Brussels speed cameras disguised as garbage bags

Drivers in Brussels may be surprised lately when they are flashed by speed cameras disguised as garbage bags. According to the Brussels-Capital Region/Ixelles police department, the guise has helped them catch nearly a third more speed demons, writes Het Nieuwsblad. The idea came to the police by accident when, on a rainy day, agents decided to protect the device by covering it with a plastic garbage bag. This resulted in a sudden increase in the number of violations, and some €65,000 in fines. Since then the disguise has been systematically applied, and the number of drivers flashed remains significantly higher than before, "an increase of 30 percent," confirms police commissioner Thierry Vandenhoute.