In this week’s TheNewspaper.com Roundup!
–Judge declares wrecked car mobile–
–Study finds variable speeds dangerous–
–Baltimore restarts RLCs–
Friday, May 19, 2017
Federal Judge Declares Wrecked Car To Be Mobile
Courts frequently turn to legal fictions to ease the burden of prosecuting suspects who assert their constitutional rights. Civil forfeiture, for instance, allows police to confiscate cars and cash by pretending to charge inanimate objects, not suspects, with a crime. A federal judge earlier this month created a new example of fiction when he declared an SUV that had been driven through a building to be “readily mobile.”
Thursday, May 18, 2017
UK Report Finds Variable Speed Limits Dangerous
Variable speed limits on British highways are confusing and dangerous, according to a report released Tuesday by Confused.com. The automobile insurance provider commissioned One Poll to survey 2000 motorists about their experience with “smart motorways” where officials have the ability to lower the speed limit displayed on dot matrix signs, claiming the devices reduce congestion.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Baltimore, Maryland Restarts Faulty Traffic Camera System
The same for-profit companies responsible for Baltimore, Maryland’s error-plagued photo enforcement program are back. The city’s Board of Estimates is expected later today to approve a new contract that puts Xerox back in charge of the city’s red-light cameras, with the only difference being that the photo ticketing division of Xerox now goes by the name Conduent.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
UK Cameras Ticket Cars Based On Where They Drive
Using a particular road to avoid traffic congestion in England can result in a £50 (US $64) ticket arriving in the mailbox. The Cambridgeshire Constabulary announced that automated enforcement using automated license plate readers (ALPR, or ANPR in the UK) would be used beginning to enforce traffic restrictions on Addenbrooke’s Road next Monday. Although this road was designed as an access road for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, it has become an important local shortcut.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Italy, Saudi Arabia: Speed Cams Taken Out By Gunfire, Accidents
A speed camera van was involved in a three-car injury crash in Rome, Italy last week Monday. Il Messaggero reported that two police officers had set up a mobile speed trap at 10:30am on the Via Leone XIII. A van saw the camera and slammed on its brakes to avoid receiving a citation. The Fiat Panda following behind did not stop in time, and the resulting collision knocked one of the vehicles into the police car. Two officers were rushed to local hospitals with serious injuries.
