Are Speed Camera's Allowed To Flash You In The Face?

[U WERE MINE]

Hi Guys,

Just a quick q, was driving home from cleveland point a couple weeks back, was around midnight not a car on the road, wasnt paying attention to the speedo or what was even the speed limit was.

anyway one of those stupid vans was on the side of the road and as i drove past "bang" got flashed in the face.. scared the crap outta me when it happened took a couple of seconds to click as to what happened.

my question is, are they allowed to flash you in the face like that with the speed camera's ?? i only just moved up from syd and i remember reading a couple years back about how your not allowed to be flashed in the face, im wondering if the same rules apply up here?

[Col-GTSX]

short answer yes they can ticket on coming traffic at night with the use of a "speedlite" aka flash

long answer, there is a huge book of rules that the operators must go by when setting up the vans.

ie. One is at night you must have at least 300metres of clear road before and after the position of the camera unit to avoid accidents caused by the speedlite.

I have heard of people taking these types of fines to court, however you rarelly hear of anyone getting off any fines...

It always boils down to the judge saying "You were speeding, do the crime pay the fine" etc

[Owgasm]

what if you crash. can you say it was because of the flash?

Thats if you weren't speeding and behind the person who got flashed for speeding.

[Col-GTSX]

what if you crash. can you say it was because of the flash?

Thats if you weren't speeding and behind the person who got flashed for speeding.

Firstlly with what im about to say im not saying this is right or moral but;

Who investigates accidents???

What do you think they will determine the outcome of the accident always being even if the flash was a part of the cause???

They will always tun back to the fact you were breaking the law and that if you were not speeding you would have more time to avoid a accident etc

They protect their own, know what i mean?

[U WERE MINE]

Thanks for the quick responses guys!!

The road was straight, however there was one of those concrete lil islands straight after the van which i nearly ran up on..

it was more just the unexpected shock, the flash only happened just as i passed the van, i thought i might have hit a door or something, i was driving a grandaddy honda accord my skyline days are well and truely gone, i know speeding is speeding and its "breaking" the law, i just driving to the conditions of the road.

BTW, does squizz still visit the forums ??

[Col-GTSX]

cool, the only contention im aware of is if there was a bend in the road less than 300 metres from the van or if the weather conditions were poor...

other than that im not sure you would be able to fight it, plus most of the judges you hear about still issue the fine...

yeah mate squizz is still around...

[U WERE MINE]

Yeah i had a feekling that woudl have been the case ahh well hoping maybe someone might have some sneaky way outta it !! hahhah

[Dantay]

Firstlly with what im about to say im not saying this is right or moral but;

Who investigates accidents???

What do you think they will determine the outcome of the accident always being even if the flash was a part of the cause???

They protect their own, know what i mean?

A mate of mine is a crash investigator, he only attends fatals but he takes his job very seriously and i would never question his integratiy especially since they deliever the finding to a judge. If they found that the flash was to blame then i would put money on a strong recommendation that they not flash on coming cars.

i can see your point though it would be just as easy to write the crash off as speed induced.

[Col-GTSX]

There probablly is a way out of most fines, but I guess it comes down to how much your willing to spend on legal costs to avoid a fine???

(ie. $5000 in court to escape a $250 fine)

If you got plenty of points id suggest talking it on the chin and live to fight another day...

BTW send Squizz'y a pm, he is online often and may not see this thread...

[Owgasm]

Yeah, im saying if you are the the car behind the car getting flashed for speeding.

So you yourself aren't speeding but get "shocked" and do something for some reason and crash.

Ah well. I don't really care lol.

[Col-GTSX]

Yeah, im saying if you are the the car behind the car getting flashed for speeding.

So you yourself aren't speeding but get "shocked" and do something for some reason and crash.

Ah well. I don't really care lol.

Sorry missed your point first time there Simon...

Yeah if you crashed cause of a flash then maby you might have something to stand on as another driver whom was not speeding at the time...

But remember they could charge you with "Driving with un-due care and attention" as a result of your admission of being distracted...

I honestlly believe that they have most bases covered when it comes to this stuff, even if its unethical or emoral...

[Revhead]

I honestlly believe that they have most bases covered when it comes to this stuff, even if its unethical or emoral...

And that, folks, is the crux of the matter. They pretty much have everyone over a barrel, there's too much potential for lost revenue otherwise. I'd also say that the vast majority of possible loopholes or excuses have already been tested in court many times.

All that said, I've wondered before what would happen in this kind of scenario. You or another car nearby are speeding and get flashed by a camera. Fair enough, someone gets booked for speeding - but you crash because the flash temporarily blinds you. That's not undue care and attention because it was THEIR camera's flash that blinded you. There's always the argument that the flash wouldn't have gone off had you not been speeding, but personally I see that a bit like someone with a baseball bat who tells you not to speak and breaks your fingers when you do, then tells you it was your fault for talking.

[Col-GTSX]

but personally I see that a bit like someone with a baseball bat who tells you not to speak and breaks your fingers when you do, then tells you it was your fault for talking.

I love your analogies...

And your dead right...

[jodesta]

Hi Guys,

Just a quick q, was driving home from cleveland point a couple weeks back, was around midnight not a car on the road, wasnt paying attention to the speedo or what was even the speed limit was.

anyway one of those stupid vans was on the side of the road and as i drove past "bang" got flashed in the face.. scared the crap outta me when it happened took a couple of seconds to click as to what happened.

my question is, are they allowed to flash you in the face like that with the speed camera's ?? i only just moved up from syd and i remember reading a couple years back about how your not allowed to be flashed in the face, im wondering if the same rules apply up here?

wow!! thats scary, i've never heard of that happening!! not in SA anyway! we have speed camera's set up in rubbish bins on the side of the road, but thats as risky as it gets here! lol. its hell dangerous having a speed camera flash you in the face, despite if you're speeding or doing something wrong, you could have crashed really badly!!

[predator]

Your best solution would be to run off the car and into the camera van as you are blinded by the flash.. Of course this is a high risk maneuver But you would be able to sue the hell out of them for millions, and make sure it was never possible again.

[Col-GTSX]

Your best solution would be to run off the car and into the camera van as you are blinded by the flash.. Of course this is a high risk maneuver But you would be able to sue the hell out of them for millions, and make sure it was never possible again.

You first Gorden...