Speedcam Anywhere

[TonyM]

New controversial app turns smartphones into speed cameras​

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A new smartphone app, which allows users to record passing cars with their camera and determine whether they’re breaking the speed limit, is generating controversy after only weeks on the market.

The app, named Speedcam Anywhere, can be used by pedestrians to take a video of a passing car suspected of speeding. The software will read the car’s number plate and use DVLA data to identify its make and model, then determine the length between its front and rear axles. It then compares this information to the footage to calculate whether the car was speeding or not.

The footage can then be saved by the user and a report can be generated. The idea is that this report can be shared with the relevant authorities. The app cannot be used to penalise drivers in the UK, as the Home Office has not approved it as a certified speed detection device. The app is also being prepared for launch in the US.

Do we think this is a good idea?

In the past I have submitted dashcam video evidence of dangerous driving to the police, and they have acted by penalising them for traffic offences. However I'm not sure I support the idea of villagers standing at the side of the road videoing every passing car trying to catch those who are speeding

 

[kamkar]

Here if you think there is a speeding problem in your town / street, you can call the police and request one of the ATC cars.
And if they find things to be out of order, they will be back.
But that is also about as vigilantly as the ruling elite will have any Danes,,,, they should not develop too high thoughts about them self and become a liability to the job safety of the elite.

1 in 7 that get admitted to the hospital here, will either be sleeping in a bed in a hallway behind a screen, or if you are lucky,,,, say you have intestine problems, you might get a bed at a maturity ward or maybe the pediatric ward,,,,,, i tell you,,,,, i am not making this stuff up.

Of course ! this do not happen in the 3 biggest towns, but if you live just in a semi rural area,,,, you are wrapped in a incline helical fashion around a axis.

 

[Kremmen]

This could potentially being counter productive as so many reports could end up being missed due to too many submissions

 

[SawMaster]

Yep- it would equal a directed DOS attack on a website, overwhelming and shutting down everything. And while I can't condone speeding, in most cases a few over the limit may not be particularly dangerous, plus there's a whole lot of other violations commonly seem that are far more dangerous.

Phil

 

[lacibaci]

A stupid idea I hope will never take of. Reminds me of time where stasi in eastern Germany encouraged people to report neighbors for "suspicious" behavior.

 

[DT MI]

A stupid idea I hope will never take of. Reminds me of time where stasi in eastern Germany encouraged people to report neighbors for "suspicious" behavior.

Not only that but I don't see there being any chance at all of the 'evidence' being used to convict anyone of speeding for a number of reasons.

1) Unproven/Unknown algorithms
2) Uncertified software
3) Uncertified hardware
4) Uncertified/untrained operator (owner of the phone)
5) Environmental variables affecting the accuracy (angle of the video relative to the position of the vehicle, panning versus fixed camera position, etc.)
6) Under US law defendants have the right to face their accuser, so the person taking the video could/would be required to testify. I don't see that happening very often, if at all.

I'm guessing it would take a first year law student no longer than 10 minutes to get a case thrown out of court.

 

[kamkar]

Reminds me of time where stasi

Behavior like that was encouraged here long before Wikileaks and whistleblowering got to be trendy, fortunately the society are so saturated in paper pushing and cut backs no one rarely have the time to do anything with information someone might divulge.
Panama papers - banks money laundering - other tax evation ASO,,,, it surface, and then quietly fizz out in the worlds less corrupt country.

If i was in charge here, the 2 biggest banks in the country, would get a year or two to terminate their business here, cuz i would terminate their license to do banking here.

 

[Dan S]

In some jurisdictions, law requires to have a police officer present in order to enforce the law. Over those places, speedcam itself cannot be used to issue citations, unless there is a police officer at the scene. Years ago, one car ran a red light on the other traffic side and almost caused a crash. My dashcam recorded the whole event. I called the police non-emergency line the next day. They told me that they were not be able to do anything since there was no crash. If a police officer were at the scene during then, the officer would issue a citation to that driver.