CAN - Speeders beware print this article Police using new laser technology

[StlouisX50]

Speeders beware
Police using new laser technology

BRODIE THOMAS
The Gulf News

The RCMP have a new laser-based tool in the fight against speeders on our province's roads.

The new LIDAR gun functions much like a radar gun, but is more accurate, according to Constable Adam Gardner with the RCMP's Traffic Division.

LIDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. Unlike radar, LIDAR allows police to determine the speed of a specific vehicle with the use of a scope.

While radar shoots out a wide beam that captures the speed of several vehicles and returns the speed of the two fastest vehicles, LIDAR overcomes this limitation by allowing police to pick out a single vehicle.

When an officer looks through the eyepiece, they see a small dot which they place on their target. Below that, they see a digital reading of the vehicle's speed.

Unlike radar equipment, which is mounted inside police cruisers, Police can take the LIDAR gun anywhere. It allows more flexibility in where they can patrol for speeders. It is accurate within about a 1.5-kilometre range.

The LIDAR equipment is relatively new to the west coast. All traffic services officers have now been trained to use the LIDAR gun and the equipment is being rotated through the district.

Police will continue using their radar equipment for now when LIDAR is unavailable.

Const. Gardner said combating aggressive drivers is for the safety of all people on the road.

While he and other officers are not out to trick people, they are serious about keeping roads safe by targeting drunk drivers, ensuring seatbelts are worn, stopping high-risk driving behaviors and keeping drivers moving at safe speeds.

reporter@gulfnews.ca

[StlouisX50]

Newest Technology, not new and isn't his patrol car parked out in a lane?