It seems a couple of rogue commuters in Italy have taken matters into their own hands.

The rationale behind speed cameras is to catch offending speeders when there are no police to catch them. But when the speed limit is placed far below what is usually the safe and normal speed of traffic, speeding cameras can become a lucrative source of income for the local authorities. According to alVolante on their report earlier yesterday (Oct. 22, 2015) rogue Milanese citizens took matters into their own hands against the offending traffic camera placed at the entrance of a tunnel and blew it up with a bomb. Placed at the site of the explosion were a couple of leaflets that read, “Motorists are tired of cameras that serve only to make money. It’s just the beginning, the next time We’ll blow up the town.”

While their actions are technically illegal and subject to a prison sentence, when your local citizens resort to blowing up cameras with military grade weaponry, it may be a good time to reconsider what brought them up to that point.

According to the mayor of Pantigliate (the city where the speed camera is located) “It is not the first time we received threats. But once again, we reiterate that the municipality does not have anything to do with the control system: speed cameras have been installed and are controlled by the provincial police. What has happened is an unspeakable and incomprehensible gesture “ The province the mayor is referring to is Milan so suffice to say, anger has been directed at the wrong ruling body.

Nonetheless, we’d like to think that this extreme act of protest has gotten the attention of the Milan police. The speed limit inside the tunnel is 90 KMH ( or about 55 MPH) which commuters think is to slow for the conditions of a two lane tunnel. Fines for speeding can cost upwards of €150 or $170.

Apparently this is a trend all around the world. In Argentina one man simply pushed over a speeding camera out of frustration. Citizens in France recently set fire to one. And elsewhere in the UK one speeder knoced one out with his car.

Unwanton speeding well above normal road conditions is indeed dangerous and without speeding cameras, many of the offending motorists wouldn’t be caught. To not be caught speeding, a car must travel exactly at or below the posted speeds. Simple enough until motorists to your right and left are clearly traveling above those speeds and you following the rules has put you in a precarious position. Perhaps a study should be conducted to raise the speed limit based on hard evidence from the proper authorites so these cameras are justified. Without any hard facts, its hard to argue a case for them. Different stretches of road have different conditions. If the roads are well maintained and traffic flows smoothly, 55 MPH just might indeed be to slow.