Flashed and furious: Swiss speed cams produce thousands of erroneous fines


Pedestrians and traffic in Bern, Switzerland. Traffic cops noticed an above-average number of speed violations in the four locations, where cameras were using a particular 2.2-metre configuration, while ‘more and more of those people affected came forward’ with concerns. — Photo by Melina Kiefer on Unsplash

GENEVA: Swiss police admitted on Nov 27 that faulty speed cameras in the capital Bern resulted in nearly 10,000 erroneous fines being issued in little over a month.

Thanks to a software error, four new speed cameras were racking up so many infractions that the police themselves suspected something was amiss.

"In total, 9,604 erroneous measurements were recorded between September 12, 2023 and October 19, 2023. All those concerned will receive a letter in the coming days and around 6,000 paid fines will be refunded," Bern police said on their website.

Traffic cops noticed an above-average number of speed violations in the four locations, where cameras were using a particular 2.2-metre configuration, while "more and more of those people affected came forward" with concerns.

The police asked the Federal Institute of Metrology to carry out checks, and it duly found that measured speeds were too high.

"These four devices are the only ones used in Switzerland with this... configuration and, therefore, the only ones affected by this error," police said. – AFP

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

   

Next In Tech News

Keep yourself and your money safe from these four scams
Meta is following X's playbook on fact-checking. Here's what it means for you
Got a package you didn’t order? Why you should be concerned
Trump, Zuckerberg meet at Mar-a-Lago, Semafor reports
Opinion: If your phone had feelings would you treat it differently? It could happen sooner than you think
Location tracking company Unacast tells Norway its data was hacked, broadcaster says
TSMC begins producing 4-nanometer chips in Arizona, Raimondo says
Explainer-What happens after the TikTok ban?
US supports Musk argument in OpenAI lawsuit
HPE secures $1 billion AI server deal for Elon Musk's X, Bloomberg News reports

Others Also Read