COMING SOON TO A HIGHWAY NEAR YOU: DPS UNVEILS PHOTO RADAR
Photos: 1 | 2 (thumbnails, captions below)
By STEPHANIE SANCHEZ
Cronkite News Service
PHOENIX (Thursday, Nov. 15) _ Photo radar, used by several Arizona cities to catch speeding drivers, may be coming soon to a highway near you.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety on Thursday unveiled two hybrid SUVs equipped with radar guns and cameras and said the vehicles will be stationed around the state. Officials called it the country’s first such program run by a state law enforcement agency.
“This is just another useful tool that is aimed at getting people to slow down and pay attention,” said DPS Director Roger Vanderpool, adding that speed is a factor in most severe traffic accidents.
DPS will station the vehicles in areas with high numbers of traffic accidents linked to speeding, including construction zones. Vanderpool said the locations won’t be announced, but he did say that one of the first areas will be Route 347 near Maricopa.
The agency eventually hopes to have 20 photo enforcement vehicles stationed around the state, Vanderpool said.
Under a pilot program, Redflex Traffic Systems of Scottsdale will operate the vehicles for $4,000 per vehicle per month.
Vanderpool said the program isn’t intended to replace DPS officers.
“This is just another tool; it cannot catch the impaired driver, fatigued driver or catch the individual smuggling dope across the state highways,” he said.
The photo radar activates when vehicles are going 11 mph over the speed limit. The equipment takes snapshots of the front and rear of vehicles and shoots video to provide a better record.
Drivers will receive citations through the mail. Local courts determine the fines.
DPS will place warning signs 300 feet from photo radar units.
Cmdr. Tom Woodward said the major advantage of mobile photo radar is that, unlike stationary photo radar used by some cities, drivers don’t know where it will be.
“One of the concerns about stationary cameras is that people begin to learn where they are,” Woodward said.
Woodward said DPS is considering placing stationary photo radar cameras at junctions with heavy traffic.
It also is looking at infrared technology to better catch images of speeding drivers without the flash, he said.
^___=
Web Links:
_ Arizona Department of Public Safety: www.dps.state.az.us
^___=
PHOTOS: Click thumbnails to see full-resolution images and download
CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-DPS-PHOTO RADAR: An Arizona Department of Public Safety vehicle equipped with photo radar is displayed for the media Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007, in Phoenix. DPS says the units will be stationed along sections of highways prone to speeding and accidents. Officials emphasized that photo radar isn’t a substitute for officers. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Stephanie Sanchez)
CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-DPS-PHOTO RADAR: An Arizona Department of Public Safety vehicle equipped with photo radar equipment is displayed for the media Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007, in Phoenix. DPS says the units will be stationed along sections of highways prone to speeding and accidents. Officials emphasized that photo radar isn’t a substitute for officers. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Stephanie Sanchez)