Gatso
The Dutch company Gatsometer BV supplies speed camera equipment, and has been using radar since 1971. Gatsometer's current radar equipment operates within the 24 Gigaherz-band, which is available worldwide.

Gatso speed cameras are most often found in fixed positions by the roadside on poles. They can also be used on a trailer on a tripod. Fixed installation Gatso cameras are rear facing as they use a 'flash' to photograph the vehicle. They do not flash the front of a vehicle because this would dangerously distract the driver. Sometimes Gatso cameras are reversible and can be turned to face different directions.

The photographs are taken using standard 35mm films with a capacity of around 400 pictures. These films must therefore be changed regularly.

Truvelo
The manufacturer Truvelo is best known for the introduction of front facing speed cameras in the UK.

The Truvelo camera is a forward facing camera taking pictures using an infrared flash gun (the driver will not be able to see the flash so as not to distract or cause temporary blinding). The camera film is sensitive to infrared: the reflected light provides the film with the correct exposure resulting in a crystal clear picture of the driver committing the offence (incriminating evidence).

The piezo road strips (inductive loops) are a known distance apart, and the time between compressions is measured to give the resulting speed of the vehicle. The system takes a single photograph along with four readings on a two axle vehicle and uses the average time for compressions to calculate the resulting speed.

SPECS
SPECS is a digital camera system which calculates an average speed by reading number plates a set distance apart and measuring the time taken.

A SPECS system must consist of two or more cameras working together. As a vehicle drives past the first, the infrared sensors either side of the camera take a reading of the number plate. Now the vehicle drives past the second camera and the information is stored again, and so on to the end of the SPECS zone. From the information received it can calculate exactly how long it has taken that vehicle to travel from point A to B.

By calculating distance travlled over time taken it can work out your average speed within the SPECS zone. The information can then be relayed by transmitting to a central office via fibre optic cables or recorded on discs stored in cabinets at the roadside. Which can be collected and changed, by police or speed check staff.

Linked to DVLA or PNC computers, these can provide driver details which can be used to track down offenders.

Speedmaster / Autovision (DS2, DS3, TSS)
TSS has been supplying traffic law enforcement & video surveillance technology to customers worldwide for 30 years.

This system is quite discreet compared to the traditional roadside camera poles. Cameras plug in to a roadside sensor on a random basis to allow offenders to be recorded.

It operates by measuring speed by time and distance travelled. There are pressure sensors on or under the road surface, carefully spaced apart. Two separate readings of the vehicle's speed are taken, to ensure accuracy.

Like VASCAR video, the offending vehicles are recorded. In automatic systems this evidence can be processed later, in manned operations the user radios ahead to colleagues who can pull the driver over.

Laser
The majority of safety camera vans are using laser-based systems to measure a vehicle's speed. These will normally have some sort of video equipment attached to record the evidence.

Mobile laser systems are often found in vans, which can target vehicles from short or long range. The laser is aimed at the number plate and the returned signal bounces back to the gun to determine the speed. Evidence of which number plate was targeted is recorded on the video, or may be noted by the operator.

Laser is a very accurate system, with a speed acquisition time as little as 0.3 seconds. T his is the reason laser guns are being used rather than the old-fashioned radar guns, which found it hard to determine which car was the target. There are various types of laser equipment in use, but all currently use the same 904nM light beam.

MiniGatso
These are a type of portable camera, made by Gatsometer BV.

They are normally used with a van in situ but can be separate. They use radar to measure your speed and photograph you as you pass, like a standard fixed Gatso camera.

Mobile camera sites can be set up as and when required, so they have the flexibility to be used in many locations on the same day. They are a deterrent to speeders, although the van should be parked in a safe position so as not to cause any obstruction to other road users.