Accuracy of Optotraffic's Laser Speed Sensor System Demonstrated by Forest Heights, Maryland Police Department

FOREST HEIGHTS, MD--May 17, 2011: On a recent Saturday, officers from the Police Department of this Maryland location demonstrated the precise accuracy of its Optotraffic laser speed sensor system along a busy straightaway on Route 210 which runs through a designated school zone crossed by children every day of the school year.

“speed monitoring system means a device with one or more motor vehicle sensors producing recorded images of motor vehicles traveling at speeds at least 12 miles per hour above the posted speed limit.”

Previously, this straight patch of road had been the scene of chronic speeding. Tragically, before these sensors were installed last year, there had been a number of fatalities due to speeding accidents. Prior to the installation of the speed enforcement system, studies indicated that approximately 6,000 vehicles per day travelled at speeds in excess of 11 miles per hour over the speed limit.

Forest Heights uses the laser speed sensors from Lanham, MD.'s Optotraffic. The sensor uses patented light detection and ranging technology, similar to that provided to NASA to make measurements within a few centimeters from hundreds of miles in space.

The system has a proven track record of reducing speed in high-risk school zones, reducing accidents and increasing public safety. In the year since the Optotraffic speed sensors were installed, the number of speeders has been significantly reduced.

There are approximately 30 units installed and successfully operating in many Maryland municipalities. In the Forest Heights Police Department demonstration test on Saturday, April 30, 2011, police cars achieved and held various speeds as measured by their calibrated speedometers and a radar gun. The Optotraffic laser speed sensor system confirmed this speed measurement to within the required one mile per hour.

Comments Joe Marzouk, Optotraffic VP, 'Optotraffic is in the business of helping to protect public safety. Our company's public trust and reputation are built entirely on the precision and highest degree of accuracy of our systems. We are proud that our calibration and testing are trusted and have been verified by the many Maryland municipalities that use our systems."

Maryland law regarding use of speed sensors authorizes the use of automatic speed enforcement in school zones, residential districts (Montgomery County only) and highway construction zones. Specifically, the law states that: a "speed monitoring system means a device with one or more motor vehicle sensors producing recorded images of motor vehicles traveling at speeds at least 12 miles per hour above the posted speed limit."