Private Traffic Cameras

edmund_f

Simple idea, simple question

the idea;

the cops fit a camera to your car. They then monitor the tape and proscute using the video as evidence. You would get paid a flat fee for the use of your car

This system would be designed to combat bad driving not speeding

qualifications;
-there would be no visible difference to your car, and the video would be downloaded remotly i.e. no blue flashing lights on your car
- the system would have similar powers to the current system, e.g. fine owner of car, unless proof otherwise, basic fine points unless contested etc (why change something that is working so well? :rolleyes: )

the questions would you?

1. allow a camera to be fitted to your car
2. not allow a camera to be fitted to your car

optiplexgx270

2.

Turner

Just a thought...

I could see it encouraging people to drive excessively to catch up with and videotape bad drivers. Which for an untrained driver wouldnt be the best thing in the world.

They could in fact record the footage that would lead to their own prosecution for dangerous driving in trying to follow and record other drivers...

seamus

Chief--- wrote:

They could in fact record the footage that would lead to their own prosecution for dangerous driving in trying to follow and record other drivers...

That would be the main problem people would have. There's no-one who can put their hands up and say that they always drive like a saint and/or are willing to always drive like a saint.

It would probably be easier for whoever to watch an hour of the person's driving and prosecute based on that, rather than skim through 6 hours of footage to find one person to prosecute.

My brother came up with quite a good system. Auto-recognition in Garda cars. That is, each Garda car carries a small camera, wide enough range, in their bumper. This camera recognises each numberplate in front of the Garda car, makes a query back to HQ, and the data on the vehicle pops up in the car. This way, stolen, untaxed, or unregistered vehicles can be spotted immediately, as well as people potentially driving while banned.
On top of that, force all visitors to the country to register their vehicle with this central database, including any Nordies.

edmund_f

auto recognition sounds really cool, but if they invest in that how will they afford their nice new Saab's?. Remember the 'pulse' fiasco?

you are correct about the 'vigilante' driving. Perhaps taking them off the road would be the best thing as this type of person my be responsible for such acts as driving the the overtaking lane because they doing the speed limit, slamming on the brakes if a car drives too closely, etc etc..

Pataman

I want the blue lights too

Alun

seamus wrote:

My brother came up with quite a good system. Auto-recognition in Garda cars. That is, each Garda car carries a small camera, wide enough range, in their bumper. This camera recognises each numberplate in front of the Garda car, makes a query back to HQ, and the data on the vehicle pops up in the car. This way, stolen, untaxed, or unregistered vehicles can be spotted immediately, as well as people potentially driving while banned.

They already have this in the UK. I saw it on one of those many and various Traffic Cops style programs on the BBC recently. The cops cruise round all day just waiting for the system to pop up with a tax / MOT / insurance / stolen car query and then pull them, seems to work great.

Talking of which, has anyone seen the new Garda "Traffic Corps" cars? Toyota Avensis's of all things No T5's for them then !

Turner

Avensis's are nothin to be sniffed at... either are the new vectra's.

Alun

Chief--- wrote:

Avensis's are nothin to be sniffed at... either are the new vectra's.

Not for your average Joe Motorist they aren't, but they're a surprising choice for a Traffic Corps. I'd have expected something with a bit more poke, like the UK police's Volvo T-5's for example.

Silvera

The 'Traffic Corps' - so far - seems to be a bit of a govt PR stunt.

They said Traffic Corps personnel/vehicles would not be used for any other Garda duties/operations (bar in exceptional circumstance).
I have seen Traffic Corps vehicles being used for non-traffic duties on at least two occassions.

The TC vehicles I saw were Trooper jeeps.

Also, why 'GARDA TRAFFIC CORPS' all across the bonnet (two lines of writing!) ?........me thinks they did so for PR/tv cameras/media !

Why not just 'TRAFFIC CORPS' on the bonnet AND in reverse writing like UK police vehicles ?


I too saw the 'reg plate recognition system' on UK polices vehicles (BBC programme).

Automan

There is enough big brother in Ireland already, I’m sure people will not stand for this kind of stealth big brother tactics.
Perhaps they should teach people how to drive properly first before going around and prosecuting every one. Or a better idea, instead of giving people points/fine give them the option to go to some sort of driving school for a day or two, which they will have to pay for (cost less than the fine). This way driving standers should improve in Ireland.

Seth Brundle

unkel

License recognition is feasible and I can't see it being an expensive implementation, especially if they have piloted it already in the UK

Second use for this system is storing location, time and license plate of all vehicles observed by all cameras. Big brother, buy boy would it help

seamus wrote:

On top of that, force all visitors to the country to register their vehicle with this central database, including any Nordies.

Like the idea

DoctorEdgeWild

I volunteer my car and work truck for this but cant promise that I won't fit blue flashing lights, reflective sunglasses and southern drawl to my car/accent.

Seriously though, I'd do it - and how about a reduced rate of tax/insurance for those who do. And while we are at it, driving tests for all drivers every ten years. Also, how about bus lane cameras and...

Oh sorry, it's ireland we live in. Sorry, I got carried away there for a second.

(despite the sarcasm, I'd seriously do it)

edmund_f

thanks for all the responses.

Just to clarify..

