A speed camera near the motorway in Basel has been stirring up local drivers, after many motorists were snapped for speeding and given fines. Data from the public prosecutor’s office now shows why so many people are angry about a single camera: it was able to detect 12.541 speeding offences in just three weeks.

Speed camera introduced to improve road safety

According to the local police, speaking to 20 Minuten, the speed camera was introduced to improve road safety in the area. Authorities explained that traffic near the entrance of the motorway had recently been rerouted because of maintenance work, which had in turn led to a number of road accidents.

The decision was therefore made to introduce measures to improve road safety, especially for construction workers in the area. This led to the deployment of the now infamous mobile speed detection unit. 

Speed camera faces strong opposition in Basel

Unsurprisingly, after racking up almost 13.000 speeding tickets in just three weeks - just over 24 cars an hour or one speeding offence every three minutes - the camera faced strong opposition from locals. Most of the drivers received fines from the public prosecutor's office, but some received harsher penalties. According to 20 Minuten, one driver was even issued an 800-franc fine and received a “warning withdrawal” of her driving licence for a month.

In order to calm opposition from the public, the police made a public statement to alert people to the addition of the speed camera in the area. Police spokesperson Rooven Brucker told 20 Minuten that the number of speeding violations “decreased significantly” after the publication of the speed camera’s location.

Image: Shutterstock.com / Media Castle