Chevy Chase Village, one of the many incorporated towns in the inner suburbs bearing a variation on Chevy Chase, has had speed cameras for two years. But because the volume of traffic on main arteries like Connecticut Avenue is so dense, police claim they are only catching about 35 percent of motorists who exceed the speed limit. Naturally, the town needs to maximize the revenue from violators, so they are going for better enforcement through technology. Hence, frickin' laser beams.
Laser speed cameras are common in Europe, but the majority of speed cameras used in this region, and most of the United States, employ radar to trigger the shutter. Whatever is going too fast -- a bird, a plane, Superman or a Subaru -- gets its picture taken. The laser camera, however, will tell you how fast each is going.
So now there is no escape for speeders. All who speed will be caught. None shall be spared the laser's wrath. Or will they?
[Joe] Scott takes note of this because his company, PhantomAlert, markets products designed to warn drivers when they approach a speed or red-light camera. He says laser cameras will help his business.
"It's an arms race," he said. "They deploy this new technology, and we upgrade, too, so that you can keep your hard-earned cash in your pocket."
Either that, or, you know, you can slow down.
