CAM NABS ME FULL FRONTAL

Sunday Mirror, Jul 13, 2008 by JUDGE TREAD

Q CAN you get a ticket if you are photographed from the front of your car? I have been told by police camera-enforcement officers that it is not legal, yet I received a ticket (which I have not paid) after my vehicle was snapped from the front. I had always thought that could not happen, as it would be discrimination against people in cars, which have a front number-plate while a motorcycle does not.

A YOU are right that motorbikes do not have front number plates, and so they cannot be zapped by a camera pointing at approaching vehicles. This is just a quirk of the system. This type of camera has not been ruled to be illegal by a court...yet.

However there are some serious data protection issues surrounding them and I reported some time ago that the Information Commissioner is of the view that they do not comply with current data-protection regulations. They were introduced to help identify the driver in speeding cases, but very often the images produced are not clear enough, with the driver showing up as a fuzzy blur.

WRITE to Judge Tread, Sunday Mirror, 1 Canada Square, London E14 5AP - or email ollie@sundaymirror.co.uk You can also visit his website at www.driverschampion.net ...go there to get his free drivers' e-guide to defending speeding tickets.