Speed monitoring
Speed monitoring in public road traffic is a control measure taken by the police or other authorities to monitor compliance with the maximum speed limit .
Competent Authorities
Germany
In Germany , the responsibility for speed monitoring ( § 3 StVO ) is regulated differently in the federal states. In most federal states, the police and regional regulatory authorities are responsible for monitoring traffic. While the regulatory authorities of the municipalities are responsible within the closed localities , the police and in some cases also the district administrations monitor the extra-urban area on the district, state and federal roads as well as the motorways .
In 1956 the first radar system developed by Telefunken that was ready for series production had its German premiere . The traffic radar device (VRG) was presented at the police fair in Essen in September 1956 .
On February 15, 1959, a mobile radar device was used for the first time between Düsseldorf and Ratingen for speed control (Telefunken VRG 2) . Later on, the laser gun , the laser binoculars , the light barrier measuring device or the video camera in the police car were added to the mobile equipment .
Austria
In Austria , the federal police are generally responsible for speed monitoring. However, until 2008 allowed municipalities also occasionally on roads where they are road maintenance, community wax body appoint or private provider. After that, however, this competence was withdrawn from the municipalities. Since November 2014, however, it has again been possible in some municipalities to have radar measurements carried out by private companies in test mode.
Switzerland
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In Switzerland , the police stations of the cantons are responsible.
technology
measuring technology
Various measurement techniques are used for speed monitoring. The techniques used are sometimes referred to colloquially as speed traps or speed cameras , although the term speed trap is misleading. If the specified rules are observed, a radar check has no effect.
radar
Radar is one of the most widely used measurement techniques. The speed of the moving vehicle is determined using the Doppler effect . If a vehicle approaches the radar waves emitted by the radar device, they are reflected back to the receiving antenna of the radar device. The built-in computing unit calculates the speed driven from the frequency of the waves received. If the tolerance threshold is exceeded, a camera and a photo flash are triggered, the actual "flashing". Radar devices can be used on a tripod as well as e.g. B. can be operated from inside the vehicle.
The frequency bands used in Germany are the Ka band (26.5–40 GHz) and the K band (18–26.5 GHz). The Ku band (12.4–18 GHz) is only used very rarely.
In Austria, flashing is only common from behind, as there is an anonymous decree against the vehicle owner. Because of legal problems with Germany, the front radar that is widespread there is increasingly being used.
Photocells
Measurement using a light barrier is also very widespread. Here, at right angles to the course of the road, a transmitter and a receiver are set up opposite each other at the roadside, so that each vehicle has to pass the route between the devices. At least three light beams are sent between the remote stations. If a vehicle drives through the first light beam, the measurement is started and ended when it passes through the second or third beam; with other devices, the measurement is ended when the second light beam is passed and a new one is started at the same time, which then ends with the third beam. Since the distance between the individual transmitters is known, the average speed in the first section can be calculated from this. The second measurement serves as a plausibility check . The measurement is only valid if the two measurements differ by a maximum of the value specified in the approval certificate.
Brightness sensors
With the simplified light barrier system (one-sided sensor) the light transmitter is dispensed with and the change in brightness caused by the vehicle driving by is evaluated. The advantage is that the awkward and dangerous construction of the light transmitter on the other side of the street is not necessary. However, this method can only be used to a very limited extent in the dark.
One innovation is the digital speed measurement system, one- sided sensor ES 3.0 . The core of the system, also known as Optospeed , is a sensor head with five brightness sensors . Three of the five sensors monitor the road at right angles to the direction of the lane, the fourth and fifth at an angle. The sensor plane is usually aligned parallel to the roadway. The device records changes in the brightness of a vehicle. Using the distance-time calculation, the speed of these vehicles is determined, digitized and stored, whereby speeds over 300 km / h can also be measured. The single-sided sensor can also be used in curves, in tunnels and at measuring points that are difficult to see. It can monitor up to four lanes at the same time and assign the measurement results to each lane. Depending on the equipment, pictures of the vehicle can be made from the front, back or the side. The measuring principle is also suitable for the front and rear documentation of motorcyclists in a way that is secure from evidence, which until now was often not possible due to the missing front license plate.
