‘Sneaky’ unmarked police car sparks outrage from Aussie drivers

As drivers, we must follow road safety rules to ensure a smooth and safe driving experience.

However, a photo of an unmarked police car circulated on social media left many Aussie drivers fuming.


The controversy arose after footage of a Highway Patrol vehicle parked behind a barrier on the Alfords Point Bridge circulated online.

The incident occurred over the Anzac Day weekend when double demerit points were in effect.

This system, designed to deter unsafe driving during holidays, meant that driving offences carry twice the usual penalty.


compressed-anzac weekend.jpeg
Journalist David McCowen called out an unmarked police car parked at the Alford’s Point Bridge. Image Credit: Instagram/David McCowen


Journalist David McCowen shared his sentiment on social media and expressed his outrage.

‘This is b*******. This is a highway patrol. Trying to book people hidden behind a concrete wall in an unmarked car on a double demerits weekend on a long downhill descent on a bridge,’ he stated.

‘That's just c***. That is not serving the community; that is straight-up revenue raising, and I'm not about it. You can’t see him.'


Many echoed the same sentiment, with comments flooding in to condemn the police's actions.

‘That's just plain un-Australian and downright sneaky,’ one wrote.

‘Wonder what the punishment would be for a private citizen to park there? What a joke,’ another lamented.

‘There's reasonable law enforcement, and then there's this,’ a third pointed out.

However, some came to the defence of the Highway Patrol and pointed out that the law is the law, regardless of whether an officer is in plain sight or not.

'Easy. Don’t speed,' one user advised.

'In reality, if they are speeding, then they're speeding—no excuses,' another added.


A NSW Police spokesman has acknowledged the social media video, reminding the public of the grim statistics on the state's roads.

According to Transport for NSW, they have recorded 116 deaths and more than 10,000 hospitalised with injuries for this year.

These figures are a stark reminder of the importance of road safety.

Under regulation 307 of the NSW Road Rules, police officers are exempt from parking and stopping restrictions, which legally permits the kind of operation seen in the footage.

Watch McCowen’s video here:

Source: David McCowen/Instagram

However, the question remains: does the end justify the means, or should the police adopt a more transparent approach to enforcing road safety?
Key Takeaways

  • A video of an unmarked Highway Patrol vehicle in Sydney sparked debates among drivers.
  • Social media users are divided on the issue, with some calling the police's actions 'sneaky' and 'un-Australian'.
  • Some defended the police, arguing that drivers have nothing to worry about if they obey the speed limit.
  • The NSW Police acknowledged the video and reminded drivers of the road safety rules in place.
Have you ever felt tricked by an unmarked police car? Are these tactics fair, or do you think there's a better way to encourage safe driving? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments below.
 
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Being seen on the roads is a better way to keep people aware of their speed. Parking on a downward hill to see speeding drivers is wrong as often you have to apply brakes to stop a car speeding when going downhill.
 
Being seen on the roads is a better way to keep people aware of their speed. Parking on a downward hill to see speeding drivers is wrong as often you have to apply brakes to stop a car speeding when going downhill.
Guess what, that's what brakes are for - slowing cars down - if you don't speed you won't be fined. It's pretty simple really, not rocket science. Good on the cops for sorting out some of the speeding dangerous hoons out there.
 
This goes back and forth all the time.

NRMA research in the past has clearly shown that, if the intention is to reduce the road toll, it is far better for speed cameras to be clearly visible.

This is because the visual reminder causes more drivers to slow down after they see the vehicle, whilst hidden cameras only impact on the drivers actually booked.

It is for this reason that successive NSW State Governments have banned the police from hiding speed cameras and put up warning signs ahead of fixed cameras.

However, whenever the state gets into debt back come the hidden cameras.

Another issue is the positioning of cameras on long downhill stretches. This also was banned in the past, because it is:
a. Very difficult for even the most experienced drivers to ensure that they maintain their speed every second of the time. Inexperienced drivers have little hope. (Cruise Control fails to maintain speed on that bridge)
And,
b. It can cause accidents. A driver noticing the camera may react suddenly and brake hard to avoid a fine, while vehicles behind may not. If the following vehicle is a truck or other large vehicle, or towing something, the result can be catastrophic.

Yes, drivers are required to follow the law.

But speed cameras are for promoting safety, not raising money.
 
I set my cruise control so I don’t exceed the speed limit and can keep my eyes on the road instead of the speedo. But going down a long hill like that my speed will pick up 5 km or so because the car freewheels and I could have easily been booked. Very hard when reliant on the pension. Fines ought reflect ability to pay so they have the same impact on everyone.
 
I set my cruise control so I don’t exceed the speed limit and can keep my eyes on the road instead of the speedo. But going down a long hill like that my speed will pick up 5 km or so because the car freewheels and I could have easily been booked. Very hard when reliant on the pension. Fines ought reflect ability to pay so they have the same impact on everyone.
Cruise control is my friend.
Although, I am diligent as far as road rules go, to the point of being accused of being overly cautious. My answer to that is, I am cautious because I don't own the roads. The other drivers out there should be on my radar as well. They don't necessarily rollow the rules.
I, personally, don't care about the unmarked police cars. Might bring some road warriors back to reality.
 
Why are people so close to the speed limit that any failure would put them over. Speed limit is just that - it’s not a target, you do not need to be anywhere five minutes early, if so leave earlier . It seems people need time management courses.
Marin obviously doesn’t live in a remote area 300+ km from city.
 
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"Sneaky" and "un-Australian"? Huh? Police have been doing that for ever. Dad used to drive us "to the country" to visit his father. Somewhere around Lithgow he used to tell us to watch for "Peanut Eating Pete". Don't know where the name came from but, more often than not we would find the cop, sitting on his motorcycle behind one of the billboards, waiting, waiting ... Unmarked vehicles have also been around for years. There used to be signs warning of unmarked vehicles in the area, but I haven't noticed the signs for some years now.
 
Why are people so close to the speed limit that any failure would put them over. Speed limit is just that - it’s not a target, you do not need to be anywhere five minutes early, if so leave earlier . It seems people need time management courses.
So what you're really saying is you are one of those asshats that does 65 in an 80 zone and don't care that others have.a life to get home to? Am I correct?
 
Everybody knows the rules, shouldn't matter where police stop, and what is the point of camera warning signs. Just slow down and speed up when passed. The roads are clearly marked with speed limits.
 
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if you are angry over this it means you were speeding or breaking the law in some way. Nothing to worry about if you are driving correctly.
Any car can exceed the speed lit on a downhill slope even with cruise control set. He's an ass, revenue raising grub.
 
Everybody knows the rules, shouldn't matter where police stop, and what is the point of camera warning signs. Just slow down and speed up when passed. The roads are clearly marked with speed limits.
The point of warning signs is that the research has proven that they significantly reduce the amount of speeding compared to hidden cameras.

Lots of people have short memories, if they don't see speed cameras about they put them out of their mind and speed until they get a ticket in the mail.

When they see marked cars or warning signs about they have them in their minds and drive more carefully, even if they weren't speeding.

The US found that a carboard cut out of a police officer holding a speed gun was several times more effective in reducing speeding than a hidden camera car at the same location for 8 hours.

Plus it cost a lot less and didn't need to take breaks.
 
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