New cameras in the UK !

[Russethouse]

For those that are coming over for the festive season, I saw a new type of camera today, not for speeding but for your car tax ! (maybe this is old 'news'?)

Not sure what the implications are .....best to be aware though !

[David584]

Extract from the DVLA' site about these

Stingray cameras will detect unlicensed vehicles that are on the move. The camera vans will operate from lay-bys and over-bridges. They will read the number plates of passing vehicles, check them immediately against DVLA records, and store electronically the images of those found to be unlicensed. The new Stingray cameras will act as a powerful deterrent to those who may consider risking driving whilst unlicensed.

Not having a current licence disc is illegal and could be expensive. Offenders face a fine of up to a £1,000 for a private car or motorcycle and up to £23,000 for a heavy goods vehicle. In addition to paying a fine, convicted offenders will have to pay backduty penalties from the date the vehicle was last licensed.

The new Stingray automatic number plate reader has been type approved to the highest standard by the Home Office. It is a computer that collects images of unlicensed moving vehicles from digital cameras. The evidence collected by Stingray is totally secure and tamperproof. The system and vans are DVLA owned and supported by the manufacturer, Futronics Ltd. DVLA staff will operate the Stingray system.

Stingray is capable of working day and night with vehicle speeds in excess of 100 mph.

[Anton Redman]

They are also running sets of digital cameras which calculate speed between points. Currentlty being tested on 20 mph sections for road works but will probalyl spread to entire motorway network.

[Ssc]

ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras have been in use in my area of the Uk for about 18 months. As you pass the camera it checks the Police National Computer (in about 2 seconds) which is also linked to the DVLA and insurance company databases.

If your vehicle is untaxed (not just a few days late), you have no current insurance or you or the vehicle are of other police interest (e.g. wanted for unpaid fines or some other offence) then it will flag up automatically.

These cameras usually have a team of police officers working with them and if your car is flagged they stop it.

They have been so successful that the idea is being adopted nationally.

Tony

[BJSLIV]

I saw this in action about two years ago on the Aston Expressway in Birmingham.

At about 11:00 pm access to the motorway was coned off as though roadworks were underway. In fact traffic was funnelled, and slowed into one lane so that every vehicle was being scanned. There were then about six police cars and six motor bikes positioned to flag down vehicles who were already in a queue of slow-moving traffic, whilst the police had three empty lanes to play with.

They seemed to be pretty busy.

[Russethouse]

This camera was just by the side of an ordinary road, ( no slow moving traffic )at first glance it looked more like surveyors equipment. In fact I think its two cameras, one for the windscreen the other for the number plate. The cameras are just on a tall tripod. The one I saw was in front of a white van, which I guess contained a policeman.

[Dog]

[quote]They are also running sets of digital cameras which calculate speed between points. Currentlty being tested on 20 mph sections for road works but will probalyl spread to entire motorway network.[/quote]

Specs cameras that take a photo and record your speed between cameras have been operational for at least 3 years in Northamptonshire. On Lumbertubs way they have 4 cameras over a two mile section and you can be fined for exceeding the speed limit between any two cameras. The stupid thing is they take a frontal picture so motorcycles are free to speed and they only operate in the outer lane so you can go as fast as you want on the inner lane. On the single carriageway from Northampton to Bedford these cameras have been errected and will be difficult to avoid.