Traffic tickets are a headache for any driver who travels daily in his car or motorcycle. And worst of all is when the alleged infractions are not actually such, or are issued by mistake. Such is the case of what has happened recently in the United Kingdom, where a person received a photographic fine caused by the inscription on the front of a t-shirt.
The situation is really hilarious. As published The Guardian, David Knight received a photographic fine for a traffic violation he allegedly committed in the English city of Bath. However, the protagonist of this story lives in Dorking, in the county of Surrey; that is, almost 200 kilometers from where the apparent incident occurred.
What happened then? The aforementioned media indicates that the computer system used in Bath to regulate traffic mistook Knight’s vehicle license plate for the inscription on a woman’s t-shirt walking by. The situation is even clearer when looking at the images that accompany the notice, which were taken by video surveillance cameras in the area.
The left photograph shows the site where the alleged infraction occurred —Pulteney Bridge—, and on the right the approach to a woman walking down the street. The “smart” photographic fine recognizes the lady as a vehicle that is traveling improperly in a lane designated for buses. Like the shirt you wear has the inscription “Knitter”, the cameras mistake it for “KN19TER”, the license plate of David Knight’s car.
A ridiculous photographic fine generated by a “smart” system
According The Guardian, David Knight and his wife received the photographic fine last month, although the alleged traffic violation was committed at the end of July. The initial charge was £ 60; Nevertheless, had already increased to 90 pounds for not paying it in the first 30 days from its issuance.
Fortunately, this situation was resolved with a simple phone call from the Knights to the Bath authorities to explain the error with their photographic fine. What is clear is that these types of traffic control systems used in the United Kingdom they are not yet as smart as they may sound.