Rogue tractor driver destroys six speed cameras

A ROGUE German tractor driver has created a path of destruction through a village this week, with a sole purpose of destroying speed cameras.

Wheels Investigation: The war on speed - Towards Zero Sense

The 63-year-old man is reported to have intentionally aimed his tractor at the cameras on Monday night and Tuesday morning, knocking several of the devices over.

In total six cameras were destroyed, with police claiming hundreds of thousands of euros worth of damage caused.

The destruction occurred in a small town 50 kilometres from Frankfurt, with each of the cameras several kilometres apart.

Police say the man’s motive is not yet clear, but we suspect he may have had a slight personal vendetta against the cameras… just a hunch. However, it’s unlikely he would have been issued with a speeding ticket while driving the tractor, which has a top speed of 6km/h.

BBC reported a police spokesman as saying the tractor driver had no alcohol in his system, and would be charged with criminal damage.

We’re sure there are more than a few Aussie motorists who have fantasised about delivering a similar blow to the cash-generating cameras, by following in the German rogue’s footsteps.

In the United Kingdom, vandals have previously attacked speed cameras by forcing a tyre over the device, filling it with a flammable liquid and setting it alight, while in Slovakia, the cameras have been repeatedly attacked with pick-axes, a far more Eastern European approach.

It seems we are not the only country to have mixed opinions about the equipment.

The Victorian Department of Justice and Regulation is responsible for the maintenance of speed and traffic cameras in the state, but told Wheels that vandalisation was uncommon.

"While incidents do occur from time to time, they are infrequent and Victoria Police is called in to investigate," a spokesperson said.

"The Department of Justice and Regulation is committed to ensuring that critical infrastructure is maintained."