Normally, speed cameras on the side of the road stop speeders in their tracks. A case that happened a few weeks ago on the B8 shows that the other way round is also possible and that the speed cameras can be quite a bit too fast.
The story takes place on 25. August. Sunday afternoon around 2 p.M. We are on the B8 in the direction of wurzburg, just before biebelried. For some time now, there has been a speed limit on the entire route: 80 is the highest of feelings.
A man from the district of kitzingen – let’s call him B. – leaves the A 7 and turns onto the B 8 to wurzburg. There is already a speed camera lurking, directly under the freeway bridge. Mr. B. He’s doing about 90, gets a speeding ticket and wonders how he knows that the speed limit on the federal highway is 80? A corresponding sign, as B. Sure, he could not discover far and wide anyhow.
The next day, mr. B. A closer look at the spot again. His suspicion is confirmed: between the exit of the highway and the speed camera of the day before, there is no 80 km/h sign anywhere.
Let’s see what happens, thought mr. B. And was sure: the thing runs anyway in the sand. An error of the office – it could not be something else according to the situation of the things.
Could it be. End of august came an official letter from straubing. Sender: the bavarian police administration office.
"I was not 7 km/h too fast, but 13 km/h too slow." The alleged speeder in his citation form
Subject: "hearing for a traffic violation." The letter said that mr. "Exceeded the speed limit outside built-up areas by 7 km/h". The consequence: "a warning fine of ten euros."
And then it said that mr. B., if he does not agree with the warning, he should fill out a hearing form and describe his view of the situation.
Exactly that made the alleged racer then also. He complained that there was no 80 km/h sign and concluded: "so I wasn’t going 7 km/h too fast, but 13 km/h too slow"." To emphasize at the end: "in my eyes, you had to immediately cease all regulatory proceedings at this point."
Mr. B. Has since heard nothing more from the authority. Why he told his story to the newspaper. A few phone calls later it was clear: mr. B. Doesn’t have to pay, the offence procedure will be discontinued. This was confirmed by klaus bohm, head of the wurzburg-biebelried highway patrol. On that sunday in august, the speed camera had measured the speed and apparently overlooked the fact that the drivers turning off the freeway had no idea that they were driving in an 80 zone.
The fact that speeders were clearly being hunted too early and that they were going faster than – well, the police allowed – became apparent two days later: on 27 august. August an additional sign with an 80 was put up at the said highway exit.