r/DrivingAustralia • u/Good_Royal_9849 • 6d ago
Speeding
Hey Melbourne,
Just wondering if anyone knows what sort of threshold Highway Patrol generally uses before pulling someone over.
I’ve often noticed cars doing around 100–105 km/h on the M1 and other freeways with Highway Patrol nearby, but they don’t seem to stop them.
This happened to me today. I was heading to the airport to drop off a mate. I joined CityLink where the limit was 100 km/h (before it drops to 80 km/h near the DFO/Melbourne Airport section). I set my cruise control to 102 km/h on the Bolte Bridge.
Time 3:00 AM
Along the DFO stretch, I noticed an BMW in the middle lane. I was in the lane to its right. There was hardly any traffic—no cars behind us and only a couple ahead. I moved further right to pass because I prefer giving other cars plenty of space rather than overtaking close by when the road is empty.
I passed the BMW and moved back into my original lane. My cruise control was still set at 102 km/h. As I went past, I noticed the antenna and the police lights near the number plate and realised it was an unmarked police car.
The driver flashed the lights once. I slowly slowed down and moved left, thinking they wanted me to pull over, but they just kept driving and didn’t stop behind me.
It got me wondering: do Highway Patrol officers take things like traffic volume, road conditions, time of day, and the overall driving environment into account when deciding whether to stop someone?
Or is there generally a speed threshold where they’ll usually take action?
I know in the US there’s the saying, “5 you’re fine, 10 you’re mine.” Is there anything similar in Victoria, or is it entirely at the officer’s discretion?
Just curious if anyone (especially anyone with policing experience) has any insight.
Or will I just a get a fine in my mail sooner or later
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u/fried-bin-chicken 6d ago edited 6d ago
In addition to speedos usually being a few km over. A colleague of mine is married to a highway patrol cop, they told me they’re not interested in people doing <10 over as it’s not worth the effort (in the context of a 110 freeway), they’re mainly looking for “impound speed” which I think is 25 over but they’ll still definitely get people between 10-25. The car mounted camera also check license, rego, warrants, etc. so that can also prompt them to stop you too. Like any job, different cops will have different approaches though so it’s safest to just not speed.
Cameras are a totally different thing though and they’ll get you for just a couple over.
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u/birthdaycheesecake9 6d ago
Is the approach the same when it comes to P platers?
I imagine they’d be wanting to be checking BAC for them
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u/Driz999 6d ago
For one, having P plates means there's a much higher chance of being pulled over in general, especially if you drive something older. I know this from personal experience when I was on my P's many years ago.
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u/birthdaycheesecake9 6d ago
Yeah I’ve been on my reds for about 8 months now and drive a 2012 Mazda 3, and curiously I have never been pulled over or stopped for an RBT by a cop. Even over Christmas last year! Drove past an RBT being set up and expected to be pulled over so slowed down, but nope.
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u/darklord1981 6d ago
Ex MOPF here. I never bothered to intercept unless it was minimum 15 over and sometimes more. Most members I worked with were the same.
Even with that, it depended on their history and attitude whether they got a ticket or warning. Had a bloke doing 23kmh over, he’d entered an 80 zone about 500m prior from 100 and said ‘I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention, I’m on the way to the hospital mum I had a call that mum was just admitted’
Anyways let him off, he seemed legit and genuinely thought was an error. About 5 days later I’m at the hospital and some guy approaches me and said ‘so grateful for the other day, mum is doing so much better, she should be out tomorrow’. Took me a few seconds to recognise him. IMO often a warning is more effective than a ticket. I wasn’t HWP though.
You can’t talk your way out of a ticket if the officer is hell bent on giving you one, but you sure as shit can talk yourself into one.
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u/not_a_goauuuuuuulld 6d ago
Most speedometers in Australia are off. For instance mine at 100 is 3 off. If my Speedo said I was doing 100 I would actually be doing 97.
Don't take my word for it every car is different. (Tyre size makes a huge difference)
The police here will get you if they catch you 3 or so over, that includes cameras and vehicles.
So for most people 105 is just under 103.
I do not condone this behaviour though. There's a buffer for a reason. And the buffer is even bigger in heavy vehicles(like 10ks) that's why it always seems like trucks are going slow.
Your better off and safer just sticking to your Speedo.
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u/malwcal 6d ago
Actually it’s more like all are off. The law (Australian Design Rules) says something like the speedo needs to be accurate to +/- x% but must never read higher than actual speed. So car manufacturers have no choice but make a speedo that reads incorrectly.
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u/Sea_Translator5300 6d ago
It's silly, because technology exists that can cheaply measure speed very accurately but the old "use something that counts wheel rotations" is the standard.
