commgrp@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (04/21/88)
[to rec.autos, sci.electronics] KENTUCKY DEPLOYS FAKE ROBOCOPS _Popular Communications_ magazine (May 1988, p. 73), in an article entitled "Kentucky Uses Unmanned Radar to Slow Traffic Down," reports: "Kentucky's congressional representatives...overcame an FCC veto...to sponsor a two-year radar demonstration program... After a nine-vehicle pileup last June, Kentucky State Police installed unattended radar units on Death Hill south of Covington. These units sent out radar signals but did not measure speed...(and) set off radar detectors whose beeps... would remind drivers of dangerous road conditions... Traffic on this hilly winding highway slowed down. ...FCC ruling turned off all of Kentucky's unattended radar units... The FCC cited several regulations which these units violated... ruled that radar units should be attended in case they break down or interfere with other frequencies. ...Senators...found a loophole in FCC regulations...also got federal sanction to test the units for two years. The FCC stated it would have no problem with the units transmitting radar, if they did something else. Anything else. Therefore, the manufacturer could modify the units so they could have another function, such as counting cars. ...During this demonstration project, radar could be used continuously on I-75 between Fort Mitchel and...the Ohio River. The same article reports that a study has shown that "Radar detector users have over 25% fewer accidents per mile driven, compared to nonusers." -- Frank reid@gold.bacs.indiana.edu