7/17/2023
France, Germany, Italy: Speed Cameras Sideswiped And SprayedGerman vigilantes grabbed a speed camera, French cameras were blinded and an Italian photo radar trap went wrong last week.
By Richard Diamond/Staff Reports
Vigilantes in Schonberg, Germany, pulled off a daring speed camera heist on the A20 on Sunday, July 9. As the driver of a BMW pulled over, several men jumped out and loaded the mobile photo radar equipment into the trunk before speeding off. Police were left empty-handed as the BMW eluded a roadblock that had been set up to catch them. The automated ticketing machine had no GPS tracking equipment.
Red spraypaint blinded the speed camera on the RD968 at the entrance to Brazey-en-Plaine, France, on Wednesday. On Tuesday, bright yellow paint was used to sabotage the speed camera on the RD958 near Mortree.
An Italian speed camera trap went wrong last week as officers with the Polizia Stradale set out to entrap motorists on state road 291, between Sassari and Alghero. Their photo radar device triggered the wrong kind of behavior, however, as a driver who saw the handheld speed measuring devices slammed on the brakes to avoid getting a ticket, causing him to lose control and careen into the state police vehicle. No serious injuries were reported.