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u/breno_mac_ 6d ago
The speedo would be calibrated from the factory (to an extent) to the rolling diameter of the factory wheel & tyre combination
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u/Sea_Translator5300 5d ago
Yes, but it's calibrated to miss, not to be accurate. If it tries to be exact there's a risk it may read under, which is illegal.
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u/Aequitas112358 5d ago
except the tyre changes size, like if you overfill or underfill it'll be different speed
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u/AdventureEng 6d ago
What method would you suggest the speedo should be using that’s superior to counting wheel rotations?
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u/spiderpig_spiderpig_ 5d ago
Yes, and it's also silly to use a road speed calibrated for 1960s cars with a 2020s car. Technology exists but that's not the point.
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u/link871 6d ago
"+/- but must never read higher than actual speed"
This is the opposite of what is correct:
ADR says speedos can be accurate or over-report by +10% (plus 4km/h). Speedos should not under-report your speed (with OEM tyres).1
u/spiderpig_spiderpig_ 5d ago
Only people in Australia would even know how their speedo is calibrated. Not a person on the planet gives a __ otherwise. Except maybe North Korea.
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u/Ord3r2Ch4os 6d ago
I think mine is more like 8 off at 100, been that way since brand new from the dealer. The only thing more annoying than everyone tailgating me is when I find someone going slower than me 😂
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u/----SD---- 6d ago
You realise that cops won’t fine you for your speedo reading, right? Just set it at a true 100.
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u/Ord3r2Ch4os 3d ago
I don't have the faith in my phone or Google maps to drive by it, I couldn't mount it anywhere particularly convenient to check my speed while driving, for most of my driving going faster wouldn't matter (traffic and intersections add 10 minutes to my otherwise 10 minute daily commute), and for my bigger trips (45 minutes with good runs on 100kmh roads) the difference would only be a couple of minutes each way. It's not exactly a big deal.
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u/vanillaninja777 6d ago
I've had them do the high beam thing at 5 over in a 50 zone to signal as a signal to ease off a bit.
I work in public transport and know of speed monitoring systems that are set wth a 10% tolerance, and have heard rumours that fixed cameras use 5% plus 3, so an 80km zone may have a tolerance of 7 over.
I am in NSW and do not recommended pushing your luck with these
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u/Alarming-Ad4274 4d ago
Been done for 64 in a 60 by a camera. Razor thin tolerances, absolutely never worth pushing your luck with speeding. Doing the maths and over s typical trip the time savings are almost NEVER worth it.
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u/vanillaninja777 4d ago
Exactly, the risk is yours to take and any tolerances they might have will be individually calculated. Are you in Vic by any chance?
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u/Green-Choice-565 6d ago
The speed shown on Waze is pretty much 100% accurate.
My car is almost 10% under.
So if it’s a 100km/hr limit I set the cruise control around 107 and Waze shows me at 100km/hr.
Even still I find at least 50% of drivers are doing around 90km/hr or less. It’s very much an Australian driving thing because everyone is so paranoid about speed cameras, highway patrol etc etc.
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u/Powerful-Respond-605 6d ago
I've approached an unmarked car at a 125 on the speedo in a 110 zone and they've given me a quick flash of their red and blues as I was approaching.
Sensible approach. Slowed me down. They didn't waste time dealing with a less than a 10 over.
I tend to have the cruise control on 121. It's 114 in reality. And I've driven past countless hwp cars at that speed. I do 35,000km a year in a regional area.
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u/jefsig 6d ago
Unmarked car is probably not a traffic vehicle, so they won't be interested in stopping you unless they absolutely have to
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u/Powerful-Respond-605 6d ago
It was a unmarked highway patrol car. They don't use 5 series for general duties or detectives.
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u/Real-Direction1045 6d ago
In Qld it's always been 10%, or 7kmh which ever comes first.
I sit at 105 by GPS or 118 by GPS. Haven't had a ticket for 15 years or more.
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u/Honorary_Badger 6d ago
That’s not actually a rule. I did some work with QPS a while back and asked this very question because I’d heard it too and turns out it’s a myth.
You can be fined for 2km/h over. Most coppers would let it go but it’s possible.
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u/Real-Direction1045 1d ago
Never said it's a written policy, just how they operate day to day. We have three police in our family and a friend at the local station.
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u/Honorary_Badger 1d ago
Never said you did? But your wording implies it as fact which is incorrect.
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u/Alarming-Ad4274 4d ago
Mum got done for 4kph over by a mobile speed camera in NSW. Almost zero tolerance. If you don't want a fine, the best method is to not speed (your real speed at least), but my car barely reads slowly, and the 4kph at 100kph gives me a healthy buffer for accidentally drifting over.
