12/12/2010
France, Germany, UK, Saudi Arabia: Speed Cameras ThwartedSpeed cameras burned in France, harrassed in Saudi Arabia, swiped in Wales and blurred in Germany.
A speed camera in Thouars, France was set on fire December 5. The automated ticketing machine on the D628 had just entered its first testing phase when it was completely destroyed by burning tires, La Gazette Ariegeoise reported.
Vigilantes in Saudi Arabia have taken out a number of mobile speed camera cars known as Saher. On December 4, a group of five vigilantes attacked the driver of a speed camera vehicle in Makkah, Arab News reported. On September 24 in Buraidah, a man threw an iron rod through the windshield of the photo radar vehicle, damaging the equipment inside. In Madinah, another vigilante stood on Prince Naif Street to warn motorists about an upcoming speed trap. Motorists joined in, using their flashers to warn other cars before they were hit by the camera.
A speed camera failed to prevent Australian musician Nick Cave from crashing around 7pm on Tuesday in Sussex, England. Cave's black Jaguar XK6 slammed into the automated ticketing machine, leaving it bent at a 45 degree angle, the London Telegraph reported.
Vigilantes in Swansea, Wales grabbed about £5000 (US $8000) worth of automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras from the side of the road in 2008, Wales on Sunday newspaper learned after filing a freedom of information request. The devices were used to track motorists and issue tickets for minor paperwork violations.
In Germany, mother nature has thwarted the government's attempt to ticket motorists on highways using cameras that photograph vehicles from the front to identify the driver. Osterreichische Rundfunk reports that a recent snow created a dirty slush that is preventing clear shots from being generated and endangering revenue projections.
