NCJ Number
226195
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2009 Pages: 70,72,73
Date Published
January 2009
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the features and uses of a product called "Distance Between Cars," (DBC) which can be used by traffic officers to measure the distance between cars as evidence of drivers following too closely behind the car in front of them (“tailgating”).
Abstract
The DBC was developed by Laser Technology, Inc., using a software code built into the company’s lasers. The DBC can calculate accurately the back-to-front bumper separation between two vehicles. To date, Laser Technology’s DBC software is the only innovation of its kind within the category of speed enforcement tools able to provide evidence of tailgating infractions that can withstand courtroom scrutiny. The Golden Police Department (Colorado) is targeting the jurisdiction’s accident-prone areas more heavily with DBC. Vehicles inbound to traffic lights and merged lanes are the main targets. Tracking over a stretch of road between 1/4 to 1/2 miles with the DBC enables an officer to take two readings with the laser. The first reading is a time interval between cars passing though a point. The second reading provides all the data. This confirms that the tailgating is a driving pattern and not just a moment in time. In order to ensure that tailgating can be addressed, an agency must do more than observe and cite the violators; it must be sure the court system will allow the evidence. The legal arm of a law enforcement agency should check with prosecutors and judges in its jurisdiction to ensure that DBC readings will be admissible as evidence by the court.