Radar traps are really mean in Western Australia. In Vienna it’s common knowledge where the radar traps are situated, but in Perth they use only mobile radar traps.

Their appearance is actually quite nice, like small cameras from the year 1910. The radar trap itself is small black box on a three pole stand, approx. 50 cm over the floor, with a large flash on top of it. And because they are black and small and mostly positioned in the grass, you see them only when they flash you.

The Viennese traffic police is completely satisfied if you drive halfway according to the speed limit. It’s OK for them if you drive 5 to 10 km/h above the permitted speed limit. The police in Perth isn’t so tolerant.

I know that from my own experience. Early in the morning, on my way to the office and anyway not that fast, because I was still not really awake, took this cute little antique camera a picture of me. Two weeks later I got a letter telling me to pay 50 Australian dollars because I drove too fast -instead of 70 km/h I drove 73 km/h! If I had driven over 75 km/h I would have paid 100 dollars and if I had been over 80 km/h they had taken off one merit.

And I actually don’t know what would have happened, because we have an international driving license. Are we included in the merit system? I decided that I don’t want to know that.