Israel’s State Attorney Puts Speed Cameras on Probation

The decision comes after it was revealed that at least 200 speed cameras were never tested for accuracy after installation

On Sunday, Israel’s State Attorney directed Israel Police to temporarily freeze the issuance of speeding tickets based on stationary speed cameras due to concerns about their adequacy. The decision came after it was revealed that at least 200 active speeding cameras in the country were never tested for accuracy following their installation.

 

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More than 200 speed cameras by Dutch and Swedish company Sensys Gatso have been installed in Israel between the years 2012 and 2014, gradually replacing existing radar-based cameras.

 

Speeding cars (illustration). Photo: Amit Sha'al

 

In 2015, a class-action suit put forward by a group of drivers and submitted to the Traffic Tribunal in Acre by Israeli Lawyer Tomer Gonen alleged that speeding tickets received based on data from the speed cameras were unfounded. In the ensuing legal proceeding, it was revealed that the cameras were never tested after they were installed in Israel, and Israeli police admitted to relying on tests performed by the manufacturing company.

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Court-ordered testing by experts from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology failed to prove the cameras’ accuracy.

 

In a statement on Sunday, Israel Police said that the speed cameras in question are being reviewed, and that they will continue to document speeding violations through the cameras without issuing tickets. Israel Police also said it will increase its use of other means of speeding violation detection, such as laser guns.