Drones to Ticket Speeders; Could this really happen?

[Star Man]

Hey, WaccoBBeans,

Could this really happen? The following post appeared on a blog, On Condition Of Anonymity, yesterday. I think the blog is an Onion-type spoof, but at the same time, it got me thinking. Could this happen? Is it in the planning stages now? I mean the Golden Gate Bridge will begin recording license plate numbers on March 1 and sending bills out for tolls in the mail. I can see that the drone manufacturers would be thrilled at the idea, just like Smith & Wesson is excited about arming janitors in schools. I can see that lawmakers would love the idea as long as their license plates would be exempt. It just seems to me that with drones permeating our society an idea like this cannot be too far away. Things that make you go "Hmmmmm."

Star Man

Monday, February 18, 2013

DRONES TO CATCH SPEEDERS

An insider at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), speaking On Condition Of Anonymity, has revealed plans coordinated by the federal government for states to use drones to track speeders, record speeders' license plate numbers, and to send tickets to speeders through the mail.

"States are hard-pressed for revenue," the highly placed source stated, "because so many of them have mismanaged their budgets. Having borrowed against their retirement funds and unable to make up the shortfall, states are looking to drone-facilitated automatic enforcement of speeding limits." The anonymous whistle-blower disclosed that the program, to be known by the acronym DEAF for Drone Enforcement Automatically Facilitated, will be a zero tolerance program. "Drones can operate 24/7, 365 days a year," said the insider. "A drone can read your license plate number and measure your speed from a few thousand feet above the highway day or night. You will be ticketed if your speed exceeds the limit by as little as two miles per hour."

Continuing to describe the DEAF program ("Complaints will fall on DEAF ears," he joked), the insider told how tickets will arrive by mail. Failure to pay a ticket in a timely manner will result in penalties, and automobile license renewal will not be allowed until all fines are paid. "The DOT has calculated that ten drones operating in California, for example, could generate $500 million in new revenue in a year with very low operating costs. When you think about it, using Highway Patrol officers to catch speeders is very ineffective, because they can only catch one per hour on average." The California Highway Patrol and the DOT estimate that a drone might catch as many as 50 to 100 speeders per hour, minimum, on a busy freeway like Interstate 10 in the L.A. area or Interstate 80 in the S.F. area.

"Legislative gridlock has made it impossible for states to increase revenue by raising taxes on citizens or on corporations. Voters elected these people, and apparently they're doing the will of the electorate by refusing to provide funds to run the states. Citizens should expect that government will turn to creative ways to use new technology to enhance revenue. After all, if you don't exceed the posted speed limit, you have nothing to worry about." The insider added that drones will use infrared to count how many people are in a car, so "it would be a very costly error to drive in the HOV lane by yourself."

[podfish]

Could this really happen? "

hell yes it could happen. I'm pleasantly surprised it hasn't happened, but a small cultural shift and bye bye anonymity (or the formal pretense of same).

There was recently a small flurry of news stories about popular and local political resistance to law enforcement's acquisition of drones. It's always dangerous to extrapolate from media reports, but it's all I got.

David Brin wrote about the loss of privacy years ago, and I think his analysis is pretty much spot on. So for those of us who were born in simpler times, let's hope that the evolution of surveillance (really? the spell checker thinks I got that right the first time!) takes long enough so that we don't live to see it become universal, instead of just pervasive...

[CSummer]

This strikes me as hogwash:

"Drones can operate 24/7, 365 days a year," said the insider. "A drone can read your license plate number and measure your speed from a few thousand feet above the highway day or night."

It might be possible for a drone to fly in foggy or stormy weather, but I seriously doubt that it could do anything useful. I also would like to know by means of what technology a drone can read a license number from a few thousand feet above the highway, especially at night.

In any case, I don't think I would suffer too much if drones were used for such a purpose. In fact, I might even feel a bit safer on the highway if the result were that more people found it in their interest to drive within the speed limit.

CSummer

Hey, WaccoBBeans,

Star Man

DRONES TO CATCH SPEEDERS

An insider at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), speaking On Condition Of Anonymity, has revealed plans coordinated by the federal government for states to use drones to track speeders, record speeders' license plate numbers, and to send tickets to speeders through the mail.

"Drones can operate 24/7, 365 days a year," said the insider. "A drone can read your license plate number and measure your speed from a few thousand feet above the highway day or night. You will be ticketed if your speed exceeds the limit by as little as two miles per hour."

[Star Man]

This strikes me as hogwash:

"Drones can operate 24/7, 365 days a year," said the insider. "A drone can read your license plate number and measure your speed from a few thousand feet above the highway day or night."

It might be possible for a drone to fly in foggy or stormy weather, but I seriously doubt that it could do anything useful. I also would like to know by means of what technology a drone can read a license number from a few thousand feet above the highway, especially at night.

In any case, I don't think I would suffer too much if drones were used for such a purpose. In fact, I might even feel a bit safer on the highway if the result were that more people found it in their interest to drive within the speed limit.

CSummer

Hey, CSummer, I said the site of origin for the information appeared to be an "Onion-type spoof" so in that regard it could be "hogwash." I have no idea what drones can do, and I guess part of the point of the spoof is that we citizens don't really know what drones are capable of. I have no idea if the CHP or the DOT is really considering these actions. I agree with you that I would feel a bit safer if more people drove within the speed limit. I think the point of the "Onion-type spoof" was to bring to readers' attention just how much drones and other forms of robots are invading our life. I mean, you are aware that cars may soon be self-driving. I'm not so sure I feel much safer I would feel with that.

Star Man

[podfish]

I have no idea what drones can do, and I guess part of the point of the spoof is that we citizens don't really know what drones are capable of. I have no idea if the CHP or the DOT is really considering these action

Of course, not everything's public. Some people think there are a lot of secret forces controlling the world, so sure, if you subscribe to those beliefs it makes sense that there are amazing secrets we don't know. But if you are interested and have a little technical knowledge, you can find a lot of information about what's possible and what's happening. "They" aren't heavily using drones (yet), and "they" can't read your driver's license through your wallet (yet) but it's a matter of desire, not technology.

. I mean, you are aware that cars may soon be self-driving. I'm not so sure I feel much safer I would feel with that.

You should - have you seen other drivers recently? Machines could hardly be worse.

Seriously, it'll be unbelievably better. Far fewer people - not none, just fewer - will be squished by dumb driving mistakes.