Virginia Police Go Airborne to Catch Elusive Speeders

Virginia State Police are going airborne to catch speeders who use radar detectors. "Bear in the Air," the new program, goes into effect July 1. The new traffic laws this year have harsher penalties for drunk driving and a ban on children riding in the beds of pickup trucks.

The aerial speed enforcement program will use VAS-CAR to compute speeds of cars via airplanes. The computer will time a car for a certain distance and then notify a trooper on the ground to ticket the driver. White lines painted on I-95 and I-66 will be used to time the cars.

AAA spokesman Lon Anderson favors the campaign to catch speeding drivers. However, if drivers challenge the ticket, it is important for both troopers to be present.

The National Motorists Association believes the program is flawed and could ticket a non-speeding car that looks similar to the speeding one.

Washington Times (06/30/00), Dinan, Stephen; courtesy the NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary