Speed Tickets Challenged Based On Timestamped Photos 566
SEWilco writes "A businessman has challenged automated tickets of his vehicles by calculating the vehicle speed based upon the tickets, which include timestamps of two photos." Maybe more word problems should be on the police academy curriculum.
Re:and where's heisenberg? (Score:3, Informative)
The photos are taken 50 feet from the sensor according to the company.
But he is using time stamps which are placed in the image as they are being written to disk, (probably microsd card) NOT as they are being taken.
Pictures taken are held in memory until they are processed (converted from raw to jpeg). At the time they are processed the timestamp in inserted into the image.
It took .363 seconds to process, timestamp, and write out the first image. That's is ALL that time stamp measures.
So upon a technical review, this guy should have lost this case.
Re:and where's heisenberg? (Score:4, Informative)
also if you had read the article you would have also noticed that the pictures are taken roughly 50ft after the car passes the speed sensors
according to google... 50 mph = 73.3333333 feet per second
so that gives the vehicle about an additional .68 seconds to decelerate before the first picture is even taken.
so assuming your calculations above are right that is roughly 15 mph of braking the car could do before the first photo is even taken....50mph-15mph=35 mph...which could put him at the speed limit before the first photo is taken.
this was just some quick estimation, but i think the calculations work out.
Re:Maybe (Score:5, Informative)
In New Orleans, they did JUST THAT!!
They put up what I thought were stoplight cameras...no problem I stop.
I didn't know they were also speed cameras....and there is a lag time between getting popped, and you receiving your ticket in the mail...a fucking MONTH!!
This was on my route to work..I got 7 of them...lucky it was ONLY 7.
But on the back of each ticket...it says clearly that "this is not a moving violation and will not go on your record".
This is NOTHING but revenue generation.
The nice folks in Jefferson Parish, next to us..voted these damned things out...with they people in Orleans Parish would do the same.
Re:and where's heisenberg? (Score:2, Informative)
your point is taken, but had you just looked at the pictures and not necessarily read the article...it appears it may be an SUV and not technically a truck. :-)
assuming the picture of the guy holding up the pictures is the guy they are talking about in the article. the picture look on the ticket looks like it may be a SUV.
Re:and where's heisenberg? (Score:5, Informative)
Normal hard braking is about 0.4 Gs.
Skilled hard braking is around 0.7 Gs.
Around 1 G seems to be the limit for skilled braking with performance tires and a great road surface.