Virginia Speed Enforced By Aircraft - Although there are signs warning motorists in the D.C. area, they are unlikely to see speeding police jets. It has been many years since the soldiers in the sky searched for speeders. But police officials want the signs to remain.
WASHINGTON — Occasionally, drivers in the D.C. area. see warning sign "aircraft speed limit enforced." But motorists most likely won't see the police plane when they look up.
Virginia Speed Enforced By Aircraft
State police departments in Virginia and Maryland both say the plane has not been used to track real motorists for some time.
Speed Limit Enforced By Aircraft
Maryland troopers last used the aircraft for traffic enforcement about five years ago, but that goal was to target aggressive drivers on state highways, not necessarily speeders.
"The last time they were used specifically for speed enforcement was more than 20 years ago," said Lt. Keith McMinn of the Maryland State Police Aviation Command.
In Virginia, it's been at least three years since the sky troopers searched for the supers, according to Corrine Geller of the Virginia State Police.
"In recent years, due to budget cuts and budget cuts, trying to be as efficient as possible with our money and our resources, we haven't been able to do any real initiatives. Let's do an air speed test," Geller said.
Photos Reveal Why The Key To Slowing Traffic Is Street Design, Not Speed Limits
Both departments cited the cost of using speed-boosting tactics and the manpower needed as a big part of the decision to end air patrols.
Aerial surveillance for speeding drivers requires both airborne troops and others on the ground to intercept speeders.
McMinn also cited the cost of ownership and maintenance of the equipment used to determine whether drivers were speeding, as another reason why Maryland decided against the program.
Meanwhile, Tamara Rollison of the Virginia Department of Transportation said the Virginia State Police asked them to keep the registration. According to VDOT, maintenance costs are minimal and signs can last up to 25 years.
Speed Limits Not Really Enforced By Aircraft In Virginia
There may be no immediate plans to resume speeding from the sky, Geller said, but the method is still an option for the kit to catch speeders.
"Hopefully in the future, when human resources and funding allow, we can use this enforcement mechanism again," Geller said.
Ciara Wells is a freelance digital writer/editor at . She recently graduated from American University, where she studied journalism and Spanish. Prior to joining, he was the opinion group editor of a student publication and content specialist at HBCUs in Detroit.
Related Categories: Local News | Maryland news | Transport news | Virginia news | News Washington, DC | Washington, DC Traffic Question: Recently, while driving home through Virginia, we saw signs that said, "Airplane speed limit applies." I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they got a ticket like that. Does it really do? Do planes fly up and down interstate? How will a vehicle/owner be identified? I know there are toll systems out there that take pictures of license plates and send you a toll bill, but this airplane thing sounds like more of the old 'Beware of Dogs' sign intended as a deterrent, but not real.
Wvdoh Closes Marshville Road Due To Large Slip
My answer: Let me tell you what scares the hell out of people: the "Beware of Dogs" sign with the silhouette of a basset hound on it. People who try to get into my house know they are getting some serious ankle licking.
Actual Answer: As someone who lived in Virginia until 1995 and still goes there once or twice a year, I often wonder about these signs. I always thought it would be fantastic if a police plane came down from the sky, grabbed the tail of those disgusting bastards you always see crawling through traffic at high speed and pulled them over.
"We haven't done that in years, simply because it depends on a few other things -- manpower, weather, and budget," said Corrine Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police.
In fact, it's been about five years, Geller said, since they started speeding in airplanes. Using the aircraft, they will conduct enforcement operations on Interstates, including 85 and 95, as well as US 460.
A Successful Da62 Mpp Demonstration Tour Through The Us
The program began in January 2000, after the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation authorizing it. State police also use conventional radar and laser-guided radar called lidar.
Air surveillance is, not surprisingly, a bit complicated, as well as labor intensive, as it also requires many troops on the ground.
When the program is used, the State Police aircraft will have a pilot and a service member operating the VASCAR, or Visual Average Speed Calculator and Calculator, Geller said. This must be done on a road dedicated to it, with white markers painted on the highway at fixed intervals and visible to aircraft.
When the soldiers in the plane detect a vehicle that is clearly speeding (easily overtaking other vehicles or weaving in and out of traffic), the VASCAR operator flips a switch at the specified starting point and then switches to another switch when the vehicle the past end marker. Then the machine will calculate the speed of the car.
A Drive Across Virginia
"The soldier would communicate with the ground to know the location, make and model of the vehicle that they were tracking in the air," says Geller. "They maintain visual contact until the trooper stops the vehicle."
It was "very effective in heavy traffic," Geller said, especially when someone was seen swerving into traffic with a trooper on the ground who might not be able to pursue him because of traffic concerns.
But it also works better when there can be a lot of troops on the ground, so the plane can pick up a reminder, relay the information to the ground, fly around and time another. With only one soldier on the ground, the plane would end up flying in a waiting circle, not an efficient technique.
By the way, if you Google "Airplane Enforced Speed Limits" you will find some really funny memes about military planes hiding in the bushes behind these signs, waiting to attack the speeders.
Th Annual \
As for why the signs are still in place when Virginia State Police aren't doing law enforcement, Geller said the signs are required by law and that the signs are a permanent addition. And so they will remain, although the agency has no plans to start enforcing the plane again anytime soon.
Speed monitored by aircraft sign, radar enforced by aircraft, speed enforced by aircraft, how is the speed limit enforced by aircraft, speed patrolled by aircraft, speed controlled by aircraft, speed limit enforced by aircraft meaning, reckless by speed virginia, speed enforced by aircraft video, speed enforced by radar, speed enforced by aircraft sign, speed limit enforced by aircraft sign
0 Comments