Satellites to issue speeding tickets from space
UK drivers had better stay under that speed limit, because the traffic authorities are watching… from outer space. According to The Telegraph, an American company called PIPS Technology has developed a system that uses two cameras on the ground and one mounted on a satellite in orbit to catch speeders.
The system – called “SpeedSpike” – figures your average speed between two points, captures an image of your license plate and reports you if you’re going faster than the law allows. Oh, and if you’re hoping Great Britain’s notoriously gray weather will save you, you’re out of luck; the system works even when it’s cloudy or dark. Another report from the website digitaltrends.com says that the system will also be able to via satellite monitor vehicles through a geographic location, rather than just a stretch of road. The GPS signals will then determine the vehicles rate of speed, and a week later you might be opening a ticket that was issued to you from space. The system is also designed to prevent people from “rat-runs”, which is English slang for when drivers suddenly veer off main roads to side streets and back alleys to avoid traffic and speed traps.
SpeedSpike will be tested in two places: the London borough of Southwark, and along the A374 between Torpoint and Anthony in Cornwall. If the trial is successful, the tech may be used to enforce speed limits near schools, to reduce the need for speed bumps, and for “main road enforcement for traffic reduction.”