Piezo sensor / induction loop
Measurement with piezo sensors or induction loops is another monitoring technique. As a rule, three sensors are built into the road surface. It is also based on the calculation of the speed from the time difference between several measurements. Related to this is an older method with transversely laid out thin tubes in which the time differences between the pressure increases are measured.
stopwatch
In the past, speed was determined by manual measurement using a stopwatch , which is still permitted today. This measures the time it took a vehicle to drive through a defined route. However, this method is rarely used because of its susceptibility to errors and the better evidential value of other techniques.
laser
The laser binoculars are a laser-based speedometer. Laser binoculars are built both as pure binoculars without documentation and in connection with a video camera for documentation.
Monitoring with a handheld laser measuring device , which is colloquially referred to as a laser gun, is relatively new . This mostly refers to systems that are based on the laser pulse principle (time of flight measurement). Two or more light pulses, which are reflected by the vehicle, are sent out in quick succession as possible. The pulse transit time is measured in each case, from which the vehicle distance at this point in time can then be calculated based on the constant speed of propagation of the pulses. The respective differences are then formed from these time and distance measurements, from which the driving speed can finally be determined. With most laser pistols, however, the measurement is not documented, there is no measurement photo or video.
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A new technique is the lidar system ( Li ght D etection a nd R was concerned). It is used, for example, in the Poliscan Speed as well as in the enforcement trailer and is increasingly replacing the radar in the field of mobile and stationary speed monitoring . When using so-called radar detectors, the advance warning time of laser measuring devices is significantly shorter or even non-existent.
Police pilot
Civil vehicles with Police Pilot systems are increasingly being used on motorways and other expressways . This makes it possible to record traffic violations individually on video. Disadvantages are u. a. the high costs, since not only the ProViDa system has to be installed, but also a sufficient number of motorized cars. The advantages are the high evidential value of the method and the inconspicuousness of the surveillance measure in normal traffic (small cameras). In Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Poland, motorcycles with the appropriate equipment are also used.
Identification technique
In Germany, the driver is solely responsible for a speed violation. The vehicle owner is only responsible in exceptional cases , so in the event of speed violations not only the identification of the vehicle (using the license plate number ) but also of the vehicle driver is necessary. For this purpose, recordings from photo or, with certain measurement methods, video cameras are used that record the vehicle from the front and / or from the rear. The driver's photo is assessed as part of the proceedings by the fine authorities and the judge ; in disputed cases, the court orders an anthropometric report. In Austria too, the driver is responsible for the traffic violation, but the owner is obliged to provide information. If he cannot provide any information, he must expect high penalties. Therefore, photography from behind is sufficient here. Rear photography was also used in Germany in the past, but served there to prevent the driver from being dazzled by the white flash. After the introduction of the red flash, front photography was used.
With flashing devices, the images are recorded on panchromatic black and white film because of the red flash . However, digital photography is increasingly being used. The advantages are lower costs, the lack of a need to change the film and the associated longer operating times of the devices and the possibility of electronic image transmission and processing.
In Austria, radar devices were previously only allowed to measure passing vehicles from behind so as not to cause glare from the camera flash. Only through the use of IR flash units is it also permitted to measure oncoming vehicles, but the driver's face must not be visible, otherwise it contradicts the principle of anonymity . With the 22nd amendment to the StVO in 2009, it was also legally possible to take photos from the front when speeding violations, so that foreign drivers can also be followed. The first systems in Austria were installed at the beginning of 2010 on the Vienna outer ring motorway for test operations and have been in operation since spring 2010.
Differentiation between trucks and cars
In some cases, the identification systems mentioned can distinguish fully automatically between trucks and cars. With older devices, however, the measuring device must be briefly switched to the coming vehicle by pressing a button, for example with simple light barriers with two counterparts. The image material, which is evaluated by means of a recognition algorithm, can serve as one of several differentiation criteria.
Stationary surveillance
Colloquially, the stationary systems are often referred to as the "star box". Another design are the radar columns.
In Germany, stationary measuring devices are mostly operated by cities and rural districts . Piezo technology is usually used in stationary systems . The system consists of a camera housing mounted on a post, which is connected to piezo sensors in the street or can measure the distance itself. The box is often built to be rotatable so that two directions can be monitored alternately. For this purpose, sensors are then also laid in the opposite direction.
