In America, about 80% of fines are issued based on data from video and photographic cameras. In 2016, 61 million such fines were recorded, and in 2017 there were already 83.2 million of them. Most of them are caused by violations of the speed limit.
Also, Iowa statistics say that deaths on the roads are decreasing, and traffic police cameras also played a positive role in this. Drivers slow down when they see the camera and become more attentive. Even the dummies of the cameras force self-confident motorists to slow down. Therefore, in this article, we will take Iowa dot cameras as an example and discuss them in detail.
What Cameras Can Track
In addition to speeding, dot cameras are capable to record a whole list of traffic violations, which are the following:
- Exceeding the instantaneous and average vehicle speed.
- Vehicle movement in the opposite lane.
- The departure of the vehicle to a foreign lane.
- Vehicle movement at a prohibited traffic light.
- Passing the stop line.
- The departure of the vehicle to the intersection if a traffic jam has formed behind it.
- The movement of the vehicle on tram tracks where it is prohibited.
- Violation of the requirements of traffic signs and markings.
- Violation of parking rules, incl. non-payment of parking.
- Freight traffic in places where it is prohibited.
Although most installed cameras capture only a small fraction of these violations, their number will grow over time. Technical systems are constantly evolving. The traffic police are planning to introduce additional points of video recording. It will be possible to track even trips in a car without an insurance policy or using a fake policy.
Basic Types of Cameras in Iowa
The first speed cameras for cars appeared in the late 50s of the 20th century. Oddly enough, they were invented by the racer Maurice Getsonides from Holland.
He used the camera to record the speed when cornering during training runs. In 1958, he founded Gatsometer BV to develop tracking systems. The UK Police Department was the company’s first client. And the main product was the famous Gatso camera, with which the roads of Europe are equipped today.
According to the type of installation, there are three main types of cameras for video and photographic recording: stationary, portable, and mobile. Portable cameras require daily adjustments and can only record over speeding. Mobile cameras are installed both in inspection vehicles and on any part of the road. Such complexes record violations of speed and parking. Moreover, they are often hidden from drivers. For example, they may be in a parked car.
But the maximum capabilities are possible with stationary cameras. They are the ones who can read the number of a car and push it to the traffic police database. In total, there are several dozen different tracking systems on the roads of Iowa.
How to Find them
To warn the driver about the traffic police cameras installed on the road, there are special radar detectors. Also, antiradar suppresses radiation from radars and complexes so that cameras cannot record violations. However, these devices are illegal, so you can’t actually legally see these cameras yourself.