in the country.

MOBILE SPEED CAMERA

Mobile speed cameras have a similar appearance to fixed speed cameras, but — as their name suggests —they can be moved from one location to another. They can be discerned through their bulky foundation, which contains a battery. Another key difference is that they can capture up to 32 speeding vehicles at once, so be extra cautious around them. At the moment, there are only three of these cameras deployed — at Lim Chu Kang Road, Seletar Link, and Changi Coast Road. Remember, though, that these locations are temporary and can be changed within a week.

POLICE SPEED LASER CAMERA

These handheld cameras are much smaller and more discreet than other speed cameras. Because they have to be manned by a police officer, they only appear at certain locations at unfixed times. Officers will usually be stationed with these cameras somewhere low-key, such as on an overhead bridge or around road bends, catching you when you least expect it. It uses radar and frequency technologies that capture speeding vehicles without releasing a visible flash, so you won’t know that you were caught till you receive a fine.

AVERAGE SPEED CAMERA

Introduced in 2018, this is the fourth and newest type of speed camera used in Singapore. They look like compact monitors mounted on the tops of lamp posts. They appear at the start and end of a specific road, calculating a vehicle’s average speed while it is in this enforcement zone. It uses this average speed to determine whether a vehicle is going over the limit in that area. Currently, this type of camera has only been implemented at Tanah Merah Coast Road, but the Traffic Police is looking to install them at other locations.

LIVE TRAFFIC CAMERAS

Another common type of camera you will see is the live traffic camera. They may look fairly similar to average speed cameras, but they are far less formidable. They look like regular CCTV cameras, and simply function to monitor traffic conditions, so you don’t have to be as anxious when you see one of them. Their real-time footage shows you the traffic conditions on roads, and can be viewed on the onemotoring website.