Filenews 13 July 2023
The fine will be steep for those who obstruct the smooth operation of mobile cameras and not just cause damage. After the latest incidents where drivers parked their vehicles behind vans with portable mobile cameras, thus preventing them from photographing offending drivers, comes an amending bill.
Already, as we are informed by the Traffic Police, the bill will include other amendments concerning the photo-labelling system, such as considering that a driver was notified that he has been notified that he has an extrajudicial fine by sending an sms to his mobile. This change occurs because thousands of drivers, when they realize that the notification for a registered letter from the post office concerns an extrajudicial fine from a camera, do not rush to receive it. Another amendment will concern the way companies will be informed about offences of their driver.[s] Now this is done by letters, which takes time to complete the process. With modification it will change and this will be done electronically.
A third amendment to the legislation on the photo-labelling system will concern those who obstruct the operation of cameras. The Traffic Police incorporated a provision in the existing bill so that it becomes an offense to obstruct by any person the smooth operation of the device and not only to cause damage as the provision is today. It was also planned to increase the financial penalty to €5000,to make it a deterrent to such actions. Today it has no effect if someone closes the field of view of a mobile device and obstructs the photography of offending drivers. The bill will be forwarded to the Council of Ministers and when approved will go to Parliament for discussion after September.
In statements yesterday, Traffic Police Lieutenant Tassos Asiikkis, however, clarified that the impression that the private company benefits from issuing fines is wrong. "The company has no benefit in increasing the fines," Asiikkis said. Under the contract, all fines from the cameras end up either in the fixed fund or in the local municipalities, if the devices operate within their limits (not on motorways).
