British BMW driver sentenced to three months for laser signal jammer
Recently, Michael Twizell, a 58-year-old West Yorkshire businessman in the UK, was sentenced to three months in prison and fined $1,900 for installing a laser signal jammer on his BMW 3 Series to evade police speed measurement. This case once again highlights the British police's zero tolerance for the use of speed jammer devices and also serves as a wake-up call for other drivers.
Illegal jammer blockers cause police speed measurement to fail
- The case occurred in February 2018 when Twizell was driving his BMW E92 3 Series on the A658 near the town of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. A police speed camera car received an error code when detecting the vehicle's speed due to the laser signal blocker installed on Twizell's car. The jammer device blocked the detection function of the police speed measuring equipment by emitting interference signals. Due to the abnormality of the equipment, the police immediately launched an investigation and eventually found that Twizell had installed an illegal aftermarket laser signal jammer on the front of his vehicle.
- Laser signal blockers are devices that can interfere with speed radars and are often used by unscrupulous drivers to evade speeding penalties. However, in the UK, the installation and use of such devices are illegal, especially when they are used to hinder police enforcement, which will be considered a serious offense. Twizell was therefore charged with "obstruction of justice", a charge that will result in him not only facing imprisonment but also a heavy fine.
- At the hearing, traffic police officer Andy Forth emphasized that interfering with police speed measuring equipment is a serious obstruction of justice. The verdict shows that using such devices will not only fail to evade the law, but will instead subject drivers to more severe penalties. Forth said that the police will continue to investigate and prosecute similar cases to ensure road safety.
- Forth further warned that any car owner who installed a laser jammer device on their vehicle should remove it immediately to avoid criminal prosecution. He pointed out: "The installation and use of these devices seriously hinders the normal judicial process. We will continue to crack down on this illegal behavior to ensure public safety." This means that if a driver is found using a blocker to evade speed measurement, he will face severe legal sanctions, including imprisonment and fines.
The use of signal blockers has received attention from the British police
In recent years, the British police have stepped up their crackdown on illegal interference with speed measurement devices. These devices not only pose a threat to road safety, but also undermine the fairness of the law.
For car owners, buying and installing jammer devices seems to be a "shortcut" to circumvent traffic tickets, but in fact it hides huge legal risks. The Twizell case shows that even if the jammer blocker is installed in a non-malicious situation, if it affects the normal law enforcement of the police, it will face severe legal consequences. The police reminded that any driver who intends to use such devices should think twice before acting to avoid unnecessary legal troubles.
