The portal appears in the distance, suspended above the lanes. Someone slows down abruptly, someone else checks the speedometer and many wonder the same thing: is that system measuring the speed at that precise moment or will it calculate the average traveled in the previous kilometers?
During the summer exodus, when highways and state roads are filled with motorists who only use their cars occasionally, the difference between Tutor, speed cameras and Vergilius becomes particularly important. Making the picture even less immediate is Vergilius Plus, the evolution of the system developed by Anas and approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to ascertain both the average and instantaneous speed.
However, it is not correct to describe it simply as a new Tutor intended to replace all other devices. Vergilius Plus and Tutor belong to different platforms, are mainly used on networks managed by different entities and, in the most recent versions, may have partly overlapping functions.
Vergilius Plus is not simply the new Tutor
The traditional Vergilius is the system used by Anas to check compliance with the limits on the roads under its jurisdiction. It can detect both the average speed between two sections and the instantaneous speed at a control point. It can also be used for traffic monitoring and to carry out checks on the vehicle, such as those relating to insurance coverage or the presence of a theft report.
Vergilius Plus represents the technological evolution of this platform. The ministry approved it with executive decree number 149 of March 27, 2024 for the verification of violations of both instantaneous and average maximum speed limits. The system can detect the transit of vehicles, classify them into categories, acquire images and manage the data necessary to verify the infringement.
The components indicated in the provision include a black and white camera dedicated to the automatic recognition of rear license plates, a color camera to record the context, an infrared illuminator and a local processing unit. The technical tests also concerned the recognition of moped license plates and that of rear license plates of motor vehicles at high speeds.
The system is therefore not limited to photographing a car passing under a portal. It associates the passage with a license plate, recognizes the type of vehicle and can compare the information recorded in multiple sections to reconstruct the time taken to travel a certain distance.
The principle is similar to that of the Tutor. When the vehicle crosses the first control point, the cameras record the license plate, the category of the vehicle, the date and time of the passage. The same operation is repeated in the next section.
Knowing the distance between the two points and the time taken to travel it, the system calculates the average speed. If the result exceeds the limit set for the route, the data is sent to the verification procedures entrusted to the police bodies.
In the Tutor system, the data of vehicles that have respected the travel times are automatically deleted. For possible violations, the archives necessary to trace the owner of the vehicle are queried; the assessment and issuing of the report remain the responsibility of the Traffic Police.
Braking only near the camera is useless when the control is set to medium speed. The value taken into consideration in fact concerns the entire stretch between the two sections, not the speed shown by the speedometer when passing under the portal.
It can also measure speed at a single point
The feature that most intrigues motorists is the possibility of using Vergilius Plus also for instant detection. In this mode the system operates more like a speed camera: it controls the speed of the vehicle at the individual section and not through the time spent between two portals.
This means that the same type of infrastructure can be configured for two different controls. This does not mean, however, that each portal always detects both speeds at the same time. The concrete use depends on the authorized configuration, the activation of the device and the methods chosen by the bodies in charge of control.
Even Tutor 3.0 is no longer technically limited to just the average. The ministry approved in June 2024 the system produced by Movyon for ascertaining both instantaneous and average speed. The traditional contrast according to which “the Tutor measures the average and the Vergilius Plus measures both” therefore does not fully describe the abilities of the most recent generations.
From the motorist’s point of view, the prudent rule is simple: when there is a section marked as subject to inspection, one should not assume that it is sufficient to simply slow down in front of the camera.
The difference between Vergilius Plus, Tutor and speed cameras
The traditional speed camera measures the speed at a precise point. The check can be carried out with a fixed or mobile station and photographs the vehicle when the limit is exceeded at the point where the device is located.
The Tutor was created as a system for controlling the average speed on a route. Two portals record the passages and the central system calculates the travel time. Its presence is particularly widespread on the motorway network managed by Autostrade per l’Italia and its associated companies.
Vergilius is the Anas platform, used mainly on state roads and on the A2 Autostrada del Mediterraneo. The Plus version makes image acquisition, vehicle classification and information processing more advanced and can work to ascertain average or instantaneous speed.
The main difference therefore concerns the technological platform and the network on which the systems are installed, rather than a rigid division between average and punctual speed. Both Vergilius Plus and Tutor 3.0 have in fact been approved by the ministry for both detection methods.
