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The Association of British Drivers has had a thing or two to say about the recent case in which Kris Haskins, the Deputy Mayor of Portland Town Council, was sent a speeding ticket for travelling at 51mph when he was actually doing 14mph (not a misprint). Haskins subsequently proved that the camera had 'lied' - the excuse given by the unit's operators being that this was the result of a reflected image, which is something of a freak occurrence.

Freak or not, says the ABD, this didn't stop the ticket from being issued. "There is potential for widespread injustice here," says spokesman Nigel Humphries. "Had the driver just paid up, as millions do each year, no one would have been any the wiser.

"This sits very uneasily with the fact that many camera partnerships refuse to produce the photographs of the alleged 'offence' unless the accused takes the case to court. This, of course, puts most people off trying to defend their cases, or even establishing whether the camera partnership has got its figures right".

It's commonplace for statutory authorities of all descriptions to frighten people out of trying to defend themselves when treated unjustly by reminding them of how much more they stand to lose if they try and take refuge in the legal system. But the ABD urges people not to be cowed - if you have been hit by a Gatso camera (the type that takes two photos of you from behind), it says, you should insist on seeing the pictures. "Everyone has assumed that the camera partnerships were doing their job properly and verifying the speed by checking the photos. Clearly this is not done, and it is essential that anyone who receives a speeding ticket should apply for their photographs and check them. We strongly advise that any driver who receives a ticket should take a look at the ABD website".

Haskins' case comes after an incorrectly set camera in Wales led to thousands of motorists being fined unjustly - after which the authority in question refused to contact its victims and advise them of its mistake. "How many people have been similarly mistreated over the years by 'reflected images?' asks Humphries. "We need to remember that the people who are glibly saying that this sort of thing is "extremely rare" are the camera partnership concerned, whose jobs depend on the camera money. This is rather like the fox telling the chickens that it really is quite safe to leave the hen house door open at night. Who on earth do they think they are fooling?"