Speed-trap cameras upgraded
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• A new breed of roadside camera that would boost enforcement fourfold is being tested by the Home Office. Digital equipment that can transmit images down a telephone line has already impressed police because of the number of speeding vehicles and traffic light offenders the equipment can record.
The increase in output results from the round-the-clock operation possible with this technology. The 1,500 "wet-film" cameras used now are often inactive because they run out of film after snapping 100 law-breakers. Some cameras run out of film within 20 minutes, although most are said to be reloaded by police and operate about six hours a day. The Association of Chief Police Officers is backing the digital models, saying they represent a "natural progression". But a spokesman praised the cameras now in use: 'They have been incredibly successful, leading in some cases to a 60% reduction in accidents in the first year." Cameras are usually found on urban roads but not on motorways, except for the M25.