The issue of speeders, reckless drivers, and other errant road users has long been plaguing the streets of nearly all the cities across the world. We, motorcyclists, can easily succumb to the temptation to twist the throttle just a little too much, and much to our dismay, could end up with a fine to pay and a ticket to settle. In spite of all this, however, modern day technology continues to play a big role in keeping the roads safe.
Automatic speed cameras have been in use for quite some time now, and are largely responsible for bringing a lot of speeders to justice. One thing to note about automatic speed cameras, however, is the fact that they’re usually affixed to structures such as lamp posts making them easy to spot, especially for motorists who frequent the same road. The folks over at Spain seem to have thought up a genius way of inconspicuously monitoring traffic, as well as issuing citations for traffic violators. Using none other than drones, the Direccion General de Trafico (DGT) has deployed more than 39 surveillance drones all across Spain.
While these drones have mainly been used by the local police to search for and detect dangerous and/or illegal activity, this isn’t to say that drones can’t be adopted to detect traffic violations too. In fact, the drones currently used by the Guardia Civile are equipped with powerful cameras capable of viewing your license plate. As such, these drones can easily be set up to monitor and apprehend minor traffic infractions such as speeding, not wearing a seatbelt for car drivers, and tailgating.
In order to optimize the use of these surveillance drones, the DGT has trained a total of 35 drone pilots and 60 camera operators. Depending on the model of the drone, the pilot can also serve as the camera operator. However, other setups require the job to be handled by two different individuals. The most popular drone model in use by the DGT is the Thyra V109, which even comes outfitted with an automatic vehicle tracking feature. It operates at an altitude of 120 meters, making it virtually undetectable while on the road, and can hit a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour.
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Sources: Le Repaire Des Motards, DGT