Jalopnik: Speed Cameras

Passport Radar Detector Includes GPS With Speed Camera Database

Travis Hudson — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:40:00 EDT

Despite the fact that slowing down is still one of the best ways to save gas, people, us included, continue to enjoy a little extra speed courtesy of the radar detector. The latest model from Passport, the 9500ix, includes some unique features to compensate for the latest speed-busting technology: integrated GPS and a database of known speed cameras, speed traps and red light cameras. But that's not all.

With towns constantly installing and removing cameras, the 9500ix can be updated regularly with the latest information about speed cameras. Pick it up later this month for $500. [Product Page via SlipperyBrick]

Mooning Speed Cameras Are Quickest Way To Get Your Ass In Trouble

Travis Hudson — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:20:00 EDT

Those fancy tea-drinkers from across the pond are all up in arms over a man who was photographed mooning a speed camera. The man drops his trousers and bares his ass for a speed camera on the A1171 Dudley Lane in Cramlington. The police aren't too happy about the matter (honestly, who would be? ass lovers?) because the stunt is dangerous and offensive. The police will be contacting the owner of the vehicle and may take action against the man for public order offenses and failure to wear a seatbelt. We're still pretty amazed that the guy could stand up, pull down his pants and turn around while riding shotgun in a moving BMW X5. [BBC via Neatorama]

Brits Give Crossing Guards Cams To Catch Speedsters

Travis Hudson — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:20:00 EDT

First off, are crossing guards in the U.K really called lollipop ladies and men? If it is true, is it because their signs look like lollipops. Or even more creepily, do they hand out lollipops to kids? Regardless, these men and women are now being equipped with helmet-mounted cameras to catch aggressive motorists. Apparently, drivers aren't as nice to these lollipop-passing-out guardians of the walkways. There have been 1,400 incidents of aggressive lollipop haters was recorded last year with dozens of crossing guards needing hospitalization.

The cameras are either mounted to a hat worn by the crossing guard or in their "lollipop." The camera is then attached to an Archos portable recording unit and the footage can be used in court to bust the offenders. Failing to stop for a crossing guard is punishable by up to £2,000 and three penalty points over the pond. Lollipops and video cameras? If this were a story in the U.S. it would be about a pedophile. [Giz]

Louisana Traffic Official Fights The Law And The Law's Him

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:40:00 EDT

From the department of "do what I say, not what I do" comes this awesome story out of Lafayette, Louisiana playing perfectly into our dislike and mistrust of government nanny bureaucracy. Tony Tramel, the Director of Transportation for Lafayette Consolidated Government, is the chap tasked with monitoring and approving tickets issued by speed cameras. Mr. Tramel was recently caught with a radar detector mounted in the windshield of his personal car. Huh? We're confused. We thought the only reason to install a radar detector is to speed and flaunt the law, which doesn't really make any sense. Couldn't he just trash the camera images of him speeding and be off the hook? Fox guarding the hen house indeed. (Hat tip to Richard!) [TheNewspaper (these guys might want to consider a better marketing department)]

French Revolutionaries Blow Up Speed Cameras

Murilee Martin — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:15:00 EST

After issuing screeds decrying "the owner State which robs its citizens," the Nationalist Revolutionary Army Faction (FNAR) has launched a campaign of direct action against speed cameras in the Paris region. So far they've destroyed six of the radar-based traffic-enforcement devices with crude explosive devices, and an attack on an installation near the village of Baillet-en-France was thwarted by a road-maintenance team who discovered a seventh bomb last Tuesday. The rulers tremble! [Times of London]

Next Up, Skynet: Siemens Teaches Cars to Read!

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 19:30:00 EST

Never let it be said that the Germans haven't done their part for literacy. Besides providing the world with the works of Goethe, Brecht and Werner von Braun, Deutschland also gave rise to industrial conglomerate Siemens, who've developed a system that reads speed limit signs and can adjust a vehicle's speed downward at the driver's discretion to stay within limits. The all-seeing eye cross checks the electrosensory stimulus it takes in with GPS data to ensure it's not wonky. We imagine this would be a highly-useful invention in a Gatso-riddled society. – Davey G. Johnson

Cars to Automatically Detect Speed Limit [Driving.ca]

Your Camera A-Splode! Gatso'd Briton's Thermite Revenge On Video

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 00:45:00 EDT

A month ago, we brought you the tale of the sorry fate of Craig Moore, a young engineer busted for blowing up a speed camera with Thermite after being flashed. Thisislondon has video of both Moore's work van going by and then the sudden explosion of the camera. The reason Moore's plot didn't work? The camera's data is stored in the base. So here's a note to all of you would-be camera-vandalizers: to kill a weed, you've gotta get the roots. Moore just got four months in the pokey for failing to realize that one.

