In Sally's former line of work it was not unusual to have eggs thrown at her car, her windows smashed, or her tyres slashed.
Key points:
- The CPSU reports speed camera operators being attacked by members of the public almost every day
- Attacks include violence, verbal abuse, threats, projectiles thrown, and other forms of intimidating behaviour
- The union and former operators claim not enough is done to protect staff, a claim refuted by operator Serco
But the final straw came when two cars boxed in her vehicle and the drivers began abusing and filming her.
Sally, not her real name, said she followed the procedure handed out by her employer for such situations.
"I hit my personal duress alarm and had no contact," she said.
"No-one came up on the screen. It was six minutes without contact from communications.
"I was in tears, literally in tears. I'm like 'I've had enough, I've got to get out, I'm done'."
This is what life is like for Victoria's speed camera operators.
Almost daily attacks
According to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), a speed camera operator reports being attacked almost every day.
There have been 351 attacks recorded in the past 13 months.
This includes projectiles being thrown at vehicles such as rocks, bottles, and eggs, damage to vehicles including broken windows and slashed tyres, threats, physical attacks, being filmed and threatened with being shamed on social media, and verbal abuse.
The union said work as a speed camera operator was low paying with few available hours, and attracted pensioners, single mothers, and new Australians.
Another former operator said the job initially seemed to be a way to do something good for the community by improving safety and helping protect the public.
"I thought I'd be making a difference," they said.
But good intentions were not enough to overcome the abuse.
Sally resigned from her job as a speed camera operator six months ago, fed up with her treatment at the hands of angry drivers.
It included being followed "at least three" times to the police station, she said.
"Another time I was chased for four or five kilometres and he boxed me in at the traffic lights," Sally said.
"I thought the guy was going to get out of the car. I thought he was coming after me and there was nowhere to go."
Sally said there was even an occasion when a tow truck turned up to pick up her damaged car but drove off upon realising it was a speed camera car.
Safety 'top priority'
Sally and the CPSU are critical of her former employer Serco Asia Pacific, which is understood to be undergoing negotiations to renew its contract with the state government for management of Victoria's speed camera cars.
The union described Serco's attitude towards its operators as "hostile", citing instances where employees had been sacked after being violently attacked amid Serco's claims that the operators did not follow emergency processes correctly.
Industrial organiser Lisa Pearce claimed the last contract Serco signed with the state government led to 80 workers being made redundant and then forced to re-apply for their roles at $300 less per week.
In a statement, Serco said "the safety of the traffic camera operators is our top priority".
"Several measures have been taken to ensure their well-being, including duress alarms and working closely with Victoria Police," the statement said.
"Mobile road safety camera operators play a critical role in road safety in Victoria, and those conducting this vital work are members of the public who have the right to be safe at work and go home to their families after their shifts.
"Over a number of years, the approach to mobile road safety camera operator safety has evolved, as it should, with internal training on new duress devices and 'don't stay, drive away' programs being implemented, to name a few."
Serco did not respond to direct questions about attacks on operators or WorkCover claims.
Cars feature cameras to record not just speeding motorists, but also incidents and attacks from angry motorists who can then be tracked down and penalised.
In Portland in south-west Victoria a P-plater responsible for a Facebook group exposing speed camera locations was convicted and fined $2,250 this week for harassing operators on three separate occasions.
On the same day he faced the Portland Magistrates Court, two other men appeared in court relating to similar incidents against speed camera operators.
Toeing the line?
Despite the training, duress devices, and cameras, staff like Sally say it is not enough, noting a "don't stay, drive away" policy doesn't work when you have four slashed tyres.
Sally said she was aware of multiple staff making WorkCover claims, and that she had been told by Serco Asia Pacific not to apply for WorkCover.
The CPSU said the number of incident claims made by operators was so high that Serco had told staff that incidents where something was thrown at a camera car should only be reported if the object actually hit the vehicle.
The union said the system should never have been subcontracted out to a private company and should be run by Victoria Police or the Department of Justice.
Victoria Police said in a statement that the oversight of camera operator subcontractors was a matter for the state government.
The state government did not respond to a request for comment.