At present, a driver breaking the speed limit will receive an unpleasant surprise if caught by a mobile speed camera, even if it is not signposted.

To make life easier for speeding drivers and ensure they know to slow down in advance, Reform Party members Valdo Randpere and Madis Timpson, along with Marek Reinaas of Eesti 200, have prepared a bill that would require drivers to be notified of speed cameras.

"Mobile speed cameras were originally legalized on the assumption that there would be warning signs in front of them. Their purpose must be to calm people and traffic, to prevent the act people might commit, not just to collect fines," Randpere said.

The opposition party Isamaa strongly supports warning signs. Helir-Valdor Seeder, chairman of its Riigikogu parliamentary group, said informing people is entirely appropriate in a state governed by the rule of law.

"Compliance with the law can and must be achieved in a state governed by the rule of law through other measures, not by secretly surveilling people. The state, as the stronger party, spying on people – we do not support such a policy. Prevention can be done through training, through raising awareness, through regulation that is marked with signs, and so on," he said.

Under the new law, if there is no sign declaring the mobile speed camera, then speeding tickets will be invalid.

The Social Democrats are against the bill. Two years ago, when SDE leader Lauri Läänemets was interior minister, the police removed camera warning signs from roads.

"If this law were implemented in this form, it would significantly clip the wings of the police and make traffic supervision, especially in an urban environment, difficult or even impossible. I would dare say that this bill has been submitted in a populist spirit to appeal to people, but it does not solve any substantive problem; on the contrary, it creates an additional problem for the police," he said.

Läänemets added that if the coalition wanted to, the interior minister could already require the police to install signs in front of the cameras.

The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) has said the bill is driven by emotions.

"The bill as submitted, accompanied by an extremely brief explanatory memorandum, is based on superficial emotion rather than expert and thoroughly considered argumentation that takes into account the complexity of the issue (including legally)," the PPA stated.

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