Filenews 9 February 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
Today is a significant day for the photo-labelling system, since the first extrajudicial fines will begin to be sent to the offending drivers. Almost a month and a half after the normal operation of the eight cameras for checking the drivers, only now have the problems that arose been solved and thus the way was opened for the first out-of-court cases to be posted out.
To date, according to what the assistant director of the Traffic Department and responsible for the photo-labelling system Haris Evripidou, have reported to "F", more than 30,000 drivers from the four mobile and four fixed cameras. Complaints have now stabilised at 900 a day, a number that is considered to be quite large, in view of the fact that the system became operational from 25 October and that drivers should have become familiar with the system.
As Mr. Evripidou explained, now the company's system has been connected to that of the Police and all the problems that arose regarding the processing of the photographs but mainly of the addresses of the offending drivers have been solved. As of today, said the assistant head of the Traffic Police, people of the contractor company will start sending through registered letters to the Post Office the out-of-court documents. Since receiving them, drivers have 15 days to declare that they were not the ones driving and to indicate the one behind the wheel. The out-of-court case must be paid 45 days after its receipt, otherwise a criminal file will be formed for the Court.
As Mr. Evripidou added, now what has accumulated out of court from January 1st until today will gradually begin to be handed over to the offenders and at the same time the new complaints will be evaluated.
The big question, however, according to information from "F" is what will happen to those who will not receive the registered letter, that is, they will not be identified. According to the procedure approved by the Parliament, two attempts will be made by the Post Office to serve the registered letter with the out-of-court letter and then an employee of the company that manages the system will take over to serve it. If he also fails to locate the offender, the Police undertake in a last-ditch effort to serve the extrajudicial. If it is not achieved even then, the fine is filed and if the offender turns to the Police at some point, he will be served then.
As far as the cameras are concerned, they have the ability to record violations under rain, while if many drivers are moving at the same time at excessive speed, it can record them all, i.e. no one escapes (they have the ability to record violations up to eight lanes).
