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A car crash recorded in Olton railway station in the West Midlands leaves us all feeling a bit better about our driving skills.
The motorist is caught on camera, most peculiarly losing control of the vehicle whilst reversing out of a space and somehow colliding into three cars.
How and why it happened, is altogether a different story, but we do know that the careless driver swiftly left the car park without leaving so much as a note of apology.
The police have since launched a public appeal to find the driver; the collision took place at Olton railway station in Solihull, just after 1:20 p.m.
Despite extensive inquiries, officers have yet to trace the driver of the silver Ford Escort which collided with three parked cars before the driver left the scene.
I am today hoping that someone will recognise the car and/or the driver, and come forward with information which can assist the investigation.
Unfortunately, the CCTV camera did not capture any part of the vehicle’s registration.
A lot of car parks do warn “leave at your own risk”, but is it really any good having CCTV footage that shows what happened, but does not show enough detail to do anything about it?
If you do happen to have information on this collision, contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016.
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Video: CCTV Fails to Capture Reckless DriverA car crash recorded in Olton railway station in the West Midlands leaves us all feeling a bit better about […]
Leora Grace
IFSEC Insider | Security and Fire News and Resources
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safeNsane
December 3, 2013 8:39 am
Well it may not have resulted in local law enforcement finding the responsible driver yet it is a very good start. The video looks like it is stops before showing the car pulling away which my give a better look at the driver or the plates. Even without that information they know what time it happened, the vehicle make and model and that’s a good start when looking for the driver.
If nothing else it can be used for physics lessons and camera placement examples. It’s a good example of covering key areas but still missing some key angles that could have been incredibly useful. How much of the car park can you not see becasue it’s off camera but we have a nice view of a wall on the other side?
My experience with most CCTV footage of bumps in car parks, the CCTV generally can’t be used to establish if one vehicle actually hits another. However, you need to have at least one camera to capture registrations (ideally 2: entance and exit) and from the time stamps you would be able to go back and see the reg from these cameras. Poor set ups leave CCTV as useless!!
I’m very familiar with wishing a camera had been turned 5º to one side because that’s where the action happened but after redesigning the camera system here our strategy of overlapping cameras has paid off several times, once showing a driver standing beside the door of the trailer being loaded as a specific item was loaded onto the trailer, later that day he claimed it was never loaded. The story changed after we sent his company the footage. Another good instance was watching a truck back into one of our very expensive downspouts that run beside the loading bays. We… Read more »
JonathanL
December 6, 2013 9:24 am
I hope they catch this person, I had this happen to my wife’s car at a grocery store one night while I was in picking up somethings. The store’s camera system was in the same boat as this system able to identify the vehicle but no registration information. Luckily one of the people in the parking lot saw the incident and got their registration info for me. I know the camera angle I would like to see, the dash mount back at the driver as they freaked out in an out of control car…
You’re right, SafenSane. Let this be a lesson learned. It’s one of those examples that goes, so close yet so far. Such a shame. Goes to show that you don’t just stick CCTV cameras whereever; you have to think and analyze.
It really is reckless and so irresponsible! I hope they catch this person, too. It’s an epic CCTV fail, if any, It’s a shame that this person got away, but let’s hope justice eventually catches up.
So true, holmesd. That’s why it’s important to have a good provider or someone trusted to do the installing for you, because at the end of the day, the set-up matters even more.
It’s a worry when a serving police officer cannot tell the difference between a Ford Escort and a Ford Fiesta clearly identified in the video!
Investigating officer PC Ali Jama reveals:
Despite extensive inquiries, officers have yet to trace the driver of the silver Ford Escort
Unbelievable
AnotherAngle
December 10, 2013 10:57 am
The video of this cctv installation, at first glance, looks ok. But as it failed to solve the problem when it mattered, its investment appears to have been wasted!
The video is a perfect example of the differences between a typical analogue cctv installation and a digital IP camera system with higher (HD) resolution, which would have provided numberplate, etc. details.
Similar situation will continue, until customer decides to cost-effectively migrate to a fully digital system, where each element camera, connection and capture is digital.
Well it’s at a rail station car park, so I’m not sure whether that makes it a private system (property of the rail company) or a public system (maybe the council owns the car park?) but if it’s the latter, that probably explains the system not having been invested in. Agree, it would be good to see an investment…
That’s pretty lucky that someone else saw it and was good enough to take the plate number, good for them! There are nice people around!
RajBikal
December 11, 2013 7:52 am
If the owner of the vide still has the original video then it maybe possible to enhance it, to then find the number plate. contact us, we can then assess by viewing the original recording or a copy of the uncompressed file.
I think that someone decided to go out of there way and stick up for me really made the whole experience not so bad. I got the registration info from them and gave it to my insurance, the other driver denied that they had backed into and ran but their insurance company did not seem to agree after assessing both vehicles so it worked out for the most part.
