Will Foreman keeps getting nabbed by traffic cameras for speeding. Believing the cameras to be inaccurate he analysed the timestamps and the position of his car in each pair of photos, using them to successfully contest five speeding tickets.
According to the Washington Times, the traffic cameras in Prince George’s County, Maryland, use a sensor to sniff out speeders, then snaps a two photos for every infraction. Foreman took those photos and did some analysis of his own:
For each ticket, Mr. Foreman digitally superimposed the two photos – taken 0.363 seconds apart from a stationary point, according to an Optotraffic time stamp – creating a single photo with two images of the vehicle.
Using the vehicle’s length as a frame of reference, Mr. Foreman then measured its distance traveled in the elapsed time, allowing him to calculate the vehicle’s speed. In every case, he said, the vehicle was not travelling fast enough to get a ticket.
Optotraffic, who make the traffic camera system, vehemently defend their product, saying that the photos (which are snapped 15m after the sensor detects the speeder) are for ID purposes only and theoretically allow enough time to slow down. Foreman argues that if he were slowing down after being picked up by the sensor, the photos would show his brake lights (which they don’t). So far, the judges are on Foreman’s side.
Foreman currently has more than 40 pending tickets. [Washington Times]
Photo credit: Rod Lamkey Jr/Washington Times