The operators often have considerably more installed measuring systems with camera housings than cameras; these are then installed at irregular intervals in various systems in the monitored area. This is intended to achieve a high deterrent effect with reduced operating costs.
Measuring systems in column form
Measuring systems in the column record vehicles using laser measurement (“Lidar”) at almost all angles. The device (product " Poli Scan Speed ") was developed by Vitronic Dr.-Ing. Stein image processing systems developed from Wiesbaden. The viewing windows are made of plexiglass . The data is read out on site by employees of the public order office or transmitted electronically. The purchase price in 2013 was around 90,000 euros.
Speed display system
In contrast to the surveillance systems, which are used to prosecute administrative offenses, a speed display system ( GAA for short ) has no camera and no license plate recording. The advertising calls these products Active Traffic Education . The system consists of a built-in radar system, the evaluation electronics and an LED display; a solar system for energy supply can optionally be available.
Section Control (Section Control)
During the so-called section control, the license plate with the exact time is recorded at several systems along the road. From this, the average speed between two measuring points can be determined by dividing their distance by the time difference between the respective passages. In this way it can be determined whether the average speed was higher than that permitted in the section. In the vicinity of Hanover between Laatzen and Gleidingen on the B6, such a system is to be put into operation as a pilot process in 2016.
Operation in Austria
The radar boxes are increasingly being looked after by private companies who take care of maintenance, settings and film exchange. Only the fully printed penalty mandates are sent to the responsible district administration or the magistrate for further processing. The fines levied benefit the road maintenance authority responsible for this street. By the end of 2009, the majority of the radar devices were networked with one another, so that the entire course of the punishment was much faster using digital photos and the number of traffic fines increased as a result.
Mobile measuring devices
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Since the deterrent effect of stationary systems on road users familiar with the area is rather low, mobile controls are also carried out. The measurement at the respective roadside is carried out either by laser , radar or light barrier. If this exceeds a previously defined limit value (varies depending on the authority, triggering is only too high from 9 km / h, for example), the camera and the associated flash are triggered and the driver is recorded. In some cases the license plate number and the measured speed are transmitted by radio to a police officer , who stops the vehicle behind the measuring point to determine the personal details.
The measuring device itself is usually set up in such a way that it becomes visible as late as possible and so there is no possibility of timely braking. Some of the devices are also placed in the rear of a parked station wagon in order to be able to change location more quickly or to enable inconspicuous measurements. In order to prevent the recognition of a measuring vehicle, the municipalities usually have changing license plates or they exchange their vehicles with foreign municipalities by means of official assistance . The cost of such a surveillance vehicle with radar technology is (2013) around 160,000 euros.
In another method, which is mainly used on motorways , speed offenders are tracked by a specially equipped civilian measuring vehicle with a police pilot system . This vehicle maintains a fixed distance from the measured vehicle over a certain distance. The speed is determined using the calibrated speedometer of the measuring vehicle. The process is recorded on video.
In Austria, the mobile radar devices are being used less and less and are being replaced by the much cheaper laser guns.
Tolerances
Germany
Depending on the measurement method, different tolerances are deducted from the measured value in Germany. These are at
- Fixed systems, star boxes, radar measuring devices, laser guns:
- up to 100 km / h, 3 km / h is deducted as a tolerance value
- from 101 km / h 3% will be deducted.
- ProViDa : 5%, at least 5 km / h.
- Descendants with company vehicles
- with adjusted speedometer: 15%
- with unadjusted speedometer: 20%.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, a certain value is deducted from the measured value depending on the measurement method and speed range. This safety allowance is:
- for radar measurements:
- 5 km / h for a measured value up to 100 km / h,
- 6 km / h with a measured value of 101–150 km / h,
- 7 km / h for a measured value from 151 km / h;
- for laser measurements:
- 3 km / h for a measured value up to 100 km / h,
- 4 km / h with a measured value of 101–150 km / h,
- 5 km / h for a measured value from 151 km / h;
In many special cases, separate safety deductions apply, e.g. B. with stationary radar measurements in curves, with mobile measurements with radar (moving radar), with measurements with stationary threshold detectors, with follow-up controls, with recordings of trip and remaining distance recorders and with red light monitoring systems with loop detectors.
