Smart Speeding Sign Shows Your License Plate Number

The M42 is a major British motorway that has a reputation for being a testbed for new roadside technology. It currently has a traffic management scheme that includes sensors for tracking traffic built into the road and variable speed limit signs every 500 meters.

The latest piece of technology tested out during roadworks is a radar-assisted speeding sign that not only flashes when it detects a speeding car, but also displays the license plate number of the same car. Frankly, I'll be shocked! Apparently the public shame (or immediate realization that it could be an automated ticket-writer) that the sign dishes out to speeding motorists is producing some effect, with 50% of drivers slowing down once they see their number is up. Maybe the other half were trying too hard to grab their digicams than slow down. ^_^