New Way to Beat Speed Traps

[cosworth151]

In today's (Oct 9) AutoWeek daily web update, Phil Berg reports on a new, High-tech ways of dodging the Smokeys out there:

We think of speed cops as the enemy, restless predators who can smell your car-guy scent from beyond your view, whose sharp high-technology teeth will coldly devour your ability to enjoy your passion.

To test our perception, we attached ourselves like remoras to an unlikely gathering of predator and prey. They meet annually on neutral ground, the Switzerland of speed enforcement, which consists of several deserted highways outside El Paso, Texas. It’s a spot where weather favors consistent electronics testing and the participants bare their shields.

Here’s what they said: Imagine mobile broadband service being adopted by the commercial trucking industry the way CB radios proliferated in the 1970s, and mix in simple GPS. Instead of broadcasting Smokey’s location on a cheap two-way radio, a trucker’s mouse click will record the coordinates of every traffic cop in the United States and display them all on a real-time navigation map in your car. Four-wheelers, of course, are free to join in the fun.

“It will come to that,” says John Turner, a retired Marine who used to guard the sensitive nuclear parts of aircraft carriers and now makes high-end, custom-fit radar detectors under the brand name Tiger Lily for motorists. Serious motorists like us. “It’s on the way; it’s just a matter of time.”

I can't wait!

Cos