The Moment a Motorist Blows Up a Speed Camera [Thisislondon]

Related:
Disgruntled Motorist Blows Up Speed Camera [Internal]

Adventures in Dumb: Woman Tosses 69 Speeding Tickets, Faces Time in Hoosegow

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 17:00:00 EDT

You know, we've of course come out vocally against speed cameras, but Francesca Cisneros of Chandler, AZ simply does not give a fuck about them. Or at least, she didn't used to. After racking up 69 speeding tickets since March, all but five of which were camera-capture citations, Cisneros faces eleven large in fines and may be looking at jail time. Reportedly, she told investigating officers that she thought it perfectly fine to throw the tickets away. Wow. We're out of florid descriptors for that level of stupidity. Readers? [Thanks to TexansAreHot for the tip.]

69 tickets? Yes, I got 'em — and threw 'em away [MSNBC]

Related:
Disgruntled Motorist Blows Up Speed Camera [Internal]

Disgruntled Motorist Blows Up Speed Camera

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 15:15:00 EDT

Craig Moore, a 28-year-old engineer got nicked by a Gatso, and having some knowledge of explosive compounds, he rigged up a gang of Thermite to the camera that caught him. Unfortunately, the camera also captured his act of revenge, and apparently its media survived the device's destruction intact. The poor, ingenious bastard will be sentenced later this month. [Thanks to Edwin for the tip.]

Speeding motorist tried to blow up camera [Daily Mail, UK]

Big Brother Says Slow Down: Traffic Control By Satellite; Myth or Coming Soon to the UK?

Mike Spinelli — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 09:17:23 EDT

We've been following the UK's march toward state-controlled motoring with empathetic semi-amusement. With every new municipal proposal to employ technology for the sake of imposing iron will over the motoring public, we're ever more grateful even for the US's anti-driver traffic laws (in urban areas, at least) — the doubling of fines at will, the Boss Hoggian manipulation of "speed zones," the selective enforcement — and even more grateful for the Constitution (even in the shape it's in). But government control of traffic speeds via satellite? Surely that must be over the top? A conspiracy theory for sure, right?

Well, no. It's called Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) — a system under development at Leeds University — and it combines a vehicle-mounted black box with a navigation system that includes roads' speed limits. The system determines a car's position via satellite and matches its speed with the local speed limit, and (hold on to your driving gloves) adjusts the throttle or even applies the brakes if a car exceeds the limit. According to PistonHeads, it's being funded to the tune of millions of pounds by the Department for Transport. Turning drivers into dependence-addicted meatware? Yeah, that'll end well.

SPEED LIMIT REVIEW HIDES SINISTER PURPOSE [PistonHeads]

French to Bust Foreign Speeders, Impound Cars

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 16:00:00 EDT

Nigel McPutt-Putt-Chutneyson is no longer safe from the long arm of Jacques Law. Foreign drivers, under new French legislation, can have their cars impounded for speeding unless they cough up 480 euros on the spot. The Freedomese enacted the law in response to a plethora of unpaid traffic fines by motorists from other nations, especially the UK, Spain and Germany.

French to impound speeding foreign cars [Motortorque]

British Tea Party: Speed Cameras Vandalized in the UK

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 09:32:05 EDT

Britons fed up with their local and state governments' obsession with voyeurism have been taking to the streets and burning up speed cameras for years. Why'd we pick now to finally feature such camera vandalism? It's Rebellion Friday! Well, there should be such a thing.

Vandalised Gatsos [Speedcam.co.uk]

Jalopnik is Angry, Won't Stand for Persecution of Mighty Boy by Aussie Speed Cameras

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 30 May 2006 20:30:00 EDT

We love the Mighty Boy. It might just be the cutest li'l production truckcar ever. And Australian authorities are attempting to frame it for a crime it didn't commit. On Good Friday, Cliff Perrett was having lunch with his family, his trusty Mighty Boy parked right outside. Meanwhile, some other motorist bombed through Mansfield at 109 km/h and was Gatsoed. Mansfield's halfway across the state from Perrett's residence, and his Mighty Boy, well, it tops out at 90km/h. We call a pox on the speed cameras of Victoria for their shameless anti-Mighty Boy bias. But, like the A-Team, we're sure the Mighty Boy will flourish and continue to be a force for good in the world. [Thanks to Scott for the tip.]