Austria
In Austria, a distinction is made between measurement tolerance and punishment tolerance. The measurement tolerance is
- with new systems
with laser measurements:
- 3 km / h at a permitted speed of up to 100 km / h
- 3% if a speed greater than 100 km / h is allowed
effectiveness
Speed controls should be a measure to enforce safety-relevant traffic regulations. Compliance with traffic rules occurs on two levels of social control: The first level is internal control, i. H. the willingness of individuals to control and sanction themselves based on their internalized values and norms. If this self-control fails, as is often the case in road traffic, then, in the opinion of surveillance proponents, the second level is external control by third parties.
The controls increase traffic safety both in the vicinity of the control point and regionally. The decrease in speed has been demonstrated for both stationary and mobile speed controls. The effectiveness can best be examined from the accident frequency before the introduction of a speed monitoring measure compared with the accident frequency after its introduction.
Like all road traffic control measures, speed monitoring should also have a general preventive effect by deterring excessive violations. However, studies by Karl-Friedrich Voss, board member of the Federal Association of Resident Traffic Psychologists (BNV) and member of the traffic psychology section of the German Society for Psychology contradict this. For example, young people drive riskily, but are rarely flashed. Quote: "Drivers from age groups with a low accident risk are overburdened with points, and drivers with a high accident risk are checked too seldom."
Speeding violations contribute to around 25% of accidents with personal injury and 50% of all accidents with fatalities. It is therefore often criticized that the monitoring of the permitted speed on the roads is too incomplete. Since compliance with the rules mainly depends on the probability with which a violation will be punished, more controls could prevent many accidents and save human lives. In addition, speed controls are i. a. cost-covering (the income from the fines slightly exceeds the costs of monitoring and prosecuting the violations), so that only political will prevents an expansion. However, the existing monitoring is at least a regulatory element that usually prevents excessive violations.
Economic considerations
In the profitability analysis, the costs of the measure (speed monitoring, its establishment and maintenance) must be compared with the costs resulting from the consequences of the accident and incurred by insurance companies and those involved in the accident uninsured for the damage. Accidents with personal injuries can also include high and difficult to quantify consequential costs that are only partially covered by liability insurance. The economic benefits of speed control is calculated from the change in the traffic safety through the measure, ie the difference between the number of accidents and accident heavy before and after their introduction, if it was effective, according to the " recommendations for cost-effectiveness studies of roads (EWS)" of the Research Association Roads and Transportation e. V. (FGSV).
The consideration of economic efficiency also includes that which arises for the operator of the speed monitoring through its operation. They are made up of the costs of implementation and the income resulting from fines. The income from the fines flows - like other fines - into the public budget, from which the costs of monitoring (e.g. technology, vehicles, personnel for controls and processing of fines) are paid. Fines are occasionally awarded to non-profit institutions and income from criminal proceedings flows into the judicial system, so in no way serve to minimize the costs of setting up and maintaining speed monitoring.
However, municipal surveillance systems in particular are often suspected of using speed surveillance for economic reasons. But the police are also accused on various occasions of running speed controls for revenue reasons. Christoph Hecht, traffic engineer at the ADAC, also often suspects economic reasons behind speed monitoring measures. "Examples:
- With a single radar device, the city of Munich was able to detect 85,233 speeding violations in a total of around 1.74 million vehicles driving past the device and took an estimated five to ten million euros.
- After the commissioning of a system at the Lämershagen viaduct in the direction of Hanover at the end of 2008 , the city of Bielefeld earned 9.3 million euros from 260,000 violations within the first year. Almost 20 employees are employed to evaluate and draw up the fines for the system.
- In the article “Goldgrube Tempo-Trap”, Der Spiegel cites federal highway 252 , along which 14 surveillance devices are set up over a distance of 23 km. Changing the maximum speed limit 30 times on this section, including changing validity periods, can easily lead to speed violations by mistake. The speed cameras drop around 1.2 million euros per year.
