Speeding driver is trapped four times by same camera in 1 min 37 sec

Telegraph, 18 th November 2005
By David Rennie in Brussels

The world's most hapless driver faces the loss of his licence and a huge fine after being flashed by the same speed camera four times in the space of one minute and 37 seconds.

Throughout his record-breaking run, the 40-year-old motorist had no idea that he was passing a speed trap. His bafflement at being repeatedly flashed led him to pass the spot again and again.

The driver, a Turk whose identity cannot be revealed under Swiss privacy laws, told police that he thought someone was trying to annoy him with a flashgun and wanted to check "what was going on".

It was a feat requiring both precision driving and "a little bit of stupidity", police said.

The driver's unwitting achievement was made possible by the location of two roundabouts, a short distance apart, on either side of the camera, which is in a 50kph (31mph) zone in the centre of the town of Kreuzlingen.

The BMW's initial pass was made at a relatively sedate 36.6mph, just enough to trigger a flash from the camera mounted on top of a traffic light, which was set permanently at amber as it was night and traffic was light.

The driver headed back and passed the light again at 39mph - flash! That prompted him to double back for a fresh look, this time at 47mph - flash! That led to one last run - flash! - at just under 42mph. A single offence normally brings a fine of £110.

Rolf Müller, the director of communications for the Thurgau police, said: "Usually, speed cameras are in a box on their own. He could not believe it was on top of a traffic light."

He conceded that even the famously sober Swiss-German police found the incident "maybe a little amusing".