New Camera Issues Tire Tread Tickets (yes, tire tread)

[Newsjock]

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/24/2463.asp

Tire tread measuring system promises to mail tickets to motorists for tire tread that is a fraction of an inch too short.

Now that speed cameras use is established in Europe and parts of the US, the concept of automated ticketing is beginning to expand far beyond moving violations. Already, automated ticketing machines are deployed in the US to hit vehicles that overstay in a parking spot by a minute or that have excessive tailpipe emissions. The newest addition to this growing list is camera that scans the tires of passing cars and mails tickets if the depth of the tire tread is deficient by a fraction of an inch. Although not currently deployed, the German company ProContour hopes to sell this system to state and local governments looking for a way out of tight budget situations with a positive, pro-safety message.

... The company claims its combination of a laser and high-speed camera is capable of taking measurements at 430 million points on a tire each second. As the tire moves, the distance between the camera and the object changes allowing the system to create a three-dimensional profile of the tire. The software can then calculate not just the depth of the tread, but also whether the tire itself was designed for summer or winter use. The manufacturer has tested measurement accuracy at speeds of up to 75 MPH, but it believes the technology should work at even higher speeds.

[dbonds]

1. Technology is a double edge sword.

[blues90]

17. It is but one edge is sharper than the other and not in our favor

[Bluzmann57]

2. What if a person sneezes while driving?

Can a ticket be issued for that? I mean if a camera can do tire tread, it can certainly see what' going on inside a car. This is big brotherism at it's worst.

[Ian David]

3. I'm in favor of that if replacing your tires with 30 days gets you out of the ticket. n/t

[Lars39]

4. Time to disable the cameras.

:hi: Agent Mike!

[flvegan]

5. Why is it that speed cameras are THIS accurate, but security cameras suck?

Have you seen some of the surveillance videos of criminals? "Gee, that's either Paris Hilton or Big Bird robbing you on that tape."

[SmileyRose]

6. I think it's funny.

We have several policeman living in my neighborhood. We were just all out in the street a few days ago talking about how the price of tires are going up and the department has changed it's tread wear policy to basically get the tires down to almost a nub before replacing on all government vehicles - including police cars. One guy is a fireman and said his wife's car is desperate for tires but since the county changed what they pay toward their health coverage, and they have a daughter with special medical needs, then the tires will just have to wait until their's no choice.

Go ahead, let the idiots put this up and start slamming the poorest and struggling with tickets for not being wealthy enough to buy tires on time. The cheese will hit the shredder for sure.

[krispos42]

7. And how are people suppose to afford new tires...

...after they've just paid a hefty fine?

:banghead:

[dipsydoodle]

8. I'd be interested to know

how they'd measure the back tyres on lead sled

[VP505]

10. Probably gonna see

lots of mud flaps on cars where they have those cameras.

[dipsydoodle]

13. Tell you something

Using a similarity with your ID - in the early sixties you could pick up late forties Canadian Ford V8 flat head Pilots for £50 here in the UK. Now they's cost £10000 or so and all you'd get for £50 would be a model one. :)

[VP505]

9. Another assault on

people living on the lower end of the economic ladder. I imagine people struggling to make ends meet, living pay check to pay check would have a real tough time coming up with several hundred dollars for new tires.

[Fumesucker]

11. A couple of points..

Smaller, more efficient vehicles almost always have tires that cost a lot less than larger vehicles and the tires usually last longer too since tire wear is to a big extent dependent on vehicle weight.

I routinely put used tires on my trailers I use for business.. The last set I bought for one of my tandem axle trailers cost me a grand total of $80 for four including mounting and tax. Plenty of tread left to go at least 10k miles.

[BlueJazz]

12. I'll just buy one new tire, cut it in quarters and put one quarter in front of each tire.

:)

[HysteryDiagnosis]

14. Now if they could adapt this system to determine when a

politician is lying.... take 430 million points of measure of their lips, eyebrows, thermal signature, etc we'd have something that could significantly improve the future. Or not.

[Fumesucker]

15. Such a system already exists..

It checks for movement of the lips.

[LeftyMom]

16. Meanwhile, badly maintained roads tear the everloving shit out of my tires, and my car generally.

That sounds like a great idea. :eyes:

[eppur_se_muova]

18. I note this is framed as an ECONOMIC solution ...

with a safety "message", not a safety program which just **happens** to result in fines on the side.

At least they're not lying about which is more important to them.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

19. What about my heel tissue index? Is it deep enough?

Shit like this just makes me want to crawl into the corner, or...