Where Vergilius is active
The official Anas page dedicated to the system indicates various stations and routes already affected by Vergilius. On the state road 309 Romea, in Emilia-Romagna, points are marked at kilometers 1+680 and 7+080, with a maximum speed limit of 90 kilometers per hour.
In Lazio the system is present on the state road 1 Via Aurelia, at kilometers 11+950, 15+700 and 23+450. In Campania it appears on the 7 quater Domitiana state road, between kilometers 44+580 and 54+300. Even in these sections the limit indicated by Anas is 90 kilometers per hour.
On the state road 145 Sorrentina variant, the control concerns the Santa Maria di Pozzano tunnel, between kilometers 0+072 and 4+950. In this section the posted limit is 60 kilometers per hour.
The largest presence is found on the A2 Autostrada del Mediterraneo. Vergilius controls a total of 108 kilometers across 26 sections, in the sections between Salerno and Sicignano-Potenza and between Sicignano degli Alburni and Padula-Buonabitacolo. The maximum limit indicated for these motorway sections is 130 kilometers per hour, except for any reductions indicated along the route.
The official list published by Anas concerns the Vergilius system as a whole. The approval of Vergilius Plus does not mean that the new version is automatically switched on throughout the national network: each installation must be created, reported and activated according to the established procedures. At the time of the consultation, there was no separate national map published by Anas which identifies, point by point, only the stations of the Plus version.
Where are the Tutors located on the highway
The Tutor network is much more extensive and involves numerous motorway sections. Autostrade per l’Italia publishes on its website the list of individual portals and controlled sections, indicating the motorway, direction and progressive kilometres.
The stations are present on numerous sections of the A1 Milan-Naples and its branches, but also on the A4, A7, A8, A9, A11, A13, A14 and on other major routes. However, the presence of a Tutor on a motorway does not mean that the entire route is controlled without interruptions: the calculation concerns the individual sections between the portals indicated in the official list.
Before leaving it is therefore more useful to check the precise route than just looking for the name of the motorway. Two motorists traveling on the same route can cross a different number of controlled sections based on the entry junction, exit junction and direction of travel.
Changing lanes does not fool the system
One of the most persistent false myths concerns the possibility of avoiding recognition by moving from one lane to another just before the portal. The Tutor is designed to detect the vehicle even when it crosses lane lines, proceeds diagonally or straddles two lanes.
The system also distinguishes the different categories of vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, vehicles with trailers, trucks and buses, associating the expected limit to each. The cameras can also detect those using the emergency lane.
Not even the presence or absence of an electronic toll device changes the control. Tutor and Vergilius use license plate reading: the Telepass signal does not determine the assessment and it is not necessary to have one to be identified by the system.
It also works in rain, fog and at night
The systems are designed to operate in different lighting and atmospheric conditions. Anas specifies that Vergilius can measure speed even in unfavorable weather or light conditions, while the Tutor works at night, in the rain and in the presence of fog with reduced visibility.
In case of rain, on motorways the ordinary limit can drop from 130 to 110 kilometers per hour. Autostrade per l’Italia specifies that the limit set in the Tutor is also adjusted upon decision of the Traffic Police.
It should therefore not be assumed that the control is inactive just because it is night, there is little traffic or the weather is bad. Switching on is decided by the competent bodies and does not depend on the message possibly shown on the light panels.
Approval is not the same as ignition
Vergilius Plus was technically approved by the ministry in 2024. This step certifies that the system, in the configurations envisaged by the decree, can be used to ascertain the average and instantaneous speed. However, it does not lead to automatic activation on all roads managed by Anas.
Physical installation, correct signaling and actual commissioning remain distinct steps. Even the management of complaints is not entrusted directly to Anas: for Vergilius the information system and infringements are managed by the Traffic Police, just as the Tutor is programmed and used by the competent police bodies.
For travelers, the conclusion is less mysterious than it might seem. Vergilius Plus makes control more advanced and flexible, but does not introduce a new limit and does not change the behavior required behind the wheel. Whether the camera is measuring the speed at that precise point or the average number of kilometers travelled, the only truly effective way to avoid a fine is to respect the limit along the entire road.
