New speed camera could spell trouble for bikers
A new breed of speed camera is coming to the UK that features infra-red technology - and it could mean bad news for bikes!
The new type of speed camera has been developed and built by a company called Jenoptik, and it’s being hailed as a game changer in the sector.
The device is called the Vector SR, and it’s a small and lightweight (under 8kg) unit that can be added to existing road furniture fairly quickly and cost-effectively. Once it’s set up, the system uses radar technology to allow the camera to capture legally admissible images and video recordings, in both low light and bad weather conditions. The real kicker with this system, and one of the reasons that bikes should be on the lookout for these, is that they can be set up so that they work in both directions.
Most speed cameras in the UK, especially those average speed cameras found on motorways and duel carriageways, only utilise a camera facing in one direction, quite often looking at the front of the vehicle. With motorcycles not having a registration plate that is viewable from in front of the bike, should a rider accidentally stray above the speed limit, the chances are that the speeding fine would not be recorded or issued. That's not something you can get away here, it seems, as the multi-direction detection of the Vector SR could put an end to this situation.
Another sting in the tail of these cameras is that the motorists will quite possibly not be aware that they have been captured breaking the speed limit. Where traditional speed cameras will flash as the vehicle drives by, the infra-red technology found in the new Vector SR speed cameras means there will be no hint to the driver or other road users that the camera has been triggered.
Aside from speed enforcement, the new speed cameras can also be used to monitor the flow of traffic, capture red light and level crossing infractions, and relay Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) information to the authorities.
The new crimefighting (/money-making, if you're feeling cynical) technology comes just a matter of months after some European countries began using new types of cameras that can issue speeding fines even if you slow down prior to passing the speed camera. That system uses a new type of radar that can detect a speeding vehicle even up to one kilometre away.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