Mighty mix-up over speeding fine [Herald Sun, Australia]

Million-Pound Yorkshire Pudding, Er, Speed Camera

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 17:05:01 EDT

A speed camera in Ferrybridge, Yorkshire has pulled down over a million pounds in fines over eighteen months, and the Brit-types are calling foul, saying the eye of Big Brother is obviously doing nothing to deter speeding, and is instead all about revenue generation. We've gone on record before as saying that we don't like speed cameras; we'd rather have a cop out there on a bike or in a car; at least that seems more honest to us. Ah, for the good old days of pacing. (And yes, we have been nailed that way — honestly twice, and a couple of other times simply because we think they wanted to suss us out and just generally wanted to be dicks to a longhair in an El Camino.

RAC criticises 1m speed camera [BBC]

Related:
Defeat Speed Camera via Dorky Add-On? [Internal]

Australian Sportbike Hoons Giving Po-Po Worry, Speed Cameras The Bird

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 13:41:23 EST

A group of five motorcyclists Down Under are giving the police fits, as they buzz past speed cameras, front wheel in the air, middle fingers flying, often while carrying passengers. Currently, the cameras only shoot the front license plate, but due to acts of hoonage like this, that's about to change, making the bikers culpable for their speed and recklessness.

"There's always someone out there who's got to show off. Let's educate them about the danger, not just whack fines on people and seize bikes," says Motorcycle Industry Association spokesguy Craig Marsland says. But Craig, does a hoon truly know he's a hoon? In this case, we think so. [Thanks to Don for the tip.]

Motorbike morons: Number's up for hoons like these [Sunday Times, Australia]

Related:
Hoon of the Day: Boxy, But Fast as Hell [Internal]

Oh Criminy. They've Got Sound Cameras Now

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 19:43:10 EST

Red light cameras. Speed cameras. And now...wait for it...yes, sound cameras. Here, children, is the Military Industrial Complex working for your benefit. An Australian defense contractor has come up with a camera that snaps license-plate photos of bumpin' thunderboxes, extra-rumpety exhaust notes and even ill-timed horn blasts. Frankly, the only guy we really wanna ticket is the guy down the street whose oversensitive alarm goes off every time some guy on a Harley roars by.

New Camera Mails Tickets to Noisy Cars [The Newspaper]

Related:
Defeat Speed Camera via Dorky Add-On? [Internal]

Defeat Speed Camera via Dorky Add-On?

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 16:33:10 EST

We posted earlier that cars with wonky suspensions could render speed camera photos unusable in Australia. Reader Chris writes in with another tip, although it mightily raises the vehicle's redneck quotient. Then again, that could be a plus for some readers. Click through for the tip.

Boat prop hitch covers work too.

While visiting the family farm, my brother and I bolted up an old hitch to the front of his Jeep and helped move some field equipment around the tight confines of the shop. When we returned to the camera happy wilds of Scottsdale and Paradise Valley Az., I bought (On Clearance!) one of those prop hitch covers to put on the front. Like so much on my brother's 77' Jeep....what goes on, never comes off. (It's nicknamed the Watermelon....green on the outside, red on the inside, and the backseat is the pits)

Anyhow....my brother noticed that when he would drive by those "Your speed is __" machines that it would put up astronomical numbers that rapidly fluctuate. 130+!!! Now a couple things here....Scottsdale and PV love the cameras.....my brother hasn't driven under the speed limit since the day he got his license...and he is driving a 77' Jeep CJ. We have driven by these cameras multiple times at extra legal speeds and ....nothing. Not one ticket received in the mail! Could it be that the machine can't make up its 'mind' and fails to take a picture?

That front hitch has come in handy....

Related:
My Hoopty, Rollin', Speed-Camera Evadin' [Internal]

My Hoopty, Rollin', Speed-Camera Evadin'

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 13:09:49 EST

Wanna avoid speed cameras? Officials in Australia have a secret you should know about never, ever change your shocks. Vehicles with erratic suspensions can screw the speed camera's view of the plate, thus allowing 10% of the hooptiest rides down under to escape detection. (Apologies to Mr. Jalopy.)

10% of cars undetected by speed cameras [Nine National News, Australia]

Johnny Law's Gone Too Far: UK Lawyers Decry "Tricks" Book as Intimidation

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 09:47:00 EST

Wot!? Apparently, the Greater Manchester Police (of the UK, natch) has been sending along a free gift with all speed camera tickets. That is, a bit 'o literature, a booklet called "A Book of Tricks," that at least one lawyer says contains information meant to intimidate and mislead would-be speeders — and the innocent — into compliance. The book outlines the department's "Operation Cheetah," instituted to catch those who would evade speeding tickets dishonestly. But drivers' rights groups say the book goes too far by scaring the accused from exercising their legitimate rights. Bully for you, constable!

