Nothing to do with OM cameras, but may save you a few ££'s...
Alex
....New kind of Speed Trap on the roads.
A little more info on the new speed traps (M25, M1, M20) New Type of Speed
Cameras on M1 & M20,M25
Speedcheck SVVD or SPECS went online last weekend on the M1, netting 4,300
offenders in a single day. The
system does not use instantaneous speed like the cameras we're all familiar
with, instead measuring the average
speed of every vehicle over a distance of about a mile. How? By reading your
license plates and matching them up
camera-to-camera. Kent and Leicestershire police are so impressed with it that
systems are being erected in their
enforcement areas too. This is a new system which has now entered service after
successful trials on the M1 and
M20 in the UK. Speedcheck SVDD (Sureway Video Detection Device) is a system
similar in concept to the GATSO,
but with a new twist. SVDD deploys cameras at either end of a measured baseline
up to 500 metres) to monitor
vehicles 24 hours a day. Using machine vision, vehicle numberplates are read,
and the precise time of each
observation recorded and as a vehicle passes the second camera, the numberplate
records are matched, and an
average speed for the vehicle is calculated. If this is above the trigger speed,
then the vehicle's identification is
recorded along with it's speed. It is also flashed up on a huge illuminated sign
further down the road to embarrass the
driver into slowing down. When triggered, the detection technology used in these
cameras automatically records the
date, precise time, location and speed of the offending vehicle, along with a
full colour image of the front of the
vehicle, which clearly records the numberplate, make, model and colour of
vehicle. There's five overriding reasons for
the habitual speeded to be afraid of this system: It works 24 hours a day, needs
no film, uses no flash, and uses no
radar....so bad luck all those of you who think that radar detectors work. It's
been proven to be over 99% accurate in
almost all weather conditions. It doesn't do spot-speed checking. A GATSO can
only check the speed of a vehicle
within a certain range so the tactic most drivers use now is to slow down for
the camera and then speed up again
once past it. Speedcheck measures average speed over a known distance. So if you
do 60mph under each camera
and then speed up to 80mph in between, your average speed is likely to be near
70mph - 10 over the limit imposed -
you're nicked. SVDD say this means that the system can impose a far smoother
flow of traffic eliminating slow-fast
driving that GATSO cameras provoke. Because it's automated, the system is
entirely self-sufficient. It's hooked up to
the DVLA computers, and can automatically process the fines and send out notices
in the post. It's Big Brother. Don't
believe for a moment that this technology will only be used to catch speeders.
It could eventually be used to keep
track of where every single car in the country is at any given moment in time
once the network of these things
becomes broad enough. Warning to M25 Motorists If you are a driver then this is
important! Even if you aren't yo
know people who are, so it is still important! Please pass this one on to as
many people as you can. There are 60
new cameras that start operating on the M25 on Monday 14 June. These are
between the A3 and M40. They are
digital and linked direct to computer, use no film or flashgun. They can deal
with 60,000 tickets EVERY HOUR. The
cameras are also (apparently) linked and can work out your average speed between
them. So, if you speed up
between them and slow down as you approach them, if your average speed is over
the "legal limit+N%" threshold you
may well get a ticket.
Safe driving!!!
______________________________________________________________________
Important Email Information
The information in this email is confidential and may be legally privileged.It
is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this email by anyone else is
unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying,
distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is
prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended addressee please
contact the sender and dispose of this e-mail.
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|