Friday, 12 March 2010
ACC radar ruse aims to fool motorists
News
Tuesday, 09 February 2010 07:19

ACC has been buying old police radar gear in a covert plan to thwart speeding motorists.

The radars have been mounted on power poles at up to 70 sites nationally, and are intended to fool drivers with detectors in their cars into thinking police are nearby.

Five radars have also been bought by school bus companies to slow motorists around children, and another six have been requested.

Official estimates put the number of motorists with radar detectors at about one in 10.

A Wellington firm, Emergency Vehicle Systems, buys the radars from the police and sells them on renamed as "drones".

They are used as part of a project between ACC's road safety action planning group, police, the Transport Agency and councils.

It has been under way for about a year, and about $7000 has been invested so far.

ACC buys the drones for around $150 and passes them on to the agency, councils and others for distribution.

Injury prevention manager Phil Wright said yesterday that 10 drones were initially trialled in Canterbury for six months before being shifted to the North Island.

While there had been no plan to keep the project secret, ACC had been happy for it to remain under wraps, he said.

"We didn't tell anyone as we thought it would be best if, when a signal went off, motorists didn't assume it was part of this programme," Mr Wright said.

In the last financial year, ACC received claims worth at least $81 million relating to crashes where speed was a factor.

Mr Wright said the radar idea had followed on from a proposal by Harry Duynhoven when he was Labour's Transport Minister to ban detectors.

"[Detectors] are sold to people who are the more hardcore speedsters. They are an essential element in a boy-racer car.

"They are banned in Australia. Even if they were banned here, there is a couple of years' leeway for retailers. We thought, 'What can we do in the meantime?"'

Current minister Steven Joyce's office said yesterday that he was still awaiting advice from officials on the proposed detector ban.

It was revealed in July that police had begun removing radars from their fleet throughout the country.

The drones are also being used by roadwork contractors to attach to their machinery.

ACC refused to discuss the location of the drones.

Pukekohe resident Bob Prangnell discovered three of the devices when his radar detector started going off, despite there being no police cars in sight.

"They're all within 10 miles of my house. I drive those roads reasonably often and something was always giving off a radar when there were no police around ... One day, I slowed down and had a look around and saw these things and took some photos."

Mr Prangnell, who's had a detector for eight years, said the drones were a clever idea.

But he was concerned that if they were placed too close to potentially dangerous areas such as intersections, drivers whose devices beeped might slow down suddenly, resulting in their being rear-ended by other cars.

Herald

Comments (2)add comment
feedShow/hide comments

Pete said:

...
Now why did that post there?
February 12, 2010

Pete said:

...
Privacy??? What bloody privacy???

Acc happily recreates Claimant identities in order for Staff to meet KPIs, this may involve ACC informing employers and others as to why they should not employ you and even suggesting that because you have reacted to ACC's actions ACC Staff are out to get you so do not employ you.
Eventually ACC goes so far to alter change, mangle your identity and file material that neither you nor for that matter ACC can "Speak" to the file identity or risk having any input from the person in whose name the corrupted and bastardised file is held.

Crazy world I sit and watch two children suffer cancer and other health effects which Specialists say they have no doubt are due to my occupational exposure to chemicals.

Meanwhile ACC describes the person named in the file as a risky client, difficult to manage and seemingly with "illness belief" problems and even that ACC has never according to ACC provided cover for the injuries it covered for many years before managing a complete change of diagnosis rather than an expanded more comprehensive diagnosis.

Strange thing about all this is that I have learned that privacy and identity are of no importance in life anyway, everything is pre ordained and no matter how much ACC corrupts and manages the "truth" life will have its way with you.

God bless and NEVER allow ACC (KGB) into your lives.

Wonder if any other corporation holds so much corrupted information and breached so many persons privacy unfetted.

Someone once said of ACC's if he feels his privacy has been breached then there are channels he can follow, the breaches should never have happened in the first place.

Another favourite reply is that I have never complained in the past so must have been happy with ACC actions.

Forgetting that often the manipulation of material by ACC does not come to light until years afterward when it and it will and has create major problems in your lives.
February 12, 2010

Write comment
hide/showShow/hide comment form
You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.

busy
< Prev   Next >
  No Comments.
You need to login or register to post comments.
Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
 
 
grey