I realise there is an incredible amount of problems with even attempting to own/drive a car in Ireland today, from the insurance/NCT/tax, to roads, VRT, bad driving, etc etc

From what i have noticed all the recent changes in legislation are totally useless and just annoying the average motorist even more.

What i am trying to do is actually suggest something that may be useful, and actualy improve the situation for the general driver, crazy concept i know, but it may be just crazy enough to work!

This idea is specific to bad driving, only. (you know the stuff that is responsible for the high cost of insurance)

I will state here that i am one of your average drivers, 10+ years of experience, 1 accident 2 points, far from perfect, but trying to improve. This idea is just an idea. Let me make that clear, it is just an idea. I realise it is flawed, what i am looking for is constructive criticism on this so i can actually go and improve it, and then present the idea in its best possible light to the legislatiors. If it does not work, at least i have tried to change things for the better, and will not give up here.

I think there are enough people out there happy to bitch but not actually do anything, and i would ask these people to bitch about this idea as much as possible. Hopefully i will be able to improve the idea and actually do.

edmund_f

Kbannon,

Think you have captured the essence of Irish Road cops.. childish stuck up little children.. never noticed the similarity until now.. (even has the exact shade of blue)

ambro25

edmund_f wrote:

I think there are enough people out there happy to bitch but not actually do anything.

The first thing you can do as a motorist, without dreaming up Big-Brother-style scheme, is to lead by example:
_don't block junctions, whether there's a yellow box or not
_patience is a virtue, so stop at 'maturing' ambers lights
_overtake 1 or 3 or 10 cars: if your journey's less than 20-or-so miles, it ain't gonna make that much of a difference, so why bother?
_know where you are and think where you're going at all times: indicators are not optional extras
etc, etc.

You may then become that extremely rare beast: a considerate and aware 'Irish driver'. [Not saying you (edmund_f) don't already do any of the above, the 'You' is empirical here, of course]

PS: (I'd vote for using just 'driver', particularly considering that on average a lot of cars with 'LT' stickers on them drive a lot worse than IE-reg'd ones, if it didn't make it sound like I meant 'everybody else but me')

If anything, the more drivers 'conform' to this, the more other road users may (hopefully) become self-conscious about their own (bad) standard of driving and willing to match that of apparently 'better' drivers.

edmund_f

Ambro25,

Yes, you are 100% correct, we should lead by example, in reality we should all learn to drive to a reasonable standard. I think that would be an argument worth of its own thread. I believe there is the mentality that it is okay to do it, anything, if you can get away with it.

Simply put, if you (royal ' You') drive safely a system such as this will not affect you, much the same as gatso, cops hiding in bushes, tax check roadblocks, etc etc will not affect you. Ideally it will effect and punish the sub standard drivers. I am just looking for a more effective, efficient, fair way of enforcing the law.

It is obivious that our legislators are not capeable or willing to do it.

Our man in Havana

License recognition is feasible and I can't see it being an expensive implementation, especially if they have piloted it already in the UK.

Wouldn't work as there are so many **** out there with non standard scripts on their plates so they can't be read by cameras. Time to rigerously enforce the 1991 number plate regulations.

edmund_f

no offence Bond-007, but i think enforcing of the 1991 number plate regulations would be pretty far down the list?..

this is assuming that you are suggesiting the system would not capture a few percent of the total number of plates on cars, therefore we should scrap the whole idea?.

correct me if i am wrong, but similar technology is used by postal services around the world. Any writing the system cannot recgonise just gets shunted for 'real person' atttention.

Our man in Havana

So if they see a honda civic with an unreadable plate then they will automaticaly pull it over? If so then thats ok and a good thing.

edmund_f

pretty much.. at least that is what they should do, but it is much easier to pull them for speeding.

Cops are not interested in making our roads safer, only taking the path of least resistance to getting their pay cheque. If we want to improve road safety we have to do it ourselves. Our goverment and idiotic cops are only there as it is a good well paying job and they will quite happily blind us with flawed science and irrelevant statistics to protect this. As i have noted on a number of other posts this can easily be backed up by the number of road fatilities.

My heart really genuinely goes out to people who have lost loved ones on our roads and all we are interested in is the number of speeding detections, scapegoats (car modifiers) etc etc... the bottom line is more people are losing their lives on our roads and we do not really seem to be interested.

I may have been naieve to assume that because the system i proposed actually specifically targets bad driving it would have total support, at least for a trial (i cannot personaly remember being asked about the traffic watch system, can you?) . The only thing i can do is continue as i have started, but i would like to thank all who have shown support.

And yes i fully agree that the best way to stop people killing themselves and others on our roads is to teach them how to drive. This is a system basically to force them to learn how to drive.

optiplexgx270

[QUOTE=afford their nice new Saab's?. Remember the 'pulse' fiasco?

[/QUOTE]

they were offered to replace the whole fleet for feck all a few years ago with BMW's but the commitioner at the time declined the offer from BMW as he tought it would make them unapproachable i mean how much worse could they be. + they have to buy a certain % of cars from each country more EU crap. Thats why the police cars are like dolly mixtures.
Jeep(us),dodge(us),ford(us/eu),fiat(it),toyota(jap),volvo(sweeden),opel(eu) and so on....