Follow-up accidents due to the speed monitoring measure itself were discussed as a cost risk. These represent interventions in road traffic and can therefore provoke accidents because motorists suddenly brake in the river and rear-end collisions can occur. There are no police surveys on this.
Countermeasures
Legal or not pursued measures in Germany
As part of their traffic reports, a number of radio stations warn of speed measurements reported by the listeners. In a pilot project that warns Highway Patrol Cologne on the eve on the Internet and in the WDR -Lokalzeit before planned controls. Private radio stations also receive the warnings directly from the authorities themselves. This service provided by the broadcasting companies is controversial. Proponents are of the opinion that the goal of speed reduction can also be achieved in this way, others counter that this reduction only occurs selectively.
The popular method is to hang reflective objects on the interior rearview mirror. Here it is hoped to reflect the photo flash and thus make the driver unrecognizable. CDs are recommended, but are mostly ineffective.
In order to contest the correct implementation of a speed measurement, it was worthwhile to document the installation of the vehicle in mobile radar systems (photo) and to use this to check the alignment of the vehicle to the longitudinal axis of the road. The measuring vehicles must namely be exactly perpendicular or parallel to the road. In some cases the required angles (20 or 22 degrees) were not adhered to. In addition, monitoring of the measurement by the measurement officer is mandatory. If the measurement officer did not observe the measurement, it was not allowed to be used. An expert report that can be used in court is nevertheless essential.
In the meantime, however, the majority of measuring systems exist that do not place any requirements on the vehicle position and no longer require the so-called attentive measuring operation.
The warning of speed measuring points by a pedestrian by means of hand signals or signs violates, according to a judgment of the Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart, "at most against existing regulations [...] if other road users are endangered, hindered or annoyed according to § 1 StVO", however, according to the rulings of the Münster Higher Administrative Court and the Saarlouis Administrative Court pose a threat to public safety within the meaning of § 8 NWPolG (Police Act of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia) and can therefore be prohibited by the responsible police authority by issuing an administrative order.
Illegal or persecuted actions
Headlight flasher: A common method is to use a flasher to warn oncoming traffic of radar controls detected on the opposite side. In Germany, this is an administrative offense according to Section 16 (1) of the StVO in conjunction with Section 24 of the StVG, since the use of flasher lights is not justified. In Austria, however, this is legal, as there is no ban on carrying out warnings of any kind with the headlight flasher.
Radar warning systems: So-called radar warning systems may be owned, but not “carried ready for use”. These radar detectors register the radar radiation and then issue an acoustic warning. When using them, there is a risk of fines and reservations (in Germany € 75 fine and one point ). The device is confiscated and destroyed by the police. Purchase contracts for radar detectors are classified by courts as immoral , so all warranty claims against the manufacturer are void.
See also
- Blitzmarathon , a police operation to combat speeding on the streets.
literature
- Löhle, Beck: Sources of error in police measurement procedures. 9th edition, Anwalt-Verlag, Bonn 2008, ISBN 3-8240-0983-8
- Detlef Burhoff, Hans-Peter Grün: Measurements in road traffic. 2016, 1152 pp., ISBN 978-3-89655-859-6
- Klaus P. Becker: Exceeding speed in road traffic. Verlag Luchterhand, 2010, ISBN 978-3-472-07832-6
- Joachim Schrey, Thomas Walter Haug: The extent of judicial control in decisions about speeding violations. In: NJW 40/2010, 2917.
Web links
- Overview of some measuring devices approved in Germany and how they work
- Description of the LIDAR-based PoliScan speed system
- Colliseum: speed measurement Overview of technical articles on speed measurements
- Factual stories with the mouse: speed cameras
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ulrike Bick, Folkert Kiepe : speed monitoring - new tendencies in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg . Ed .: NZV 1990. S. 329 ff .
- ↑ ADAC Motorwelt, Issue No. 9, Page 14, September 2015
- ↑ Marc von Lüpke: Hit by the speed camera. one day , February 12, 2014, accessed on February 14, 2019.
- ↑ Municipalities will once again “flash” in the NÖN from May 19, 2015, accessed on May 25, 2016.
