A speed camera is an automatic traffic enforcement camera designed to photograph the front and back of a speeding vehicle to aid in the arrest or ticketing of speeders. Law enforcement personnel use speed cameras to catch speeders who also run red lights and stop signs.
History
Designs for speed cameras and radar devices might have surfaced as early as 1905 but have been extensively used since the late 1970s. Countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, Italy and Canada, among others, use speed-camera technology to cut down on the amount of speeding violations by catching more speeders than traditional methods.
Operation
The science of radar is what makes the speed camera work by detecting the speed in which a vehicle is traveling. The camera is designed to recognize license plates on the front and back of a vehicle and photograph the plates on vehicles traveling over the designated speed limit. Speed cameras will automatically adjust to get a visible image of the vehicles license plate number.
Function
The photographed license plate is sent via satellite technology to a law enforcement center. This alerts the police to the speeding violation. The image may be viewed, and the person viewing the license plate may report the plate number and vehicle make, model and color, along with other identification features to state troopers or local police in the area of the speeding violation.
Safety
Studies reported by Clarksvilleonline.com state that speed cameras and other traffic enforcement cameras do not assist in making roads safer. Researchers of these studies theorize that the cause for this is the fact that extensive research has not been conducted. Speed cameras are designed to catch the offenders who have a higher potential for causing an accident.
Features
Speed cameras are often affixed so they are easily moved or turned around. This allows for the element of surprise in that motorists may be assuming the camera only photographs vehicles traveling in one direction. An additional feature of many speed cameras is that they may be able to take a picture that more clearly identifies the driver of the vehicle. The disadvantage of speed cameras is that they are only able to photograph license plates of vehicles traveling in the road lane closest to the camera.
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