Italian village installs speed cameras and records 58,000 offenses in two weeks: NPR

After years of flamboyant motorists in a small village in northern Italy, the mayor of the region got fed up and installed surveillance cameras.

And after just two weeks, Acquetico cameras recorded more than 58,000 speeding incidents, according to Italian media reports. This is a considerable figure for a community of about 120 inhabitants.

According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the maximum speed allowed by Acquetico is 50 km / h. The highest speed recorded was 135 km / h, nearly 84 mph.

According to the BBC, the Italian media reported that "the figures suggest that half of the cars on the road were traveling at high speed".

"It's really crazy, since we have people who regularly move in the village and cross the road," Alessandro Alessandri, mayor of Pieve di Teco, told ANSA, according to a translation by the BBC.

A highway runs through the center of Acquetico, based on Google Maps.

"We hope that these speed indicators will be an effective deterrent for motorists and that they will benefit the citizens of Acquetico because you do not want to earn money with the fines, but it is necessary to protect the safety of people, "said the mayor to the police. news agency, according to the BBC.

Alessandri said that there are several reasons why people in search of speed have chosen to hit the road through Acquetico, according to The Local Italy:

Alessandri said the problem was that with three main roads connecting the nearby Piedmont region to the north coast of Italy, the road through Acquetico was the best for those looking to avoid speed bumps, the cameras and tolls.

"And he said that motorcyclists use" the ideal asphalt, good width, [and] continuous turns to organize races between major cities on the road. "

According to the Italian media, the radars have been installed as a test, although the mayor now plans to make them permanent after discovering how many motorists used the road as a fast track.