"Tricks" Booklet Misleads: Researcher [Pistonheads]

Related:
Brits Employ Bait Cars in West Yorkshire [internal]

The March of the Speed Cameras: Scottsdale Report

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:56:31 EST

Commenter buzaw0nk noted last month that the nation's first speed cameras had gone up on Arizona's Loop 101 highway in Scottsdale. The early reports are in, and authorities say that motorists have noted less weaving in and out of traffic, as well as reduced speeds. The program's currently a nine-month trial, but assume that we haven't seen the last of these beasts on the roadside, considering the cameras have flashed 15,000 motorists in two weeks. [UPDATE: We're dumb. DC beat Arizona to the speed-camera punch, and we even wrote about it. Thanks, Mike.]

Loop cameras slowing cars, official says [Arizona Republic]

Dickless Studs: Big Brother Does it in the Road

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 19:07:45 EST

Roadside radar is pass . Apparently, the hip new thing is Astucia's speed detection stud. Designed to be hidden in lane-markers and linked to roadside cameras, the speed stud uses infrared to assess the speed of a vehicle and then shoots it over to a roadside box. Of course, what's to stop somebody from going out late at night with a Makita cordless and drilling the things? Nothin', that's what. Cool Hand Luke will have his revenge.

Speed Detection Stud [TransportTrends]

Related:
Cops Nailed for Speeding in Wales, Kind Of [Internal]

Cops Nailed for Speeding in Wales, Kind Of

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 21:06:45 EST

Richie Jones, chairman of the South Wales Police Federation makes with the safety- ber-alles boilerplate, saying:

"It's quite often a require- ment to break the speed limit and to contravene road traffic signals such as red lights, etc, but the officers are trained to a high standard.
"When having to sometimes go outside the law, it is always done with the health and safety of the public and the officer paramount. We would never condone reckless driving."

Still, police officers have been nailed for exceeding the speed limit in unnecessary situations. Tsk tsk tsk, Wisk Wisk Wisk!

Cameras snap speeding police cars [BBC]

Chastise, Don't Punish: Brits Say Signs Reduce Speeds Better than Cameras

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 06:58:12 EST

Here on 25th Street in Pedro, we've got a solar-powered, radar-equipped sign that ticks off numbers up to the posted limit of 35mph. After that, it flashes the word "SLOW!" in big yellow letters with the vehemence of a significant other you may or may not have exposed to the clap. And you know what? The damn thing works (on us at least latent Catholic guilt?), and it's a damn sight less heart-rending than spotting a cop pointing a radar gat atcha whip.

In Britain, a study's shown that while 25 percent of drivers sped within the vicinity of the camera, only 16 percent sped near the sign. On the flipside, road signs aren't generally revenue generators. Sergey, Larry call us, have we got an idea for you!

Warning signs slow cars better than cameras [Scotsman, UK]

Related:
Speed Camera Warning Service Launches in UK [Internal]

Say Cheese, Dillholes! Teenage Thieves Smile for Speed Camera

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 20:50:00 EST

Three British teenage hooligans in the midst of speeding in a stolen Escort they eventually ended up torching blew past a speed camera and made sure they put their best faces forward as they hurtled by. When the cops matched the picture up to the burned-out hulk, they were so elated they promptly nicknamed the stupid hoons "Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest." Really, it was just a cry for help. A desperate cry for help.

Dumb Car Thieves Smile for Cop Camera [Mirror, UK]

Speed Camera Warning Service Launches in UK

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 08:15:09 EST

Thankfully, where we live, we're only blessed with overzealous, revenue-generatin' cops with radar guns instead a phalanx of Orwellian speed cameras. But if we were to live in such an always-watched-all-the-time society, we wouldn't mind having a service like Camtracker, which just debuted in the UK. For 35p a day, it sends out a text message whenever one's in the vicinity of a mobile speed camera. All that's required is a hands-free phone. Of course, you could save roughly 20 bucks a month just by driving slower, but where's the fun in that?

Mobile Camera Alert Service Launches [PistonHeads]

And We Thought They Were a Peace-Loving People: Angry Swiss Motorist Trashes Speed Camera

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 13:05:12 EST

Famed for watches, their army's knives and cheese that resembles a Dago axle drilled by a mescal-crazed monkey, the Swiss aren't really known for their violent ways. That said, one motorist in die Schweiz blew his stack when he was nailed for doing 50 in a 30 by a speed camera. He pulled a pickaxe from his trunk, hacked the offending cam from its moorings, ran it over with his car and then chucked it over a cliff. While the camera and the film were destroyed, he was spotted on his spree o' destruction and faces a roughly $22,300 fine. Those Swiss, man. They don't screw around. No wonder nobody wants to invade 'em.

Swiss Driver Trashes Camera [Pistonheads]