Spain’s Enhanced Speed Radar System Attracts Interest… From The Interested

[advrider]

As camera-based traffic enforcement gains momentum around the world, we now see an idea start to spread from Spain into other countries: “Anti-braking” speed cameras. However, despite considerable interest from the media and also apparently from traffic authorities, it appears this is an idea so simple that it’s surprising it isn’t common everywhere. And one company that stands to gain quite a bit from this tech is pushing for it to spread to the UK in particular.

The problem as authorities see it is this: Many motorists will slow down when they know a speed camera is present, then speed up once they’re past the auto-ticketing danger. Instead of reducing speed through the whole roadway, the camera only caused a drop in average speeds in its immediate vicinity.

Some motorists may think that’s solution enough, but in Spain’s province of Navarra, authorities have been trying to slow more speeders down. According to this Spanish-language write-up, they first experimented with radar cameras that could “see” farther, targeting a speeder or even multiple speeders before they drew close to the camera.

Another tactic they’re trying is incredibly obvious—they’re doubling up on speed cameras. Instead of just running a single fixed camera, which is fairly easy to avoid once their location is known, the authorities are adding a second mobile unit before or after the fixed camera. It can be as much as a kilometer distant from the fixed cam, at which point many motorists would assume they’re well clear of the fixed camera’s danger zone, picking up speed as a result.

Again, an almost painfully obvious solution to the problem—and now, we see British authorities urged to adopt the technology… by none other than Road Angel. Who’s Road Angel? Surprise, surprise—they are a seller of dash cams and speed camera detectors! British publications cite Road Angel’s founder as calling for increased speed camera surveillance to “help keep roads safer.” One also wonders what impact an increase in speed cameras might have on Road Angel’s sale of detectors as well… good for the company, no doubt, but too bad for the rest of the motorized public who doesn’t have this sort of thing on-board while driving.

 

 

Vezi sursa