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PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 22:35 
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Daily Mail

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24,500 drivers get fines refunded as speed camera deemed illegal - after 10 years in action

More than 24,500 drivers have been refunded nearly £1.5 million in fines after it was found that a speed camera had been operating illegally for 10 years.

Thousands were wrongly trapped by the Gatso device positioned along the busy A35 at Chideock, Dorset.

When the camera was installed in 1997, a clerical error on the original paperwork meant a road used to mark out the 30mph zone it policed did not exist.

It stated the camera was a certain distance from Seatown Road - a name locals call it as it leads to the village of Seatown. In reality the road is called Duck Street.

The error, which meant the speed limit was invalid and so could not be enforced by the camera, came to light when a judge spotted it in documents relating to the case of a lorry driver.

As a result 24,259 drivers who paid fines of £40 and £60 between 1997 and 2007 have been refunded.

Some 201 motorists who challenged their fines in court have received a total of £22,827 back from extra costs and fines they incurred.

And those who incurred three penalty points on their driving licences have had them the wiped off.

The blunder has also cost the Dorset Road Safe organisation £370,981 in administration costs picked up for sorting out the mess.

Of the 24,460 drivers, 127 of them donated the money to charity while 121 declined the refund.

A spokesman for Dorset Road Safe, which represents local councils and the police, said: 'We have now completed the refund process for those claiming against penalties resulting from an erroneous Traffic Regulation Order.

'We have committed to honour any further claims for a refund of fines relating to the camera.'

He added that the paperwork has since been corrected to Duck Street and the camera was now valid.

A major - and costly - egg on face moment for the scamera partnership :oops:

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PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 23:12 
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Aren't "Safety" Cameras supposed to stop speeding, thereby making the road safer?

It would appear to have failed at least 24,500 times!

So how many innocent people died or were injured by the 24500 speeding drivers?

Road safety measure...? Don't make me laugh...! :(

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PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 23:32 
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I am baffled as to why some refused the refund - I assume they still took the points refund ?

I think this clearly shows how pointless the whole system is, and how this never ending spiral of technicalities, miss the whole point of road safety. Delighted though that some will receive these refunds. Good that this was noticed (a while back as I recall). Sad that it had to happen in the first place.
I wonder how many lives have been ruined over this 'mistake'. They ought ot be handing out full compensation for this.
Peter you beat me to this story ! I was about to place it up !

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PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 00:03 
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Yes, I wonder if there will be any recompense for increased insurance premiums, loss of employment/livelihood etc.

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PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 10:20 
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It is all very well giving people fines and court costs back and wiping points but what of people whose points had already expired? What of those people who faced increased insurance premiums (these days most companies over look up to six points, I believe. Certainly three points are seen as nothing. Tells you a lot about teh system and how it is viewed) or who were on nine points and lost their licences and their livelihoods?


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 14:03 
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I was going to see if it's been mentioned on Brake, and if not join and mention it to them. But they won't let me on their site for some reason. Maybe they know me? :twisted:

I did get to see their global think though, didn't know it was worldwide, and I thought how stupid. They are meant to be about safety yet they allow children to stand in front of traffic heading towards their backs holding banners. :lol:

Image


As mentioned, I feel most sorry for those who lost their licence over it :(

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 14:38 
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Ah Brake love exploiting kiddywinks. I remember a series of posters in filling stations about 20 Is Plenty and how kids had all unanimously got together at the milk and cookie bar and arrived unhindered or influenced at the independent concludion that us adults had all better drive at 20mph in all urban areas. Well excuse me, the last time I checked kids didn't actually drive. Why should their opinions on anything be more valid than an adult's?

Unfortunately, kids are easily manipulated and they all look like butter wouldn't melt which makes them the ultimate propagandist tool for people like Brake. It seems they will unashamedly employ them to advance their own agenda. Teaching them to cross the street and respect the roads would have a greater impact than getting them to wear a t-shirt and have the piccie taken while spouting off whatever it is Brake have indoctrinated/brainwashed them to say.

I imagine all the kids who Brake exploited will be mighty pissed off when they all turn 17, have to take a year of driving lessons, an extended text at 18, fail that several times 'til they realise they will be in their thirties before they can afford to take a test and pass, and when they do finally get a licence they will then lose their licence for accruing six points in two years - by that time accumulating six points will persumably, if trends continue, be a random process involving luck or lack thereof and location instead of a reflection of driving skill.

So if Brake can do it, can we? We could print up some Safe Speed t shirts and take a bunch of kids illegal drag racing or to a boy racer cruise and then print up poster with how 'cool speed is' how they 'love to go fast' and 'speeding is ok' and take a straw poll of how fast these kids would like to go and what cars they will drive when they pass their test. Then get them put up in filling stations and lobby the government with giant banners outside parliament saying what we were doing wa sin the best interests of a bunch of nippers and we know that because they told us exactly that right after we told them what to say.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 15:23 
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Yep, that’s about the size of it Dr. M. Not much I can add except I notice they’ve got the full gamut of cute while girl, token black child and another kid from the orient just to be sure we know the whole world is united on this issue.

Meanwhile, in the background, they have doctored the image of traffic to give the effect of excessive speed or superimposed the image of kids onto a picture taken at a slow shutter speed.

They must think everyone is stupid.

I actually just wanted Brake’s opinion on this and wondered what bull$h1te justification I would get. Since I can’t get on there to find out I’ll have to take a guess. Ah - I know! ‘The speed limit isn’t something to be attained. If they had been going slower they wouldn’t have been done’.

I reckon it would be something along those lines... :loco:

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 16:58 
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:lol: :lol: :lol:

The whole world is united on the issue. Look! We have a racially diverse group of poster kids! Ah, cliche.

You're right, Tone. That traffic is moving at such a speed that my eyes cannot even focus on it correctly. Someone should move that ethnically diverse bunch of kids out of the way!

Do Brake have a forum then? I think I did try to find one once but couldn't get on it myself. I imagine that would be their response though. It is a very black and white world for them. That is not a pun on their posters either!


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