By: Hettie Basil Lighttower

How are you doing today? After last week’s plethora of good news I trust you were able to have a safe and pleasant Memorial Day Weekend. Let’s look at the other wonderful new things we have to look forward to, shall we?
Imposed as of March 2026 are speed monitoring devices. Now normally we are used to being “clocked” at a certain time at a certain place, because the police officer is sitting incognito somewhere and we get a ticket on the spot when he stops us and tells us how fast we are going. Well, this act of getting a ticket for speeding just took a turn for the worse.
Now there is in place along certain stretches of highway that “start the activation” at point A then continue to monitor you through the stretch of highway to point B. Then a calculation of the average of speed you were going during the time of active monitoring is reported. You will receive a ticket in the mail. This new rule is something that we all really need to research and find out more about. We should know where this is implemented and the logistics of it. It is important to be informed so you can make an informed decision.
I am curious as to whether it is able to monitor and calculate more than one person at a time. I imagine it is. Suppose you are following someone or just drifting with the flow of traffic, which happens a lot especially around Pittsburgh and other large cities. Everyone is speeding. How many 10s or 100s of cars can be now monitored at once? Good question. I have no answer yet about that. In the good old days, if you are speeding along behind three or four cars speeding, the car in the last position is the one that gets the ticket. This system wipes out the guessing games and is very efficient on the side of the law.
If you are on the look out for cameras so that you can have time to slow down, that won’t work. You will have already been targeted before you see the camera and already have been tagged to be monitored. It will detect your speed long before you see the camera. Honestly, when the system went up to automatically bill you for toll booths by a picture of you license plate, and it says to slow down to 55, I wondered if they were able to calculate your speed at that time as well. It is possible it was a trial or practice to calculate speeds as well and we just didn’t know it.
So, if you are commuting and have had the bad habit of speeding or having spikes in your speed, you will now receive repeated violation notices with fines anywhere from $300-$800 depending on the severity of your speed and also your repeat offenses. This is really going to take the fun out of driving for all of us. Who doesn’t run late for work on occasion and need to “make time” on certain days. Sigh…… and this will especially be problematic for someone who is driving on the job. On the other hand it will help with all those crazies that just fly past you and weave in and out of traffic. How many of you have avoided an accident because of those people and said out loud, “ Where is a police officer when you need them”? On the bright side, though it will be a more controlled existence I think the roads will have a safer value potential as well.
Lastly, if getting your emissions checked during inspections and other required times is expected, just one trip along the highway will take care of that for you. So, now implemented in March, emissions sensors are placed in certain key areas and will detect emissions that are beyond the scope of being legal. And just as the same method of receiving a speeding ticket, you will receive an emissions violation ticket.
This new rule I find the most interesting. Afterall, how can it tell while in motion going by if you or the car in front of you is the one who is in violation. Like suppose you are in the DC area and there are four lanes of cars back to back in traffic….. who is the guilty emissions guy in the crowd? Everything is so incredibly accurate these days with AI and technology that I presume it is as accurate as the “speed traps” are. Some how.
Moreover, we are in for a very different life coming up upon us very quickly. There will be lots of things to get used to. Some states are now not allowing you to have anything hanging from your rearview mirror…. Not even your graduation tassel! And those personalized license plate frames…. No more. The license plate but be clearly visible. No individual fun stuff. All business. And with all these new devices in place I see why these rules are also added. The machines have to be able to see into your windshield clearly to see what your hands are doing and what position your head and eyes are in to make sure you are not using your phone. The plate has to be able to be read in order to send you your “weekly tickets” of all your violations. Best of luck to you all out there.
Send in your notions and comments to [email protected]. And remember, kindness is contagious~*