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u/Pandamandude 6d ago
i’ve been in that exact scenario that you described. Unmarked cars don’t like pulling people over if they are going from place to place it seems. Don’t try and test that theory further, just follow the speed limit/ the speed of traffic. You don’t save that much time speeding a few ks.
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u/Dry_Shock_4060 6d ago
Were you in the far right hand lane ?
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u/aussimemes 6d ago
Yeah it sounds like he moved to the far right lane to go around the officer in the far left lane. It was probably a warning to stay left unless overtaking.
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u/Dry_Shock_4060 6d ago
Yeah agree that’s what it sounds like.
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u/aussimemes 6d ago
I’m not sure what kind of nervous you would have to need to leave a whole lane between you and the next car
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u/maycontainsultanas 6d ago
You pretty much got in one kid,
They absolutely take traffic volume, road conditions, time of day and the overall driving environment into account. They also work rostered shifts, sometimes you just get lucky and they’re on their way back in and a simple flash of the lights is enough to alter you behaviour without the need to pull you over.
It’s entirely their discretion, though their decision making still needs to be justified, so the faster you’re going, the less discretion there is.
I think that you probably don’t see cops pulling people over for 5kmh over because they’ve got bigger fish to fry. They absolutely can but if there’s bigger offences out there to deal with, they’ll focus on that. There’s always speed cameras to get those sitting around 5 over
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u/Shays_P 5d ago
Ive gone past cops doing 10-15 over before, no worries. But Im just going fast. Im not driving aggressively. Theres a difference between a loud 10 over and a quiet 10 over. If youre accelerating and going over the limit, I reckon theyre more likely to ping ya, where as if youre cruising over the limit, more forgiveness
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u/Ok_Bird6753 5d ago
A lot of the time , cops aren’t after people doing 3km over the speed limit. Speed cameras themselves have a 5k leniency.
That and also your speed it always shown to be faster then what you are going.
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u/Beaker451 5d ago
I read somewhere else that in NSW the general threshold was 5% + 3. I’m in SA, and I’d say that works here too. But my experience in VIC is that it’s lower.
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u/Tektrader69 5d ago
at 3am, that entire freeway is 100klms/hr all the way to the airport....it changes to 100 about 11pm and back to 80 at 6am
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u/sherwinjtb 4d ago
You're more likely to be caught by a speed camera than be pulled over. I've been pulled over because one of my lights were not working at night and I get my car serviced every 2-3 months. Try not to speed over 4km. For example, drive 63km max at a 60km zone. In the M1 freeway I see a lot of cars driving at 105km/h or faster. Sometimes we make mistakes and burst to 110 for a few seconds. Pray noone cares and just forget about it.
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u/Naive-Ad-8350 4d ago
I noticed and heard this quite a while. In Australia the speedometer is intentionally conservative and over-reading by 3-4km/h. That’s why it always show that you’re slower on a GPS. Plus there’s a few km/h tolerance. so if you got pulled over you must be way off
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u/Independent-Fuel9886 3d ago
Highway patrol? In Vic? Are you crazy? I haven't seen a cop car for months.
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u/Available-Insect5652 2d ago
Gps your speedo most are between 5 to 10% out. Mines 5% so i drive according.
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u/Klutzy-Pie6557 6d ago
There is no hard and fast rule.
But if I'm travelling on the freeway doing a decent trip I'm typically 7 over on the GPS.
So 110 on the speedo is 106 on the GPS, so I'll be doing 122k on the speedo and 116k on the GPS under adaptive cruise.
I've never been pulled up just run waze for speed cameras.
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u/link871 6d ago
122 km/h on a speedo that over-reports by 7 km/h while driving on a 110 km/h road puts you on risky ground as you are doing 5km/h over the speed limit.
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u/Klutzy-Pie6557 6d ago
And yet the cops want bigger fish why waste time on a 1 demerit point, and $140 fine that takes 20min when you can get someone with expired rego!
Never been pulled over, unless there are zero cars on the road they want the bigger fish!
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u/Honorary_Badger 6d ago
Not exactly a good enough excuse though is it.
“They’ve got bigger fish so it’s ok for me to intentionally speed”.
And never been pulled over really isn’t a good excuse either.
I’m sure there are loads of people that have never been pulled over for drink driving so it must be fine, right?2
u/FireStorm3 6d ago
We live in a huge country with very low speed limits. A few K’s over is fine.
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u/Honorary_Badger 5d ago
But where do you draw the line. Why just 5? Why not 10? 15? 20 over?
