New speed camera ‘detect’ vehicles braking as they approach
New speed camera devices are being trialled in Spain that can detect when a vehicle brakes sharply prior to passing the device
A new type of speed camera is being trialled in some Spanish regions that can seemingly detect when a vehicle brakes sharply prior to it passing the device.
The introduction of the new high-tech devices is all part of a drive to cut mortality rates on the famously fast Spanish highways. The new scheme is being ushered in by the Directorate-General for Traffic, part of the Spanish Department of the Interior.
On press riding launches in Spain, we regularly encounter speed cameras, both fixed, mobile, and even those fitted to drones that sometimes patrol the stunning mountain roads further out of town. Most of these though (drones aside) can be circumnavigated easily, with a roll-off the throttle or a dab of the brakes as you approach the camera’s location.
To combat this behaviour, the new system utilises two cameras a short distance apart. They capture a larger picture of the road and a greater distance travelled, basically becoming a mini-average speed camera that records the activity of the vehicle between the two fixed points. It’s claimed they can not only detect braking before passing the first camera but also those who get back on the pace once they have passed the second device.
While this all sounds good on paper/screen, it does beg the question as to how much of a difference the new devices will really make. Sure, they’ll be a spike in convictions and fines for a short period, although after a few months most local drivers (and those familiar with the system) will simply roll off the throttle much earlier and accelerate away much later once the second camera system is passed.
While this report is specific to Spain and no other region, it doesn’t mean the new system could crop up in other countries further down the line. Here in the UK though, the implementation of the system seems unlikely, as the government’s love affair with the average speed camera continues to blossom.
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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!
