Road Cameras 'Could Catch Drivers on Mobiles'
Roadside cameras could be used to catch motorists using mobile phones on the move.
A transport expert will suggest the move to an influential committee of MPs later this week, according to The Guardian.
It said Robert Gifford of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) would include the idea in a submission to the transport select committee.
Stolen, wanted and untaxed vehicles are already tracked by a network of cameras that are activated when they detect a suspect number plate.
Extra revenue could be raised to pay for them by checking whether their drivers are breaking other laws, such as using phones or not wearing a seatbelt, under the proposals, it was reported.
The committee, chaired by Labour's Gwyneth Dunwoody, will take evidence on Wednesday from the police, road safety campaigners and motorists' groups as part of an inquiry into "Traffic Policing and Technology: getting the balance right''.
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ANPR technology checks number plates, speed cameras are triggered by speeding cars so how is a camera going to 'know' if someone is using a mobile phone on the move?
"Extra revenue could be raised to pay for them by checking whether their drivers are breaking other laws, such as using phones or not wearing a seatbelt, under the proposals, it was reported." I suggest that this will only work if a certain car has oustanding penalties or unpaid fines for these offences. Unless every camera photographs every car phone use and non seat belt wearing cannot be detected IMHO
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*technically* it is very easy to modify speed cameras to snap motorists using the phone.
A receiver tuned to the 900/1800 mobile spectrum could be installed, to pre arm the camera (so it clicks into ready state if it picks up a mobile phone being used) and triggered when the car passed through the camera at any speed.
Needs a person to check the piccy tho to confirm you are not using a hands free kit.
Its not practical but its possible.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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What about texts or the random network activity mine seems to do every now and then?
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you text while driving? thats neat trick without fingers......!
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Great news that other offences are going to be targeted, speeding convictions are often 1/1000 sec snapshots in time and dont capture the real picture.
As I have said before a number of times (and therefore make no excuses for copying and pasting my point again here) the use of cameras to target speed is a really poor use of enforcement resources. For instances the insured, sober driver of a modern, safe, well maintained car can get prosecuted for doing 45 in a 40 though the drugged up drunk in an uninsured, bald tyred, not mot'd polluting banger gets away with it due to only doing 41 because he was lighting a fag while on a mobile phone and changing a CD at the point he passed the camera, even though he had been doing over 90 only less than a minute before hand!
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It'll not be long before you have to sign up a Direct Debit agreement to drive a car so they can collect the 'fines' without all that nasty paperwork!
And the system to do this will of course be outsourced to India
;-)
Oh oh - I said it in jest - watch this come true!
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BBC News Tv at lunch time today stated that HMG have kicked this into touch (seat belt/phone offences captured by camera)becuase it would be an infringement of one's privacy......
dvd
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I've lost count of the number of times I have been pulled up for phone and/or seatbelt offences.
This, as a passenger in little brothers campervan. It's left hand drive and pre seatbelt legislation.
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"A receiver tuned to the 900/1800 mobile spectrum could be installed, to pre arm the camera (so it clicks into ready state if it picks up a mobile phone being used) and triggered when the car passed through the camera at any speed."
Not sure that's a runner - what if I'm on the phone in my house/on the street/driving in the opposite direction/using the phone as a passenger, close to the scamera? It'd be popping off at every vehicle that's passing, even if below the limit, and then you'd have queue of angry drivers calling the Police etc.
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I f you read the original post what it says is that photos taken for offences such as speeding or suspect number-plates will also be checked for other offences. there won't be any automatic phone or seatbelt cameras.
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I'm surprised nobody has commented on this section of the report:
"Robert Gifford, independent advisor to the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts)....claims that such use will catch multiple offenders, citing the fact that the 7/7 bombers traveled to Luton station by car. He told the Guardian newspaper that for, "the greater good of society," people should accept, "a slight reduction of our liberty". "
They also walked to their car and travelled on the train - perhaps we should ban anybody leaving home under any circumstances.
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"such use will catch multiple offenders, citing the fact that the 7/7 bombers traveled to Luton station by car. "
Just another case of using "terror" to justify these things. Exactly what "multiple offences" had the bombers committed on their way to the station? Even if they had been speeding/using phone /not using seat belts they would and been caught on camera (had they already been in use) surely they would just receive a NIP a feww days later? That wouldn't stop a bomb that day would it? Same with ID cards - they don't stop the bombers - the 7/7 bombers were law abiding citizens up to the bombing weren't they? If ID cards had been in use they would have had one. I seem to remember that one who died had multiple pieces of identification on him so that he would get the "credit " for the bombing. The 9/11 plane hi-jackers all had passports - and necessary ID cards - otherwise how would they have been on the planes?
"Slight reduction of liberty" in this way is not to make catching terrorists easier, it's just another way of raising more fines from motorists. Why don't they just be honest and say that? - oh, and say that phoners/non seatbelt wearers are breaking the law, so will get fined if caught.
--
Phil
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