YAPT: I just found out what those white hash marks on the highways are for

[EyeMWing]

I don't know about other states, but here in Maryland we have white hash marks painted on the highways. Never knew what they were until today. They look like this (vertical lines are the normal lane dividing lines)
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There always appear in sets of two a little ways apart.

Anyway, the concept is that they're a much cheaper, more efficient (but granted, less mobile and less accurate) speed detection method that doesn't involve any sort of high tech equipment.

They simply time how long it takes a car that looks like it's going too fast between the two sets of hashes and if it's below a given time, you're speeding. Creepy. But it's only accurate to within about a tenth of a second because of human reflex time.

 

Welcome to 1958

 

[UNCjigga]

Did it give you a ticket/fine? I've gotten two tickets from photo-enforced stoplights...one I successfully contested and the other one I had to pay a fine.

 

[Judgement]

One time while my grandfather was on a freeway, and he pulled one of those tickets out of the machine that shows where you get on the freeway, and then you turn it in when you get off to that determines how much your toll is.

Anyway, the ticket has the time punched onto it and the attendent wouldn't let him pay and called the cops on him because he said it was impossible to have come this far unless he was going roughly 100mph from the time he had picked up the ticket

 

[Kevin]

Was he?

 

[Zenmervolt]

Yup, good old VASCAR (Visual Average Speed Computer And Recorder).

ZV