7 ms·

Are there any average speed cameras in the US, taking two photos with cameras far apart from each other and checking the time between them is possible within th

Are there any average speed cameras in the US, taking two photos with cameras far apart from each other and checking the time between them is possible within the speed limits?

Pryde 5y ago
There are; to my understanding the state of Oklahoma uses a system similar to this on their toll roads.
derekp7 5y ago
The Turnpikes were like this back in the day. You got a timestamped slip of paper when you got on, and you paid based on mileage driven when you go off. And if the times showed your average speed was too high, you would get ticketed also at the exit.
- Bluecobra 5y ago
  I'm honestly surprised this hasn't been done in more places with electronic tolls. If my state was greedy enough they probably could retroactively go through my toll history and mail me a sizable ticket.
  - vel0city 5y ago
    I do find it funny seeing speeders slow down when approaching toll bridges. If they really cared about your speeding they'd obviously know based on how fast you went from the last bridge, slowing down to the speed limit just before the bridge isn't going to change your time.
    - LanceH 5y ago
      Most toll bridges where I am have parking spots specifically for the police. You also have people changing lanes stupidly at the toll plazas.
- flyinghamster 5y ago
  I knew of this back in the day on the Indiana Toll Road, but do they still do it these days? I haven't had reason to use it in well over a decade. Key difficulty: it's now privately-operated.
ISL 5y ago
Few, if any. They are a really good idea in so many ways, but Americans regard speed cameras of all sorts as unsporting and invasive. I used to feel the same way, until some combination of experience with traffic cameras in other countries and maturity changed my mind. Traffic-stops are dangerous for all concerned, expensive, don't scale, and are rife with the opportunity for profiling/abuse. To the extent that we can agree on speed limits that delineate the difference between safe and unsafe behavior, average-speed cameras are a great way to ensure that those limits aren't radically exceeded. There are places, like Highway 20 in Washington State, where the privacy risk is limited. If you pass through Newhalem, you're either going to the mountains or you're going to Mazama, 60 miles away. On that stretch of road, if a car arrives >10% earlier than can possibly be safe, why can't we fine the car's owner?
- causi 5y ago
  Speed cameras would be fine if we fixed some major problems. For example, the revenue goes to the local government so they have a vested interest in using them to generate as much income as possible. For another, American speed limits are often nonsensical and having nothing to do with the actual road conditions. I've been on tiny twisting roads with a limit of 65mph and I've been on giant thoroughfares that were 45 and seemed designed to tempt drivers into getting tickets.
- volkl48 5y ago
  You'd probably just see a large uptick in people obfuscating their plates (which is much easier with US-style plates than European-style ones). That's what's happened in NYC. All the drivers who go out intending to blatantly violate the law just started making it so their plates can't be read (or are outright missing) and don't care about the cameras at all. As someone much further north, unless I just came out of the car wash, my plates are basically illegible 4-6 months a year because of the heavy level of salt/sand/crap on the road in winter. I don't think you're getting away from requiring a high level of traffic stops to influence driver behavior significantly.
  - olyjohn 5y ago
    When have traffic stops ever influenced driving behavior? If that really worked, then there should be no more speeding. Millions upon millions of speeding tickets have been written, and people still speed. Cops can patrol an area, and as soon as they leave, people go back to speeding.
TigeriusKirk 5y ago
Only vaguely related, but there used to be a 17 mile long stretch of highway in South Carolina that went through the grounds of the Savannah River Site. In the cold war days, that's where they produced nuclear material for bombs. The highway was open to the public, but you had to check in at both ends as you entered and left the site. You were given a pass with time written on it, and if you took too long to pass through the site, you could be subject to additional interrogations and searches. As far as I know, it was the only highway where taking to long to cover distance could get you into trouble.

Are there any average speed cameras in the US, taking two photos with cameras far apart from each other and checking the time between them is possible within the speed limits?

Pryde 5y ago

There are; to my understanding the state of Oklahoma uses a system similar to this on their toll roads.

derekp7 5y ago

The Turnpikes were like this back in the day. You got a timestamped slip of paper when you got on, and you paid based on mileage driven when you go off. And if the times showed your average speed was too high, you would get ticketed also at the exit.

Bluecobra 5y ago
I'm honestly surprised this hasn't been done in more places with electronic tolls. If my state was greedy enough they probably could retroactively go through my toll history and mail me a sizable ticket.
- vel0city 5y ago
  I do find it funny seeing speeders slow down when approaching toll bridges. If they really cared about your speeding they'd obviously know based on how fast you went from the last bridge, slowing down to the speed limit just before the bridge isn't going to change your time.
  - LanceH 5y ago
    Most toll bridges where I am have parking spots specifically for the police. You also have people changing lanes stupidly at the toll plazas.
flyinghamster 5y ago
I knew of this back in the day on the Indiana Toll Road, but do they still do it these days? I haven't had reason to use it in well over a decade. Key difficulty: it's now privately-operated.

ISL 5y ago

Few, if any. They are a really good idea in so many ways, but Americans regard speed cameras of all sorts as unsporting and invasive. I used to feel the same way, until some combination of experience with traffic cameras in other countries and maturity changed my mind. Traffic-stops are dangerous for all concerned, expensive, don't scale, and are rife with the opportunity for profiling/abuse. To the extent that we can agree on speed limits that delineate the difference between safe and unsafe behavior, average-speed cameras are a great way to ensure that those limits aren't radically exceeded. There are places, like Highway 20 in Washington State, where the privacy risk is limited. If you pass through Newhalem, you're either going to the mountains or you're going to Mazama, 60 miles away. On that stretch of road, if a car arrives >10% earlier than can possibly be safe, why can't we fine the car's owner?

causi 5y ago
Speed cameras would be fine if we fixed some major problems. For example, the revenue goes to the local government so they have a vested interest in using them to generate as much income as possible. For another, American speed limits are often nonsensical and having nothing to do with the actual road conditions. I've been on tiny twisting roads with a limit of 65mph and I've been on giant thoroughfares that were 45 and seemed designed to tempt drivers into getting tickets.
volkl48 5y ago
You'd probably just see a large uptick in people obfuscating their plates (which is much easier with US-style plates than European-style ones). That's what's happened in NYC. All the drivers who go out intending to blatantly violate the law just started making it so their plates can't be read (or are outright missing) and don't care about the cameras at all. As someone much further north, unless I just came out of the car wash, my plates are basically illegible 4-6 months a year because of the heavy level of salt/sand/crap on the road in winter. I don't think you're getting away from requiring a high level of traffic stops to influence driver behavior significantly.
- olyjohn 5y ago
  When have traffic stops ever influenced driving behavior? If that really worked, then there should be no more speeding. Millions upon millions of speeding tickets have been written, and people still speed. Cops can patrol an area, and as soon as they leave, people go back to speeding.

TigeriusKirk 5y ago

Only vaguely related, but there used to be a 17 mile long stretch of highway in South Carolina that went through the grounds of the Savannah River Site. In the cold war days, that's where they produced nuclear material for bombs. The highway was open to the public, but you had to check in at both ends as you entered and left the site. You were given a pass with time written on it, and if you took too long to pass through the site, you could be subject to additional interrogations and searches. As far as I know, it was the only highway where taking to long to cover distance could get you into trouble.