Highway patrol

A highway patrol is a police unit, detail, or law enforcement agency created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways within a jurisdiction. They are also referred to in many countries as traffic police, although in other countries this term is more commonly used to refer to foot officers on point duty who control traffic at junctions.

Duties of highway patrols or traffic police may include the following:

In Argentina, traffic policing is the responsibility of the Argentine National Gendarmerie.

In Australia, traffic policing is the responsibility of the state police forces (with the notable exception of the Australian Capital Territory, under the responsibility of the Australian Federal Police). Each force has its own traffic sections, often a local section in each area and a statewide section.

In Austria, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Austrian Federal Police.

In Belgium, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Wegpolitie - Police de la Route (WPR) a section of the Federal Police (former Gendarmerie).

In Brazil, traffic policing is the responsibility of state and federal police forces accordingly to the highway administration status. State administered highways (usually shorter, within state borders, two-way, single lane, lower traffic) are policed by a branch of the Military Police forces, called State Highway Military Police. At the same time Federal highways and roads (longer, crossing state borders, some double lane and high-traffic) are the responsibility of the Federal Highway Police.

In Canada, traffic policing on highways is primarily the responsibility of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, except for in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. In these provinces, the following agencies are responsible for highway patrol: