The 7 categories of speed radars
It is essential to have speed limits on roads to protect those who use the streets.
In recent years, as a result of advances in technology, an enormous number of devices referred to as radars have been installed worldwide to ensure that all drivers stay within legal limits.
When traveling, it is helpful to be familiar with the seven different kinds of speed cameras we might encounter on the road.
Some of these are more obvious than others, but the reality is that there are many different kinds of speed cameras.
The information you will find below will be helpful if you are on vacation in the next few weeks or if you typically commute to work by car.
This is so that nothing will take you by surprise while you are away.
Take note; you’ll be able to locate them: what different kinds of speed cameras are there?
After the usual introduction to warm up, it is time to go to the central theme of this article and describe in detail what each of the types of speed cameras that a driver can see during a trip in your car, truck, or motorcycle has to offer.
This can be done by comparing and contrasting the various types of radar, laser, and photo radar devices.
1. Portico
Because they are the most traditional, consequently, they are the most well-known.
It accomplishes this by using an antenna responsible for sending out a signal, which is then reflected by the vehicle and then sent back to its point of origin.
It does this by utilizing laser technology, specifically Doppler, which generates electromagnetic waves and can be summed up by the procedure just described.
Because of the natural variation in the wave frequency, the radar can instantly calculate the vehicle’s speed.
They are situated (as their name suggests) on the elevated gantries that cross the roads and consist of automatic equipment that can function without the assistance of a human operator.
As a result, they are constantly vigilant.
2. Tramp
Because they monitor the average speed that a vehicle has carried from one point to another, so the driver is obligated to maintain an average rate similar to or lower than the one already marked, it must be said in their favor that section radars are more reliable than those that can be found on a gantry.
This is because they monitor a vehicle’s speed from one point to another.
Their operation consists of an artificial infrared vision camera above each lane at a hypothetical point A.
These cameras have a character recognition system (OCR) that captures the exact moment the driver passes underneath them.
At that time, the license plate is read and recorded to record the day, hour, minute, and second through which the car passes.
After completing this section, it arrives at point B, which features another camera connected to the one that came before it via a cable and is designed to record data from the second point.
After completing the journey, a piece of software will check and calculate the total amount of time and the typical speed of the vehicle.
The information is transmitted via fiber optics to the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) or the competent authority, which is responsible for imposing the fine if it exceeds the permitted speed or takes less time than the minimum set.
Not only do these radars prevent drivers from exceeding the posted speed limit, but they also assist in the process of finding drivers who travel at speeds that are less than fifty percent of the standard.
3. Radars that are portable or installed in vehicles
In the case of Spain, the Guardia Civil and the police from the respective municipalities hold them in custody.
In the first scenario, they are installed in vehicles, whether they are patrol cars or vehicles that have been camouflaged.
Only the latter utilize them for their patrol vehicles. By doing so, they can exercise control over the speed of vehicles moving in both directions while stopping at a specific road location.
Some places, like Navarra, are used in combination with the fixed ones to catch the driver who brakes when passing a gantry, a pole, or a cabin, only to then accelerate and go over the permitted speed limit.
This is done to prevent drivers from abusing the system.
4. Poles
One might surmise from their moniker that they are positioned on poles elevated to the side of the road.
In the same way that gantries do, these structures do not need an operator, so they always keep an eye out.
The radar-based models are the most frequently encountered; however, some models utilize laser technology, distinguished by their capacity for greater precision and efficiency.
5. Booths on the side
They are typically found on the sides of roads and are white metal boxes containing a laser or radar anemometer inside.
This is a gross simplification, but you get the idea.
If it is the former, then what it does is emit light beams that are perpendicular to the road in question.
When interrupted by a vehicle, these light beams enable the device to determine the speed at which the vehicle is traveling.
6. Tripod radars
These transportable devices are set up on a tripod or a stand with three legs at a predetermined location along the highway.
They are typically not very visible, and only a few agents are responsible for their management.
Even though the city is their natural habitat, it is not unheard of to spot one of these creatures in a location further afield.
As a point of clarification, it should be mentioned that “it is not strictly necessary that they are signposted,” which will make it simpler for law enforcement officers to apprehend violators.
The Velolaser is the most up-to-date model available; despite their compact size, they can function nonstop 365 days a year.
On the other hand, it is essential to be aware that they can only be used in static conditions, as their success rate can drop to as low as 60% in situations such as fog, rain, or high humidity.
Knowing this information is essential. Whatever the case, specific vehicle colors or dirt can also contribute to confusion regarding the measurement.
7. Helicopters
Not only is what drivers do while on the ground monitoring, but also what they do while in the air. Helicopters equipped with anemometers are used for this purpose.
These anemometers allow for the identification of drivers traveling at speeds greater than 350 kilometers per hour from a distance of one kilometer and at an altitude of 560 meters.
They have caught people going at a rate of 263 kilometers per hour.
They are more discriminating and take pleasure in observing drivers’ behavior by recognizing potentially dangerous attitudes they may adopt.
On board, they carry a pair of surveillance cameras: a panoramic camera responsible for tracking and capturing speed and a detailed camera with a telephoto lens that allows for perfect reading of the vehicle’s license plate from a height of 300 meters.
Both cameras are capable of tracking and capturing speed.
In case that wasn’t impressive enough, they can also determine the rate that is considered to be the average.
When it is determined that a particular driver has been guilty of an infraction, a recording frame is forwarded to an Automated Complaints Processing Center.
The procedure they use in the case of Spain is as follows: when it is established that the driver in question has been at fault, an infraction report is generated.
In the hypothetical event that the infraction amounts to a crime, the helicopter on duty would call the Guardia Civil patrol located closest to it to request their assistance.
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