The automatic Radar is a testing device the speed (Cinémomètre) of the road vehicles which one can meet on the roadside and which only functions, without the intervention of an operator.
Seventy States established devices automated of speed control on their roads, in particular several North-American States; some Member States of the European Union, and some Canadian provinces.
Operation
Constituted of a metal cupboard provided with armor-plated panes, it contains:
- a Tachometer (MESTA 210 manufactured by company SAGEM for the French radars of first generation) which measures the instantaneous speed of the vehicles by application of the Doppler effect in the field of the microwaves.
- a motion-picture device (SVR 2000 manufactured by the Positive company for the French radars) which makes it possible to carry out the catch of two sights of a vehicle of which speed beforehand was determined by the tachometer with which it is coupled, to associate with these catches of sights the lawful data (measured speed, the date and the hour of the measurement) and other data (such as the number of the sight, the references of the place, identification of the unit which operates control, as well as an optional comment). Coupled with the numeric camera high-resolution (Allied Vision, etc), a flash illuminates the vehicle, guaranteeing a correct lighting of the number plate.
In the European Union
The Traité of Maastricht established in 1992 the competence of the Community to improve the road safety, political attached to the common transport policy (article 71 of the treaty establishing the European Community modified by the treaty on the European Union).
In the European Union, the road transport is by far most dangerous and most expensive in human lives. The action plan in favor of the road safety 2003 - 2010 envisages a catalog of measurements like the intensifying of the control truck drivers, the deployment of new technologies of road safety, the improvement of the road infrastructure and the actions aiming at improving the behavior of the users. The final objective is to reduce of at least 50 % the number of killed by 2010. However, in 2006, it seems that the objective will be difficult to reach.
Each year, 1.300.000 personal injuries cause more 40 000 died and 1 700 000 wounded. The cost, direct or indirect, was evaluated to 160 billion euros, that is to say 2% of the GNP of the European Union (UE). Certain groups of population or categories of users are particularly vulnerable: young people from 15 to 24 years (10 000 killed per annum), the pedestrians (7 000 killed) or the cyclists (1 800 killed). The causes of these problems are: the excessive Speed, the consumption of alcohol, the non-utilization of the belts, the insufficiency of protection, the existence of black spots, the non-observance of the Time of control and rest for professional transport and bad the Visibility.
The Commission also decided the October 22nd 2003 “to recommend to the Member States to integrate in a national plan of control the best practices in fact of control measures. They should evaluate the results with regular intervals and adapt their plans if necessary”. Among measurements to include figure “the use of automated devices of control speed (automated cameras), supplemented by procedures allowing to treat a great number of infringements”.
The European Union recommends to these Member States (decision April 6th 2004), “to take care that automated devices of control speed are employed on the highways, the minor roads and the urban arteries and to take care that controls are made so as to guarantee their effectiveness, i.e. they are regularly carried out on sections where non-observance is frequent and involves an increase in the accident risk”.
According to these same recommendations, the “sanctions for the excess speeds” must be “effective, proportioned and dissuasive” and “the sanctions envisage the possibility of a suspension or a driving ban and of an immobilization of the vehicle in the event of grave offense”.
The results must be evaluated every two years.
The countries which set up this kind of control are in particular the Austria (79 fixed and 77 mobiles, 1.235 detectors, and 82 cameras), the the United Kingdom, the Spain, the France, the Belgium and the Netherlands.
In addition to the automatic radars on the roadsides, there exists a decision of the Commission of the January 17th 2005 relating to the harmonization of the spectrum in the waveband of the 24 GHz for the limited use in time by radar systems to short range for car in the Community ( Official journal L 21 of the January 25th 2005).
In the European Union the code of the nomenclature of the government contracts defining the “Cameras of control speed” is 29816100-3.
Austria
In June 2002, Austria evaluates the automatic reader of number plates. The photographs are made on the back of the vehicle, like over all its length. Because of the standards of respect of the private life, all the aspects are treated by the police force, and the name of the people cannot be delivered to subcontractors. The treatment of films is carried out by private companies, but not the sending of the infringments. The owner of the vehicle to the responsibility for knowing which drives the vehicle at any moment. In practice, the majority of the owners agree to be the conductive. In the case of a company, the director must give the name of the driver. The motivation is weak to continue the nonAustrian vehicles. The files of infringements are always treated manually. The infringement can be continued for six months maximum, a film of camera containing 400 photographs, several days can be necessary to its filling. The perceived income was of 37 900 000 Euro S. (when?)
Drivers residing in other Convention countries can be continued.
France
See also: Automatic radar in France
In France, since 2003, a governmental directive within the framework of the Road safety generalizes the automatic radars.
Sagem, the manufacturer of the more great system of automatic radar in the world, developed a system mobile, embarked in a vehicle and able to collect and analyze in real-time of the numbers of number plates at a relative speed of more than 200 km/h.
Luxembourg
And the public Transport Minister for Labor of the Luxembourg announced in January 2007 that a series of automatic radars, fixed and mobile, would be according to the 2008.
Out of the European Union
Swiss
Do not have the heavy foot while entering in Suisse: at the entry of Geneva, if it arrives of Lausanne, the motorist sees an imposing yellowish cheese. It is not Publicité because, to look at there more closely, the cheese is equipped with an antenna and small panes quite as characteristic of the cabin of radar, of which it with the lawful form and the size. Ten fixed radars were thus decorated by the police force according to various topics which fleurent the Helvétie good: the Cow “black spots on white zone”, the watch or the Multi-fonction pocket knife . The continuation of the contraveners on other side of the border is systematic (more than 42.500 requests in France in 2005) .
To also note that there is not less than 13 automatic fixed radars new generation (very thin depression before and back and it can be reversed to take the other direction of circulation) between Geneva and Lausanne, which makes an average of 1 radar every 10 km. (to date information)
Moreover, in the aglomérations, there are often fixed radars with the crossroads controlling the speed but also the respect of fires of circulation.
Failures of the radars
Belgium
- April 7th 2004 on the Lambermont boulevard with Brussels, a Mini was taken in infringement by an automatic radar at the incredible speed of 3.381 km/h is Mach 3 (other similar errors took place elsewhere).
Canada
The use of automatic radars is for a long time discussed but a strong resistance delays its establishment. The Colombia-British had installed this system during the Années 1990 but it was withdrawn to concentrate on tricolor fires.
France
- November 23rd 2003: a motorcyclist would have been flashé to 131 km/h on the highway A6 with Courcouronnes, in the the Essonne (91), with 3:46. Only at this hour, the pilot accompanied back a friend towards Coulommiers in the Seine-et-Marne (77) conveys some, his motor bike being with the garage.
- November 14th 2003: a Breton pensioner residing at Trégunc (Finistere) was seized by an automatic radar for an excess speed to Orsay (the Essonne) whereas he affirms that its vehicle was in repair in a garage of Bridge-Swallow-hole. The pensioner would have been flashé to 111 km/h on the RN 118, according to the official report received Thursday in his residence.
- November 9th 2003: a farmer Sarthe-native of an about sixty years received, with his great astonishment, an official report for excess speed. He was flashé to 120 km/h on A6 perched on his old tractor.
- January 19th 2005: a septuagénaire of Fronsac (the Gironde) was flashée to 120 km/h the January 12th with Angouleme has edge of its carrier which acts without license and which rolls only to 70 km/h maximum.
- With Ernée the radar started to 30 km/h instead of 50, then with the return also whereas it takes only in one direction.
Netherlands
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