In the archaic days of law enforcement (think 2006), an alert police officer, veiled by the cover of brush or a hillside, would sit patiently with a radar gun waiting for a car to fly by at 90 miles an hour before firing up the sirens. But in this age of advanced technology, lead-footed drivers may never actually see flashing red-and-blue lights before receiving a citation – caught for speeding not by a cop but by the eye of a camera.
Though they have been widely used in Europe and Australia, so-called “speed cameras” are a relatively new innovation for United States law enforcement. Speed cameras are high-tech digital cameras that take pictures of vehicles breaking the speed limit (many are programmed to photograph vehicles going 11 miles or more over the posted limit). Along with getting a picture of the vehicle’s license plate, they also record the date, time, location and vehicle speed. These cameras are usually found in three different positions: fixed on poles, attached to traffic lights or housed in vans or other mobile units. When a vehicle cruises past one of the cameras going over the pre-determined speed limit, the camera will quickly take a series of photographs to document the violation. The photographs are then processed by an analyst, who tracks the license plate and identifies the registered owner (so, even if a vehicle’s owner is not the one driving, they will still receive the ticket). Citations are usually sent out 1-2 weeks after the infraction occurred, along with copies of the photos and the vehicle’s clocked speed.
While speed cameras remain controversial, a recently released report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a nonprofit organization funded by the auto insurance industry, showed that the cameras may actually be very effective in deterring speed violations. The report, which analyzed data from a fixed speed-camera enforcement program on a busy Scottsdale, Ariz., freeway, concluded that the number of drivers traveling faster than 75 miles per hour decreased from 15 percent without cameras to 1 to 2 percent with cameras. By comparing the speeds on the camera-laden freeway with speeds on nearby freeways without cameras, researchers also concluded that the Scottsdale program was associated with as much as a 95-percent decrease in the odds that a driver would surpass 75 miles per hour.
Another area, Montgomery County, Md., is using both fixed and mobile speed cameras to enforce limits of 35 miles per hour or less – particularly in school zones. This Washington, D.C. suburb started using speed cameras in May of 2007 and charged a flat fee of $40 to every person ticketed. By comparing driver speed 6 months before using the cameras with those 6 months after getting the cameras, researchers determined speeding in enforcement areas had dropped 70 percent. On top of that, the tickets earned more than $2 million in revenue for the area.
Surprisingly, support for the speed cameras is also pretty high among drivers. Surveys have found the around 60 percent of drivers support speed cameras, which, while not an overwhelming majority, is higher than one would expect. Still, without putting cameras on every stretch of road, many question their effectiveness. While the IIHS study recorded many positive results, it also indicated that once drivers were out of the posted camera zone (an area of about 8 miles) they quickly reverted back to speeding. And, another argument against the cameras is that ticketed drivers never have the chance to face an accuser – at least not a human one.
Archive for the Category ◊ technology news ◊
These days the shops and malls are awash with electronic goods of innumerable varieties, models, quality and values, specifications and of course prices. If you want to buy a camera or computer or say a phone you have a real serious problem on your hand! A problem of plenty! Technology news and technology reviews are now a great source of customer relief. These work in a three-pronged manner of attack; from the expert’s point of view, from the users and from product ratings.
Expert’s Point of View. Technology reviews give expert opinions on every one of the products which have been addressed. There could be as many as more than 50,000 such products spread over more than 700 varieties covering nearly 1000 magazines and websites. These reviews from experts are global. Besides, these experts are true professionals in their fields of expertise in which they have expressed their views. Finally, these technology reviews are based on actual field trials involving a very large sample size in terms of the equipment models and types.
Users’ Point of View Technology news and technology reviews respect the customers’ views. These views are placed alongside those of the experts. Though customers’ views are not as thorough as those of the experts they do serve in giving a balanced view of the products. Besides, since very sharp and clear images of the product are also placed, a very realistic and aesthetic appreciation is possible.
Product Ratings. Technology reviews provide product ratings on a percentage scale from 0 to 100 that is from worthless to excellent. An additional rating could indicate the performance value in test or the level of recommendation.
The Homepage. The homepage would indicate the product ratings and the number of reviews on display. It would be a breeze to navigate through the website which would also give the supplier details, their links as well as their indicative rates. These rates would be real-time so that an accurate comparison could be made.
Technology news and technology reviews are a professional and accurate guide to the buyers of electronic goods today.
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