4/17/2010
Colorado, Illinois, Italy: Bogus Tickets And Accidents From Traffic CamerasSpeed camera fails to save itself from accident in Italy, bogus tickets issued in Colorado, Illinois.
Speed camera vans in Denver, Colorado have been pouncing on drivers on a 45 MPH stretch of South Santa Fe Drive. Although thousands have been ticketed at the location, the Colorado Department of Transportation determined that 55 MPH is a safe speed and will be raising the limit, the INDenver Times reported. A reporter for the latter publication followed one of the photo radar vans, operated by the Dallas-based firm Affiliated Computer Services, while it was headed downtown on Santa Fe Drive. Pacing showed the van's speed at 66 MPH on the 45 MPH road.
An American woman stationed with her husband at Osan Air Base in South Korea was accused by a camera of toll skipping in Illinois on March 10, 2009. Even though Heather Perry could prove that it was impossible for her to have committed the crime -- her car is in storage while she is overseas -- she was nonetheless threatened with a $150 fine if she did not pay $63 immediately. Not wanting to deal with the hassle, Perry paid, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Perry's mother complained to the toll road which subsequently promised a refund. No refund was ever sent. Instead, the toll road mailed Perry another $63 ticket. Only after calling the Tribune for help did the matter finally become resolved. The automated toll violation camera misread a "0" on Perry's plate for the "8" on the violation image.
In Tarsia, Italy a motorist's reaction to the sight of a speed camera caused an accident on provincial road 241. A mobile speed trap had been set up near Santa Sofia d'Epiro. A nineteen-year-old female driver approaching the location slammed on the brakes of her Fiat Panda. She lost control and slammed into the police car belonging to Commander Francesco Monaco, Diritto di Cronaca reported.