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Filed under: Videos, Humor
Do you love to hate speed cameras? We feel your pain. After all, no technology is foolproof, and we prefer our citations to come straight from a fellow human being. But what if the speed camera had a mind of its own? As in, a real brain inside its head?
Not sure where we're going with this? Allow us to explain. Rémi Gaillard, a French funny man famous for his hilarious YouTube stunts (
real-life Mario Kart ring a bell?), decided to play dress-up a full nine months before Halloween. Flashes fire, antics ensue.
We suggest you stick around to the very end, as the exhibition reaches it final, perhaps inevitable, conclusion. See for yourself in the video
after the break.
Continue reading Rémi Gaillard lends speed cameras a human element
Rémi Gaillard lends speed cameras a human element originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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January 27th, 2012
Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Technology, Videos
We're not big fans of
speed cameras. The tickets are expensive, there is no facing the accuser, there are questions of accuracy, and in some cases, these cameras don't even appear to be helping out the governments that install them financially. And don't even get us started about many cases in which
red light signals are manipulated to increase ticket counts. While we'd like for these cameras to go the way of the dodo, the fact is that these devices are only getting better.
The latest device to strike fear in motorists is Simicon's Cordon seen in action here. This device will be able to follow up to
32 vehicles across four lanes at the same time. It can deliver both wide-angle and close-up shots of every car, and it can simultaneously gauge speed and map vehicle position. It even has an available advanced license plate recognition system. Sound scary? It gets worse. The Cordon is also more difficult to spot, as it can be mounted on a tripod or road sign. The devices will be easy to update as well, as it can use WiFi, 3G or WiMAX to quickly sync with databases.
Cordon isn't on U.S. streets yet, but our sister site, Engadget, says that the devices will begin landing in North America by the first quarter of 2012.
Hit the jump to watch video of the Cordon in action during a field trial, and feel free to join us in fear.
Continue reading Cordon multi-target speed camera is terrifying
Cordon multi-target speed camera is terrifying originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 3rd, 2011
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Filed under: Government/Legal, Motorcycle
If you're a follower of the right-foot-down school of highway consumption, you've probably seen what happens when drivers spot speed traps. They slam on their brakes, traffic bows up and inattentive drivers go careening toward the rear of your vehicle. That principle applies globally.
Motorcyclist Boris Maier was riding near Bern, Switzerland when he was ticketed by a
speed camera for traveling 107 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. Unfortunately for him, he was also off his bike at the time.
According to police, Maier was cruising at a significant rate of speed when he saw the camera and crammed the rear brake. The bike began to slide and both rider and machine were jittering off the pavement before Maier could say, "gravity."
It's an unfortunate situation all the way around, though the story isn't completely dark and dreary. Had Maier been traveling just 3 km/h faster, he would have been subject to an immediate revocation of his license, which means that he went above and beyond the call of duty to bring his speed down in time. We say cheers to Maier. Here's to riding another day.
Swiss motorcyclist gets speeding ticket while crashing originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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October 16th, 2011
A Swiss motorcyclist traveling through the countryside hoped to avoid a license suspension by slamming on the brakes as he approached a speed camera at over 68 mph. It worked... sort of. He was only traveling 66 mph when the device captured his body scraping across the asphalt.
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October 13th, 2011
Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, UK
Here's a new one. According to
AutoExpress, police in the UK are looking into scanners embedded into roadways that can detect the depth of a vehicle's
tire tread. If your rubber doesn't meet a set of pre-determined parameters, you could eventually expect to see a fine show up in the mail. Currently, law enforcement says that the technology will only be used in checkpoint scenarios to alert drivers of a potentially dangerous situation, but given that the system costs somewhere around €50,000, or $67,500 at current conversion rates, critics are concerned that the depth-measuring device will be used as a cudgel to drum up revenue.
That concern is bolstered by the fact that Trevor Hall, a major proponent of
speed cameras in the UK, is also behind the measure.
We're all for improving road safety in any way possible, but if this new technology results in fines for motorists, we have concerns. After all, measures like the one proposed here would almost certainly target low-income drivers and unfairly position revenue generation on their shoulders. After all, if you can afford new tires, chances are better that you'll buy them.
Scanners embedded in road to result in fines for those driving on worn tires? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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September 30th, 2011
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Uk
Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Technology
New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg has made it clear that he wants to see more traffic light cameras in the Big Apple, saying that he'd have the devices on every street corner if possible. According to
The New York Daily News, the city brought in $52 million in fines generated by
red light cameras last year alone. The mayor has been pushing for an increase in the number of cameras in the city from 150 to 225. A bill to do just that has passed the state senate in June, but has lost momentum in the Senate.
Bloomberg doesn't just want a jump in the number of cameras, however. He also wants to publish the names of those who blow through the stop lights in local papers to help shame wrongdoers into changing their ways. What's more, the mayor wants to look into the possibility of adding speed cameras to the mix. Big brother is coming to NYC.
NYC's Bloomberg wants traffic cameras 'on every corner' originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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August 24th, 2011
