Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Recently I met one of the co-founders of a company that wrote the software that reads the license plates for toll booth plazas and soon for speeding cameras. I jokingly told him, “so you’re the guy everyone hates, eh?” and that’s when he mentioned they were working on programming for the speeding cameras now. I could tell it never occurred to him or concerned him that the system could be abused for profit. Obviously it’s just a gravy train for him and his partner. That’s one of the things that’s wrong with this country right now. People just don’t stop to think about the consequences of their actions when they’re developing technology that the Feds could abuse. All many of them seem to care about is getting rich and don’t seem to realize they’re selling their souls for 30 pieces of silver.
Such a shame. Well get it while it’s good but not one tear or bellyache when they use your own technology against you, your friends, or families.
I’m guessing they won’t revoke ez-passes because then they wouldn’t make money.
Please note this is an entirely different thing from the EZ-Pass “nightmare” of recording timestamps at the toll stations to prove speeding between them.
From what I can discern in the several reports I have read this is a record of the radar records of speeds approaching the toll stations. The speed limits there are typically 15 mph, I believe, as I have encountered these many times along I-80 between Illinois and NJ.
Many of these display your speed on a sign as you approach. It seems to be a very low limit, and I practically cause pileups by slowing down to 30 mph at one entrance to I-88 in Illinois that I frequent.
So I think it’s these toll booths that are at issue, and not the open road tolling, and I believe this is stated in some of the current round of news reports.
I never speed through the ez-pass booths. First, I want to make sure the thing reads my machine. Second, the ones that have tolls are narrow, and some have gates and I wouldn’t want to hit the gate if it didn’t go up. And third, some are around other manned toll booths, and sometimes those people walk around and I wouldn’t want to hit them. And fourth, you never know when someone else is going to slam on their brakes at the ez-pass toll because they need to pay.
What I worry about is the toll roads ticketing you because you make it to where you exit too quickly from the time you entered.
Some years ago I got a speeding ticket in my BOAT for getting from the lock at Seneca Falls, NY to the lock at Waterloo, NY, on the canal faster than I should have.
Apparently the lock keepers call ahead with the you left.
So how are the authorities going to prove “who” was driving the car when EZ Pass clocks the speeding vehicle?
In short you are being tracked and not just for money.
I am betting the state princes and princesses are immune from the speeding tickets.