- ↑ One-sided sensor ES3.0 -MATRIX-. In: eso GmbH. Retrieved November 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Escort Radar Detector School
- ↑ Federal Law Gazette I No. 16/2009 : 22nd StVO amendment
- ↑ Radar boxes are now flashing from the front on ORF Lower Austria on January 13th, accessed on January 18th
- ↑ Attention drivers: first front flashers in use. heute.de, March 9, 2010, archived from the original on April 11, 2016 .
- ↑ Düsseldorf: speed camera smeared at the Fleher Bridge ( memento of the original from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Design speed cameras - high-tech speed cameras: expensive but ineffective? Hamburger Abendblatt
- ↑ Sierzega> Radar LED displays
- ↑ hildesheimer-allgemeine.de: New speed camera not yet armed
- ↑ The flood of data from digital radar boxes on ORF Vienna on June 13, 2009, accessed on January 18, 2010.
- ↑ 906,327 advertisements: Raser-Rekord 2009 on Heute.at from January 7, 2010, accessed on April 12, 2020
- ↑ Jens Hendryk Dässler: 218,000 proceedings against traffic offenders . In: Holzkirchner Merkur (local part) . No. 16/2014 , January 21, 2014, p. 4 .
- ↑ FEDRO Ordinance on the Road Traffic Control Ordinance (VSKV-FEDRO), Art. 8 safety deduction (PDF) , accessed on November 11, 2018
- ↑ ÖAMTC News Vienna Radar boxes and mobile speed cameras , accessed on December 17, 2019
- ↑ Standards of speed monitoring in traffic, BASt report M 146 (web link only abstract)
- ↑ a b c Accident research of the ( General Association of the German Insurance Industry , GDV): The effectiveness of measures. ( Memento of the original from September 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 28, 2015
- ↑ Christoph Stockburger: New study on radar controls: speed cameras do not prevent accidents. In: Spiegel online , February 23, 2012 Quotation from Karl-Friedrich Voss, member of the board of the Federal Association of Local Traffic Psychologists (BNV) and member of the traffic psychology section of the German Society for Psychology: “Radar checks, as they are currently carried out, do not lead to a reduction the risk of accidents ... The police are overzealous when flashing. That is not an appropriate way of dealing with motorists. "
- ↑ Effects of traffic monitoring on compliance with traffic regulations, BASt report M 126 (web link only abstract)
- ↑ Dieter Müller, professor of traffic sciences from the University of the Saxon Police Quote: “An alignment of the checkpoints to accident hotspots can only rarely be determined in the municipalities. [...] Those who base their monitoring measures exclusively on monetary arguments shouldn't be surprised that such a practice by the authorities is perceived as a 'rip-off'. " In: Die Welt, February 20, 2012
- ^ ZDF.reporter: Topic: Article speed traps and their income June 8, 2012
- ↑ Christoph Stockburger: New study on radar controls: speed cameras do not prevent accidents. In: Spiegel online , February 23, 2012 Quote from Christoph Hecht, traffic engineer at ADAC: "We often have the impression that measuring systems are simply set up where there is as much lightning as possible."
- ↑ Munich: Revenue a fine case funded the construction site next door standing
- ^ Tz.de : Fine orgy on the construction site , accessed on March 25, 2014
- ↑ Thomalla and Werth flashed. In: Rheinische Post. March 16, 2010, p. A8.
- ↑ Crime scene Autobahn: speeders and pushers in their sights. ZDF from February 26, 2015 ( YouTube )
- ↑ Speeding mile in weather - gold mine speed trap.
- ↑ Printed matter 16/3494: Danger of accidents when monitoring traffic through radar measurements with lightning. Small written question, Hamburg Senate, February 14, 1999, accessed October 12, 2013
- ↑ Broadcast on Radio FFH on April 17, 2013, around 10:45 a.m.
- ^ Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart ; Az. 4 Ss 33/97 ; printed in DAR 1997, 251.
- ^ Higher Administrative Court of Münster ; Az. 5 B 2601/96 ; NJW 1997, 1596.
- ^ VG Saarlouis; Decision of February 17, 2004 Az.:6 F 6/04
- ↑ Headlight flasher allowed for radar warning. on ORF on November 14, 2006, accessed on June 15, 2011.
- ↑ Reversal of the purchase of radar warning devices.
