5/13/2007
Australia: Motorcyclists Taunt Speed CameraWest Australian motorcyclists perform stunts for the speed cameras that cannot identify them.
Knowing they cannot be caught, Australian motorcyclists are taunting speed cameras in increasing numbers. West Australian police released photos of a pair of riders photographed on January 27 traveling at up to twice the speed limit, 130km/h in a 60km/h zone (80 MPH in a 37 MPH zone), on South Street in Samson at 6pm. The duo returned just 23 minutes later to salute the camera once more.
West Australian speed cameras take frontal photographs of vehicles. Because motorcycles do not use front license plates for safety reasons, the devices are unable to identify bike riders. As a temporary measure, police announced yesterday that they would use two speed cameras in every speed trap to photograph both the front and rear of vehicles. This move would be accompanied by legislation that allows ticketing of a vehicle's owner, regardless of who was driving, so that fewer tickets would be canceled when the driver cannot not be identified.