Speed cameras: from margin of error to privacy – here is the new ‘reliability certificate’
On Tuesday, Minister Matteo Salvini signed the decree setting out the details for the type-approval of the devices
Key points
It is not just the margin of error set at 3 km/h up to 100 km/h. It is not just the automatic blurring of faces in images taken head-on. The decree from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, which rewrites the rules for the approval of speed cameras, also includes a less obvious change: for the first time, numerical reliability parameters have been set which the devices must meet in order to be approved.
The distinction between approved and type-approved devices
These are some of the key elements of the long-awaited measure through which the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is seeking to resolve the long-running dispute over speed cameras, which has been fuelled in recent years by a series of appeals and court rulings that have sparked debate over the distinction between ‘approved’ and ‘type-approved’ devices. The decree introduces a single set of rules for type-approval and sets out in detail the technical specifications that the devices must meet.
Reliable interest rates
Among the new measures is what could be described as a sort of ‘reliability certificate’. It is no longer enough simply to measure speed. Speed cameras will have to demonstrate that they meet specific performance standards across a range of key functions. The vehicle detection rate must be at least 90%. The correct association of speed with the detected vehicle must reach at least 95%. The same 95% threshold applies to image capture and number plate recognition. Vehicle classification must also reach 90%.
These are parameters that are directly incorporated into the testing procedures and are designed to measure not only the accuracy of the recorded speed, but the entire chain of events leading to the detection of the offence.
Margins in speed measurement
The decree also addresses the issue of measurement accuracy. During type-approval tests, the value recorded by the device must not deviate by more than 3 km/h from the reference instrument for speeds up to 100 km/h. Above this threshold, the limit is set at 3%. This is a technical requirement distinct from the tolerance applied to penalties, which remains that provided for by current legislation.
