Drivers who exceed the speed limit will not be fined if their photo is taken by a hidden camera.

Consequently, police are abandoning the practice of hiding photo radars in unusual places – such as trash bins.

In October, the Ministry of Interior and Administration decided that hiding photo radars in trash bins or behind trees is not an illegal practice and drivers who are caught by an undercover radar need to be punished.

However, there is a loophole which can be easily used by drivers to escape fines. The traffic department at Police Headquarters claims that photo radars should be placed on tripods, otherwise they do not work properly.

“People accused of fast driving can easily undermine the accuracy of radar measurement, claiming, for example, that a sudden gust of wind caused by a passing lorry moved a trash bin and changed the result,” says Janusz Wojtowicz, police spokesman from the eastern city of Lublin.

A heated debate on photo radars started several months ago when Lublin police installed a photo radar in a trash bin located on a busy street. On the basis of photos taken by the hidden camera, policemen issued 1300 fines in only two days, which outraged local drivers, who claim that the aim of a hidden radar was to make money instead of preventing dangerous driving habits. (mg/mmj)

Source: Rzeczpospolita