Article: 'Spoiled' images see drivers escape points

Seth Brundle

from www.breakingnews.ie/2004/09/28/story168582.html (28/09/2004)

Nearly half of all drivers caught on speed cameras during a 15 month period were not prosecuted because the images were spoiled, a report revealed tonight.

The Comptroller and Auditor General’s examination of the penalty points scheme found 47% of over 107,000 speed camera recordings were "spoiled".

Gardaí could not use the spoiled images for prosecutions because they would not stand up in court.

The reasons for the spoiled images, which were taken between October 2002 and December 2003, included dirty or damaged number plates and foreign vehicles.

There were also technical problems with the speed cameras such as dirty or obstructed lenses, poor weather conditions and an inadequate chemical solution to develop the camera films.

The gardaí told the Comptroller the spoil rate had been reduced after most of the technical problems had been addressed. There were around 13,500 spoiled speed camera images for the first five months of this year.

The report found gardaí did not process speed camera offences committed by foreign drivers and made no attempt to establish the identity of the drivers concerned. However, gardaí were able to fine foreign drivers who were caught manually with speed guns.

The Comptroller found drivers of company cars who speed were escaping penalty points because of a loophole in the Traffic Act.

Around 235 drivers were not prosecuted because the points could not be added to their licences since the companies were the registered owners of the vehicles.

The Comptroller said the loophole could be removed by an amendment in a finance bill.

Tommy Vercetti

My guess is that the other half don't have the balls to go to court!

sceptre

kbannon wrote:

Around 235 drivers were not prosecuted because the points could not be added to their licences since the companies were the registered owners of the vehicles.

The Comptroller said the loophole could be removed by an amendment in a finance bill.

A finance bill? Assuming that means what I think it does (formally declaring drivers of company cars to have a beneficial ownership in the car distinct from their benefit from the car taxable as BIK), it sounds like a proposal to use a hammer to insert a screw.

Either way, drivers of company cars and vans can't get points added to their licences so? That's rather a shame as some of them do like their speed.

mike65

and an inadequate chemical solution to develop the camera films

They have filum in the cameras? Wot about hard disk recording via radio transmision? What century is this again??

Mike.

Tommy Vercetti

mike65 wrote:

They have filum in the cameras? Wot about hard disk recording via radio transmision? What century is this again??

Mike.

the century that doesn't realise spray paint has been spread all over the lens!

Interceptor

This months Max Power (I think) has a really cool cut-out-and-keep cardboard rectangle which 'might' fit over the lens of a fixed camera..... Whyever would anyone want one of those??!!

Death to the spiteful monkey who invented penalty points. May he and Gatsonides rot...

'ceptr

Seth Brundle

mike65 wrote:

They have filum in the cameras? Wot about hard disk recording via radio transmision? What century is this again??

Mike.

I refer you back to the thread where it was mentioined that senior members of the plod don't even have email addresses!

Victor

mike65 wrote:

They have filum in the cameras?

Film is nicer for evidence purposes. As video can (theoretically) be doctored without trace, the court would demand an affadavit from the camera man that the video is a true record.... the whole point of speed cameras being they remove the man form the loop

Boggle

Was listening to the last word yesterday and it appears as though the bobby's (in England) gave up on the gatso's because the van rocks when cars go by, causing a spoilage of up to 50%..... Can't remember if it was someone writing in or someone on the show.

bop1977

what would happen if you got nabbad by a radar with no picture? could you walk if u went to court and the pig who was hidding in the ditch had no picture to back up his claim

Merrion

You have to use film cameras as computer evidence (hard disk recording) is not admissible in a court of law.

My guess is that the other half don't have the balls to go to court!

No summons is issued in the case where the image is "spoiled" so the driver would not know that they had got away with it.

Hagar

Boggle wrote:

Was listening to the last word yesterday and it appears as though the bobby's (in England) gave up on the gatso's because the van rocks when cars go by, causing a spoilage of up to 50%..... Can't remember if it was someone writing in or someone on the show.

Somebody please tell me that the Govt didn't waste my tax money on Gatso vans knowing this was happening in the UK.

Sceptre wrote:

Either way, drivers of company cars and vans can't get points added to their licences so? That's rather a shame as some of them do like their speed.

Does this mean Bus drivers are exempt?
What about non-owner-driver Taxis and Hackneys?

Mudder of Jebus. It looks like only Joe Public is accountable for his actions.

the evil belly

interceptor wrote:

This months Max Power (I think) has a really cool cut-out-and-keep cardboard rectangle which 'might' fit over the lens of a fixed camera..... Whyever would anyone want one of those??!!

twas in redline. i happen to have one if anyone is interested anlong with the instruction for the use the suggest you don't use it for. no fixed cameras down this way so it may as well go to a good cause

Seth Brundle

the evil belly wrote:

no fixed cameras down this way so it may as well go to a good cause

yet!!!

the evil belly

ah christ don't say that you'll jinx it. i'll have to start a vigilante campaign if they put them up in cork. although i suppose there'll only be a few of em and it'll only take a little while to learn where they are

Pataman

bop1977 wrote:

what would happen if you got nabbad by a radar with no picture? could you walk if u went to court and the pig who was hidding in the ditch had no picture to back up his claim

If your talking about the fixed gatso, it will just flash and you will think you are caught. No prosecution will follow as no picture was taken.
If you are referring to the garda with a laser gun, he doesnt need a picture. His word is enough.

Also the "pig" you referred to is probably the same garda that will come out if your house is broken into or your car stolen.

Nuttzz

Pataman wrote:

Also the "pig" you referred to is probably the same garda that will come out if your house is broken into or your car stolen.

Eventually......


There have been a few cases in Cork where the coppers with the radar guns couldnt produce a printout to prove that the driver was speeding and the court upheld the appeal

Boggle

Also the "pig" you referred to is probably the same garda that will come out if your house is broken into or your car stolen.

...and promptly take down the details, scratch their heads and say they'll see what they can do before going back to base to bury the file and have a cuppa!!

Dont worry, there'll be plenty of camera's soon when it gets privatised which is of course painful... More fines = more profit and as they are private they dont have to worry about public perception and so will prob catch you for 30.000002 in a 30 zone without having to explain themselves!!

This is goin to screw the brother as when he gets a fire-call he has 5 mins to get to the station, regardless of traffic, in his his own car with no lights, sirens or visible markings! The amount of times he has been followed by a gard until they realised he was on a call is shocking. Private companies wont give that lee-way...

daymobrew

In the US some cars have what looks like a clear(ish) protective cover over the license plates. AFAIK it is to avoid detection by laser detectors.

http://www.phantomplate.com/lo_photoshieldeuro.html (Now available for Euro size plates)
http://photo-radar.net/eclipse.html

The first site says "We do not condone or encourage the use of our products to defeat toll booth cameras."
Err, so they condone and encourage use to evade speeding fines!