The Speed Cameras That Follow You Everywhere!
The present day has produced a new generation of speed cameras being tested by police, which are able to track various drivers for up to 30 miles!
The devices are aimed at preventing drivers evading tickets by braking just before a speed camera and then speeding up as soon as the speed camera is out of sight.
The new breed of cameras which are being developed could cover whole areas of cities or suburban housing estates, watching over any entry and exit points. They work by "communicating" with each other down phone or internet lines, by calculating a cars average speed, even if the car makes various diversions down a variety of streets.
Some of the cameras are already in use, but mainly on motorways. Their success has led to them being introduced to rural and urban roads, signalling the end of the 6,000 yellow 'Gatso-style' box cameras currently in use.
Transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick yesterday told a road safety conference that the latest cameras could well be a key weapon in the bid to reduce road casualties.
Supporters of the idea have deemed them 'fairer' and they have so far reduced casualties by 50 per cent, therefore encouraging a smoother traffic flow and a safer environment for drivers. However in response to this the critics say it is purely a new chapter in the government’s war on motorists, who paid £106 million in fines last year. An example of the costing for this is that one system, costing £200,000 to £1 million depending on the size of the area covered, could replace many fixed point cameras. However although many fixed point cameras could be replaced, greater areas of the road network would be covered.
A provider of the speed cameras is a company called SPECS, and in a conference they explained how the cameras could be networked together, could be forward or rear facing, could scan multiple lanes and cover vast areas from 250 yards to nearly 30 miles.
The cameras work by photographing a number plate as a vehicle enters the selected zone, and again when it leaves. The system will then calculate the car's average speed between the two points. Therefore if it is higher than the speed limit the driver is automatically sent a fixed penalty notice and 3 points applied to their licence.
Mr. Fitzpatrick said, "Trials have shown very good results. Wherever there are average speed cameras signs, traffic moves at a uniform speed and crashes reduce."
Approval for this new system is imminent; it will be up to the local authorities to decide whether or not to purchase the system.
Furthermore in conjunction with the above, electronic signs that sense when a car is speeding and switch traffic lights further down the road to red forcing it to stop are to be introduced in Britain. The system already in use as a traffic calming measure in Spain, will be installed on Camden High Street in North London.