When it comes to traffic law there seems to be all sorts of new electronic speed trap technologies out there. For instance, the police use radar guns, and speeders use radar detectors. In many states radar detectors are illegal, and perhaps that makes sense because the people who buy them are speeders, and speeding is illegal. But radar guns used by police are not the only electronic devices which are catching traffic law violators.
There are also red light cameras in many cities, and in fact we have a couple in our own town. But the latest electronic traffic law weapon will really throw you for a loop, the police are now using unmanned aerial vehicles, or unmanned aerial systems (UAVs or UAS) to catch traffic violators and speeders.
In a recent article a very popular GPS product manufacturer that also provides the service from the satellite was allowing the police to look through their data, along with public decision-makers in highway engineers looking over the traffic data. You can imagine how upset those who had the GPS units were, that those units were being used to help police set up speed traps, along their fastest routes. After all, they bought the GPS system to help navigate traffic jams, and now they are paying another price in a speeding ticket for trying to expedite and navigate around them.
And it’s not just in the United States this is happening it’s happening all over Europe and in other places too. The City of Houston, and other major cities are now using unmanned aerial vehicles to track drug dealers, and in place of helicopters or aircraft used for traffic enforcement. In fact, there was an interesting article in the Times of India recently titled “Mumbai Police Now Refuse UAVs for Traffic Surveillance” published on May 11, 2011.
The article stated; “Despite seeking permission from the state government last year for procuring an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)for surveillance of traffic in the metropolis, the Mumbai police has now backed out saying they do not want the system as of now, as its maintenance is difficult. The refusal comes months after the state government sanctioned the requisition to procure a UAV.”
Yes, more electronic surveillance and traffic control is coming to a city near you, no matter where you live on this planet. Indeed, this will change the way traffic law is enforced, and there will be court case challenges in the future as speeders try to get out of their tickets. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it. If you have any comments, concerns and/or questions feel free to contact me.