I'm off to Oz

[Kiwi XTR2]

Not really, but look at this

NZ Herald said:

Sydney judge says speed camera convictions invalid
10.20am Friday August 25, 2006

A Sydney motorist has successfully challenged a speeding ticket arguing the camera photograph was not valid as evidence because the digital speed cameras are only calibrated once a year.

The judge agreed, saying to be valid they should be calibrated daily.

He went on to say every motorist snapped in New South Wales since 1999 has been improperly convicted.

Buy that man a beer

[Esprit]

Supposedly, based on this you can use the same defence here as our cameras are based on the same calibration system

[kylie]

I think that’s fantastic news about the calibration of the digital speed cameras and open opens up a huge can of worms. However in my view the judge is clearly not a practical person either. In order for proper calibration to be conducted by a registered independent source, I couldn’t see how it would be feasible let alone managed properly with so many units out there. If the judge said once per month by an external and done daily by trained policing staff it would sound more realistic. Then you would get coppas slapping stickers on the units with the question of was it actually calibrated??? Tax payer will pay for it regardless

[Kiwi XTR2]

kylie said:

However in my view the judge is clearly not a practical person either.

I wonder if the had got a ticket recently and his wife, who got the photo in the mail, wants to know what the junior law clerk is doing in the passengers seat

[Dan M]

I am sure the NZ police have thought of it - the tape measures they use to measure crash scenes etc look like the normal $5 SuperCheapAuto type but each millimetre gradation is calibrated. The one I saw was a 10 metre measure and never varied by more than 0.4mm

Dan

[jamieheasman]

In NZ you can be zapped by a camera with a single shot - how does that prove you were speeding? At least in the UK and other countries they have two photos and markings on the road (from fixed cameras) to prove time and distance.

I don't see how any speeding camera fines in NZ can be legal given the fact that the technology is not 100% reliable.

[Kiwi XTR2]

jamieheasman said:

I don't see how any speeding camera fines in NZ can be legal given the fact that the technology is not 100% reliable.

Presumptive Validity - The joys of regulation pursuant to legislation. Until such time as it is established by case-law to be illegal, it is legal.

[Esprit]

jamieheasman said:

In NZ you can be zapped by a camera with a single shot - how does that prove you were speeding? At least in the UK and other countries they have two photos and markings on the road (from fixed cameras) to prove time and distance.

I don't see how any speeding camera fines in NZ can be legal given the fact that the technology is not 100% reliable.

Two words Jamie,

Public Interest. Basically they can lie on TV in their ads so long as it's in te public interest (basically what the Advertising Standards Authority said to me when they replied to my complaint about the Falcon vs Semitrailer ad).... I'm assuming that the administration probably takes a similar view to this kind of thing too.

I remember Andy Knackerhead (the LTSA chief guy) on radio a while back and when quizzed on the number of Asians cheating their tests and being given licenses, he said he didn't think it was a problem and the numbers were relatively minor (when they had been shown to be anything BUT minor). He also said that Asians tended to show up in speeding statistics fairly minimally so he didn't think it was a problem (implying that because they don't speed as much they were safer, even if they DID have to cheat/bribe etc to get their license because they couldn't afely control a car at ANY speed).

This is the kind of idiocy we have in control and is it really any surprise that the system is screwed up?

[Richard Gee]

Where#s Kylie with that picture of Helen Clarke without her make up on? I blame the politicians. Always. Speed cameras are just an excuse for cops to have a tug in a lay by.

I want a turbocharged Audi engine in this stupid car. Amd another Emrsons please.

[jaybkay]

I don't believe the NZ speed camera fines are legal for all sorts of reasons, if you want to get an idea how to defend them go to pepipoo.com although I have developed some good ways of really messing up the system. I lost my first two battles with the NZ police due to lack of knowledge - but I won the next two and I will never just pay up again.

The more people who the fight the better - plus it's really good fun.

[Kiwi XTR2]

Richard Gee said:

Where#s Kylie with that picture of Helen Clarke without her make up on? I blame the politicians. Always. Speed cameras are just an excuse for cops to have a tug in a lay by.

I want a turbocharged Audi engine in this stupid car. Amd another Emrsons please.

Hi Richard. I presume it's Friday