LONDON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- New digital speed cameras with instant playback are allowing British police officers to catch drivers who eat or talk on the telephone.
The cameras may be reminiscent of the omniscient "Big Brother" government in writer George Orwell's "1984." But police say they will make the roads safer, The Daily Mail reports.
Police departments are acquiring the cameras as drivers face stiffer penalties for behavior behind the wheel that could contribute to unsafe driving. Those caught using handheld telephones, for example, can be fined 60 pounds ($120) and even jailed for up to two years if a magistrate rules they were driving dangerously.
While the cameras are primarily aimed at speeders, the manufacturer says the playback capacity for the first time makes them useful for going after reckless drivers.
Jon Bond, the former Warwickshire police superintendent who heads Tele-Traffic, is said to have told reporters posing as customers in October that police departments can use the cameras to get "bucketfuls" of money in fines.
The cameras cost 17,750 pounds ($35,500). But police departments with earlier versions can upgrade for far less.
