Speed Camera Tickets Parked Car Twice

According to a story on The Daily Telegraph, a speed camera in the UK ticketed a local man twice for exceeding the speed limit while parked in front of his own house:

Jeff Buck parks in front of the camera outside his home on Watnall Road, Nottingham, because he does not have a drive or a garage.

But he has been sent two speeding fines by Nottinghamshire Police.

The mix-ups happened because officers failed to spot his car was parked as another vehicle triggered the camera by breaking the 30mph speed limit.

Police have apologised to 55-year-old Mr Buck after he successfully contested the fines.

He told the Nottingham Evening Post: ”I assumed the first time it happened that the police would put something in place to prevent it from happening again.

”I’m concerned now that every time someone triggers the camera I’ll get these notices. I am amused by it, but also angry that I have to go to the trouble of contacting the police.”

Apparently the problem wasn’t with the camera itself but with the ticket review process used by the police.

A spokeswoman for Nottinghamshire Police said the camera wasn’t faulty and staff were being given guidance about the importance of verifying images properly.

Ticket camera programs are sold to the public with assurances that a police officer reviews each photo to make sure that the ticket is legitimate. In reality, this process consists of police staff being paid to operate a rubber stamp.

It’s pretty obvious that’s how this particular ticket camera program is being run. It’s nearly impossible to mistake a parked car for a moving one — especially twice — if you’re paying attention at all.

As usual, the burden of resolving the situation falls on the innocent motorist while officials insist that it’s an isolated incident that won’t happen again. How many isolated incidents have to occur before the public realizes that they’ve been misled?

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