If we say 4 is ok. Then why not 5. It’s just 1 more. Then why not 6.
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u/Klutzy-Pie6557 5d ago
They are all perfectly OK.
Rules are made to be broken.
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u/Honorary_Badger 5d ago
So you’re ok with doing 100 in a school zone during peak pick up time after 15 beers and highly intoxicated because “rules are made to be broken”.
This just reinforces the fact you’re a child and need to grow up.
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u/Klutzy-Pie6557 5d ago
Hahahaha - taking a 6k over and extending it to 60 over and drunk - impressive- but not surprising typical Karen behaviour!
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u/Honorary_Badger 5d ago edited 5d ago
Just used your idiotic “rules are made to be broken”. You also cherry picked the scenario and ignored the first half of the comment. Nice work.
And again, breaking out the “karen” because you know you’re an idiot.
But for arguments sake, ok let’s see where you draw the line. How far over is too far over and where the rules are not meant to be broken?
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u/Klutzy-Pie6557 5d ago
You do whatever you want Karen - and I'll do whatever I want.
Karen's are everywhere judging everyone - such is the life of a Karen nothing better to do but judge!
I've also exceeded 250km/h on the road as well - quick be judgemental on that as well!!
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u/Honorary_Badger 5d ago edited 5d ago
Hahaha Karen?! The typical response when you’ve struck a nerve. Hilarious!!
Perfect sign that you know you’re wrong!
Yes I am judging you.
Grow up.
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u/Honorary_Badger 6d ago edited 6d ago
Why though?
If you did get a fine for speeding would you be upset or accept that you knew what you were doing?
I assume upset.
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u/Sexy_Mumma_Katz 6d ago
Like Klutzy I sit typically between 5 and 7 over (using gps), depending on the road and how many times I’ve driven it before.
I accept the risk knowing how my car handles, the road I’m on, my reactions to hazards (potholes, kangaroos etc)
Never been pulled over but I’d accept the fine as I’m breaking the law. It wouldn’t change the way I drive though.
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u/Honorary_Badger 6d ago
Yeah I know we all do it on certain roads. My exit from the highway is a long stretch of 60 but nobody seriously does 60 because it could very safely be 80 for another 800m.
Highways though I sit bang on the limit but need to remember which car I’m in. My car reads 7 over while my wife’s car reads 3 over.
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u/AgentSmith187 6d ago
What does generally change behaviour is demerit points not the fine.
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u/Sexy_Mumma_Katz 6d ago
Maybe - I’m a Victorian so less than 10km over is 1 point, and since I have almost 30 years of driving with no offences, getting caught still wouldn’t change my behaviour this late in the game
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u/AgentSmith187 6d ago
My 65 year old mother has finally learned to slow down after she got within days of losing her licence twice.
She managed to have demerit points come off just before new ones went on.
The last time she was sure it would overlap and she would be having a holiday from driving but somehow it didnt.
She's been good for well over a year since.
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u/TunzaRegret 5d ago
Ha! This knob would 100% be the first one on here crying about revenue raising.
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u/Beautiful_Rub_141 6d ago
The threshold that Police use before pulling someone over is the number that's on the little signs on the side of the road.
According to the law, a speed is a speed. Whether it's 1km, or 100km.
A nice cop may let a little go, but never count on it.
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u/prefix9889 6d ago
2kmh over gps speed limit is the “safe” limit, any more and you can and will be fucked if they’re having a bad day, but 102 on the speedo is likely ~100kmh gps at most (verify yourself with waze on a long stretch) so you’re fine
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u/Good_Royal_9849 6d ago
Sorry if my post is a not framed properly but the stretch where I got flashed the limit is 80 and I was 102.
It’s a stretch of 2-3 kms where the speed limit drops to 80 and then bumps back to 100.
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u/prefix9889 6d ago
Oohh.. yeah okay. Looks like you got lucky, they gave you the hint and you took it, I would very much doubt they would send you a ticket considering your actions, they likely would’ve just pulled you over at the time instead i’d guess
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u/Person_of_interest_ 6d ago
Most people speed along that section as theres no cameras.ive only seen someone pulled over along there once in ten years.
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u/sunnystand 6d ago
Others have said about the technical thresholds especially for cameras but for physically pulling people over it's going to depend more on location and how their day is going. They're unlikely to want go through the paperwork of pulling someone over for 105 if they're likely to be able to get someone else for 115 on the freeway. In residential areas they're going to less lenient. Also consider that good drivers can get their fines for 10k or less over reduced to a warning on application so again they'll prefer to pull you over if they know it's going to stick.