BERLIN, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Police in several German federal states began a large-scale speed camera operation to target speeders, a so-called "speed marathon", on Wednesday.
Drivers in Germany could generally expect increased speed controls from 6 a.m. local time onwards, according to the police. How long the checks are carried out will depend on the respective federal state.
In 2012, the first 24-hour "speed marathon" was held in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the following year, the campaign even took place nationwide.
The large-scale operation in Germany was criticized as "a thing of the past" by Michael Haberland, president of the automobile club Mobile in Germany.
"When will the federal states finally realize that a campaign like this only harms citizens, and that the small benefit is disproportionate to the high deployment of personnel and the enormous effort of the police?" added Haberland.
The "speed marathon" will also be carried out in 26 other European countries during the week from Monday to Sunday, according to the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL).
Last year, 23 European countries took part in the 24-hour "speed marathon" operation and more than three million vehicles were checked, TISPOL announced.
Some 92 percent of drivers checked during the 2018 "speed marathon" were driving at legal speeds, while 257,639 speeding offences were detected, according to the European police network.
TISPOL president Paolo Cestra said officers were giving plenty of advanced warning to European drivers in order to increase levels of understanding and compliance. "Our activity is all about prevention," he said.
"Illegal and/or inappropriate speed is the single biggest factor fatal road collisions," stressed Cestra, adding that "the 24-hour speed marathon is one component in our strategy for reducing casualties, and making Europe's roads safer".