@Leora – Keep us updated I would like to know if they get caught.
SunitaT
December 23, 2013 12:49 am
@ holmesd, it seems CCTV installers are yet to grasp this simple thing that the placement and angle of camera is at the heart CCTV security systems.No matter how many cameras you have in place if you can’t see what you actually want to see. It takes us to the need for understanding the purpose of CCTV installations on the site.
SunitaT
December 23, 2013 12:49 am
@ JonathanL, you have been lucky at multiple stages then . First you found someone who noted down the registration number for you and then you got the verdict of insurance company in your favor. But I don’t think most of the people are as lucky as you were to find such good people who would bother to note the registration of perpetrator.
Well it may not have resulted in local law enforcement finding the responsible driver yet it is a very good start. The video looks like it is stops before showing the car pulling away which my give a better look at the driver or the plates. Even without that information they know what time it happened, the vehicle make and model and that’s a good start when looking for the driver.
Plus, the video was hugely entertaining. That’s got to be worth something…
Impressive and entertaining.
If nothing else it can be used for physics lessons and camera placement examples. It’s a good example of covering key areas but still missing some key angles that could have been incredibly useful. How much of the car park can you not see becasue it’s off camera but we have a nice view of a wall on the other side?
My experience with most CCTV footage of bumps in car parks, the CCTV generally can’t be used to establish if one vehicle actually hits another. However, you need to have at least one camera to capture registrations (ideally 2: entance and exit) and from the time stamps you would be able to go back and see the reg from these cameras. Poor set ups leave CCTV as useless!!
I’m very familiar with wishing a camera had been turned 5º to one side because that’s where the action happened but after redesigning the camera system here our strategy of overlapping cameras has paid off several times, once showing a driver standing beside the door of the trailer being loaded as a specific item was loaded onto the trailer, later that day he claimed it was never loaded. The story changed after we sent his company the footage. Another good instance was watching a truck back into one of our very expensive downspouts that run beside the loading bays. We… Read more »
I hope they catch this person, I had this happen to my wife’s car at a grocery store one night while I was in picking up somethings. The store’s camera system was in the same boat as this system able to identify the vehicle but no registration information. Luckily one of the people in the parking lot saw the incident and got their registration info for me. I know the camera angle I would like to see, the dash mount back at the driver as they freaked out in an out of control car…
You’re right, SafenSane. Let this be a lesson learned. It’s one of those examples that goes, so close yet so far. Such a shame. Goes to show that you don’t just stick CCTV cameras whereever; you have to think and analyze.
It really is reckless and so irresponsible! I hope they catch this person, too. It’s an epic CCTV fail, if any, It’s a shame that this person got away, but let’s hope justice eventually catches up.
So true, holmesd. That’s why it’s important to have a good provider or someone trusted to do the installing for you, because at the end of the day, the set-up matters even more.
It’s a worry when a serving police officer cannot tell the difference between a Ford Escort and a Ford Fiesta clearly identified in the video!
Investigating officer PC Ali Jama reveals:
Despite extensive inquiries, officers have yet to trace the driver of the silver Ford Escort
Unbelievable
The video of this cctv installation, at first glance, looks ok. But as it failed to solve the problem when it mattered, its investment appears to have been wasted!
The video is a perfect example of the differences between a typical analogue cctv installation and a digital IP camera system with higher (HD) resolution, which would have provided numberplate, etc. details.
Similar situation will continue, until customer decides to cost-effectively migrate to a fully digital system, where each element camera, connection and capture is digital.
I still find it surprising the camera didn’t get a usable shot of the plate
Well it’s at a rail station car park, so I’m not sure whether that makes it a private system (property of the rail company) or a public system (maybe the council owns the car park?) but if it’s the latter, that probably explains the system not having been invested in. Agree, it would be good to see an investment…
Hah yes I spotted that. No wonder they haven’t yet caught the offender!
That’s pretty lucky that someone else saw it and was good enough to take the plate number, good for them! There are nice people around!
If the owner of the vide still has the original video then it maybe possible to enhance it, to then find the number plate. contact us, we can then assess by viewing the original recording or a copy of the uncompressed file.
I think that someone decided to go out of there way and stick up for me really made the whole experience not so bad. I got the registration info from them and gave it to my insurance, the other driver denied that they had backed into and ran but their insurance company did not seem to agree after assessing both vehicles so it worked out for the most part.
@Leora – Keep us updated I would like to know if they get caught.
@ holmesd, it seems CCTV installers are yet to grasp this simple thing that the placement and angle of camera is at the heart CCTV security systems.No matter how many cameras you have in place if you can’t see what you actually want to see. It takes us to the need for understanding the purpose of CCTV installations on the site.
@ JonathanL, you have been lucky at multiple stages then . First you found someone who noted down the registration number for you and then you got the verdict of insurance company in your favor. But I don’t think most of the people are as lucky as you were to find such good people who would bother to note the registration of perpetrator.