Smart Car as Spy - Sorry Mini & Austin Powers

[PerryA]

Just saw a story on BBC that says police in Manchester are using Smart cars with a mast and closed circuit TV camera to catch "distracted" drivers. What about when the Smart itself is the distraction? Hmm, could it be entrapment? Not actually, they're looking for folks using mobile phones while driving.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Manchester | CCTV cars snap distracted drivers

[Krootie]

Hum, . . . nice find. Thx.

[forestacademy]

I want one. Can I get it with a Dive smart and use it as a Perascope

[BigWarpGuy]

Since they had the Smart longer than we have, would they not be more used to it? Perhaps being distracted by the Smart would mean more money from tickets for being distracted?

[headless]

We are turning into a nanny state over here, we can't do anything without being filmed, or caught on speed camera's.
Smarts, as someone else said are 2 a penny over here so not as much of a distraction anymore, but with a huge mast on it they should be easier to spot.
On a lighter note, this is what happened to one of the drivers when he tried to go under a barrier and forgot about the mast, serves him damn well right
This will make you laugh.

http://www.boredstop.com/imgp/smartcar.jpg

[jayhead000]

oh no that is sad! poor little smart got tipped over! still don't understand why they use the smart, rather than any other vehicle but oh well... I like it.

[PerryA]

Originally Posted by headless

. . . this is what happened to one of the drivers when he tried to go under a barrier and forgot about the mast, serves him damn well right
This will make you laugh.

http://www.boredstop.com/imgp/smartcar.jpg

Watching for speeding earthworms now is he?

It would be interesting to see the video from the perspective of the car as it fails to clear the barrier, but I doubt it was running at the time.

True, the Smart is more common and less a distraction in the UK, but doing the same here in the US would create the distraction. I can see the video of the driver who was fishing for his mobile phone to get a picture of the Smart parked along the road and then being cited for using his mobile while driving.

My Smart got nabbed by a speed camera in an unobtrusive patrol car parked along the road - no light bar on top, minimal markings, parked between other cars. I. . .I mean the car. . .never saw the lurking police car. A Smart with a camera mast would be a little harder to miss, even if you're accustomed to seeing Smart cars around.

The ticket is the responsibliity of the owner of the vehicle since they can't determine who was driving without making a traffic stop. I don't let my car go out alone and unsupervised now. I made it sit in time out in the corner of the garage for a day. I think it learned its lesson.