Faulty Gatso

[Derek Smith]

At 20.39 today I was flashed by a gatso situated in Woddingdean, just outside of Brighton, Sussex. I know a lot of people say this but I was going a bit under 30mph, the speed limit along this road. The expectation is, of course, that I'll hear no more but, in the event I do I'll be unable to challenge the accuracy of the camera without some evidence that it was faulty. The fact that I got my wife to look at the speedo was a waste as her evidence would be all but inadmissable.

The only way I could challenge the accuracy was if someone independant of me had noticed the camera malfunctioning by flashing at inappropriate times just before or after my incident. There is a camera on the A259 by Ovingdean that often flashes even when there is no car passing. I've seen this three times in the last couple of years.

I was wondering if on here we could keep a record of faulty cameras where, if anyone was flashed whilst going below or on the speed limit, or as I have seen, for no particular discernable reason, it could be brought in as evidence of a faulty camera. Those posting would need to be willing to cooperate in any court case, of course, presumably by written statement. Time, day, date, place, reason for believing the camera faulty is all that would be required.

What better evidence could there be of a person wholly unconnected with me supporting my contention that the camera was misbehaving.

So what do you think? There is not, to my knowledge, any record of apparently faulty cameras.

[mark69sheer]

Did it flash once or twice?

[Derek Smith]

Twice.

[gopher]

If it's a GATSO then the white lines should record your progress. If you get a NIP ask for the photo's and you (or ideally the SCP) can work out your speed. I have heard of a few cases (on Peppipoo I think) where this has happened.

[Pagey]

You mean the camera as you head down towards Rottingdean from Woodingdean Crossroads?

Was there anything going uphill at the time?

It is possible to set this camera off whilst driving up the hill

I allegedly did so this afternoon (personally I think it was a figment of my passengers imagination)

[Derek Smith]

Pagey said:

You mean the camera as you head down towards Rottingdean from Woodingdean Crossroads?

Was there anything going uphill at the time?

It is possible to set this camera off whilst driving up the hill

I allegedly did so this afternoon (personally I think it was a figment of my passengers imagination)

That's the one. There was nothing going uphill and I was the only thing on that length of road at the time.

The thing that's got to me is that, despite the fact that I was on/under the limit, the thing flashed and I assume that means the thing's faulty in some way. Yet I cannot challenge this in court.

I've seen various cameras flash for no apparent reason umpteen times, as I'm sure every driver has. Does this mean the things are less that 100% accurate?

It seems that in this world the only things that are unchallengeable are gatsos and the pope. And the pope can't fine me nor add points to my licence.

[MilnerR]

gopher said:

If it's a GATSO then the white lines should record your progress. If you get a NIP ask for the photo's and you (or ideally the SCP) can work out your speed.

Assuming that the camera delay is in anyway accurate. Wasn't there a test case a while ago that got swept under the carpet because it turned out there were huge discrepancies in the delay between the taking of the two photos?

[gopher]

MilnerR said:

gopher said:

If it's a GATSO then the white lines should record your progress. If you get a NIP ask for the photo's and you (or ideally the SCP) can work out your speed.

Assuming that the camera delay is in anyway accurate. Wasn't there a test case a while ago that got swept under the carpet because it turned out there were huge discrepancies in the delay between the taking of the two photos?

Yes I think you're right, and in which case it's going to be very hard to prove, however I was commenting on the cases where where people had been sent NIPs but on studying the photo it was shown to be incorrect based on the road markings (something the SCP should do prior to sending the NIP but oh well). I know there have been a few of these, including at least one that required the defendant to attend court just to get the photo.