Filenews 10 May 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The complaints of drivers from the eight cameras of the Traffic Police have skyrocketed to 60,000, but the delivery rates of the extrajudicial documents are not progressing as fast as they should, resulting in doubts as to whether the timetables will be met.
The cameras, four fixed and four mobile, continue to record daily illegalities of the drivers, but the process of identifying the drivers and sending the out-of-court is not moving at a fast enough pace and as a result 15,000 out-of-court cases have been sent. According to a meeting held last month under the transport minister, the company that installed and manages the photo-labelling system, pledged that by the end of May most of them will have been sent out of court.
"F" contacted the assistant head of the Traffic Department at the Police Headquarters Harry Evripidou, who mentioned that the company has been reinforced with personnel and may have sent 15,000 out of the 60,000 out of court fines, but several other thousands of complaints have been processed and are in line to be sent. In this way, he explained, the company will manage, as required by law, so that an out-of-court case is sent within 180 days from the day of the offender's complaint.
Mr. Evripidou also confirmed information from "F" that complaints from the drivers who were reported by the cameras began to come, both to the Traffic Police and to the company itself. Those that arrive at the Traffic Police are isolated and concern cases that were reported while there was a reason that they exceeded the speed limit, such as a doctor who accompanied a patient to the hospital. More are the complaints submitted to the managing company and concern the infringement itself mainly by the fixed cameras and question when a vehicle crossed the white lines on the roadway and whether the fine should have been €25 instead of €300.
Complaints are also expressed by driving schools that may be reported by apprentice drivers mainly from fixed cameras, with the Traffic Police not accepting exceptions since this would open a bag of worms. As far as the photographs of the accused are concerned, they are shaded when there is a co-driver so as not to be seen, as are the other vehicles that may be seen next door.
It is noted that the next phase of the system that should start six months after the pilot, i.e. 1 June, will depend on whether all the out-of-court documents currently pending will be sent.
