04-22-2010, 03:16 AM
'Hey, check out the woman in the black 911. She's wearing a pink thong.'
People spend a lot of time, money and effort to avoid being caught speeding. Radar detectors, laser detectors, traffic cam alerts and real-time iPhone updates on speed traps are just some of the ways we go about dodging fines in the U.S., but how can you possibly counter a satellite that can read your license plate and track your speed in all kinds of weather?
Per this article in The Telegraph, Britain’s Home Office is testing satellite based speed cameras at two sites, one in Southwark, London and the other on the A374 between Antony and Torpoint. The system, dubbed ‘SpeedSpike’, calculates an average speed between two fixed points, and has the optical ability to read license plates in any weather, at any time of day. Proponents insist it’s a low cost way to cut down on the need for speed bumps and enforce speed limits in school zones. Those who drive and have IQs higher than a turnip, on the other hand, see it as just another sinister intrusion of the government in their daily lives. Big brother is indeed watching.
Don’t think we’re safe on this side of the pond, either, since the system was developed by PIPS Technology, an American owned company. As soon as the IIHS can rig enough studies to show that this will reduce fatalities on the meat grinder that is the American interstate highway system, we’ll probably see “tests” here as well. Enjoy what’s left of your freedom while you still have it.