Traffic Cop

That’s right, various states across the U.S. are now using air crafts to monitor speeders and reckless drivers. So, next time you feel like cranking up the radio and pushing down on the gas pedal, be aware of the officers in the sky.

States like Florida and Virginia have employed pilots to their highway patrol teams. These pilots’ responsibilities are to monitor drivers on the roadways below and track their speed and driving patterns. No radar is needed as these pilots track the speed of a driver simply by timing how fast it takes them to travel between two pre-measured points and calculating the speed. Flight captains then radio the speeding vehicle’s information to a state trooper or police officer on the ground who can pursue the driver to issue the ticket.

Oftentimes, serious offenders will try and outrun police officers in pursuit, however, those that might have previously gotten away now face a greater challenge. Traffic planes can now follow getaway drivers who often do not even realize they are being followed. Planes can track a getaway driver for hours until they head home thinking they have gotten away. Ground units are then notified of their location and sent in to handle the situation.

So if there weren’t enough reasons to avoid speeding before (accidents, car insurance rate increases, etc.), traffic air patrol gives us just one more reason to watch that speedometer closely and follow the rules of the road.