Friday, August 04, 2006

Speeding

I hope this never makes it to America (description courtesy of David Pogue):
[There are] hidden overhead cameras that (according to our Italian guide) take pictures of your license plate, relay the time of your passing to the next set of cameras, calculate your speed, and automatically issue you a ticket if you’re speeding. The cameras can't see who's driving, though, so paying the ticket requires that you specify who was at the wheel; if you don't, you get slapped with a fine ten times as high.
Man, I would so get tons of speeding tickets! I have a lead foot. It's the one law I break every day. And I have to say that my new car makes it way too easy to speed. Not only does Fiona have quite a bit of pep, so she's quick off the line, but also the speedometer is laid out such that the needle is straight up at 80 mph...whereas in my old car the needle was practically horizontal at 80 mph. Such a tiny thing, you'd think, but I can't tell you how many times I've caught myself doing 90. Yikes!

While we're on the topic of speeding, what's up with those signs that say "Speed Limit Enforced By Aircraft"? Do they really have some guy in a helicopter or something with a radar gun aiming it at the freeways? And how do they hold you responsible? Do they have some sort of satellite taking pictures of the cars they catch? How low do these aircraft fly? Could I see them from the driver's seat? I've always wondered.

Speaking of road signs, there was a unique one in Pennsylvania that I saw a couple times.


It's not often that you see hyperbole in govermental signage, now is it?

BTW, not my photo; I was never quick enough to catch it as I sped by; courtesy of Stop and Go.

2 comments:

  1. Yeah, we have speed cameras in the UK too, but you get to know where they are!

    Now the policemen with hairdrier radars - they're another thing...

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  2. I love the buckle up sign. It is kinda sweet. Maybe the government does care about us little folk just a tiny bit.

    Fiona sounds like a fiery gal. Unfortunately she can't pay the speeding ticket if you girls get one. : )

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