6/21/2021
Speed Cameras Damaged in France, Germany, Italy, LuxembourgSeveral European speed cameras were again targeted by vigilantes last week. South African speed camera operator killed while manning trap.
A police officer in Umhlathuze, South Africa, died Saturday while operating a speed camera on the N2 Highway. Nduduzo Ncanana, 33, stood next to the automated ticketing machine on the shoulder while a colleague walked into the middle of the road in an attempt to stop and ticket the driver of a silver Audi SUV. The Audi driver, who was drunk, made a sudden move, hit a pickup truck, and then veered onto the shoulder, striking and killing Ncanana. The Audi driver will be charged with culpable homicide -- the equivalent of manslaughter. According to a witness, the police were taking advantage of a large truck that was parked in a way that hid their presence from oncoming traffic.
A 20-year-old student in Sestri Levante, Italy, was accused Saturday of damaging a speed camera. A woman infuriated police in Herscheid, Germany, on June 14 by driving past their speed camera trap "provocatively slowly" several times while showing them her middle finger. In Luxembourg, vigilantes have destroyed or disabled sixteen speed cameras since twenty-four of the devices arrived in the country five years ago. One of the cameras was wiped out after it failed to prevent an accident. No one has ever been caught or charged with the camera destruction.
The speed camera on the RN3 in Les Pavillons-sous-Bois, France, was blinded with spraypaint on Wednesday. In Tours, a pair of speed cameras on the ring road near the exit for Villandry and Savonnieres were blinded with white spraypaint on June 14. The devices had only been restored a few months ago after being knocked out of commission for an entire year. Also on Monday, red paint was used to take out the speed camera on the RN165 in Quimper. In Proyart, a chainsaw sliced into the speed camera on the RD1029. This particular automated ticketing machine has been attacked no fewer than twenty-three times since 2018.