Unpopular Opinion #2: Law Enforcement Should Start Using Drones on Highways to Nab Speeders

No one should lose a loved one because some jackass is in a hurry or thinks they have the right to irresponsibly exceed the speed limit.

I know, I know. The libertarians and anti-“big government” conservatives will lambast me for this opinion, but hear me out. First, I drive enough on the highways to notice that there are an absurd number of drivers who speed recklessly. I don’t mean people going 5MPH+/- over the posted speed limit, which I do. I mean drivers who are a solid 10MPH+ over the speed limit. Keep in mind, the speed limit on most highways in Ohio is either 65MPH or 70MPH. That means I see drivers hitting 80MPH or higher routinely. I rarely see speeders pulled over by law enforcement. Thus, what is the point of having posted speed limits if you aren’t going to actually routinely enforce those speed limits? It becomes another government edict that goes unenforced rendering it meaningless, with zero deterrence effect. 

Next, many of these drivers aren’t speeding merrily in a lane; rather, many are weaving in and out of traffic thereby creating fairly dangerous conditions. I’ve had drivers blow by me so fast I didn’t see them coming (and I’m always checking my various mirrors). In some cases, those drivers passed me so fast and so close that I nearly swerved due to being surprised. I know I’m not the only one who experiences these reckless drivers. Our highways are less safe because of these scofflaws. 

Finally, before my critics hit me too hard, I’m not advocating for law enforcement to use drones to entrap people or ticket drivers going less than 6MPH over the speed limit. I’m pushing for law enforcement to use drones to catch reckless speeders. Reckless speeders are drivers willfully breaking the law by driving at excessive speeds and making the roads less safe for the rest of us. By nabbing these folks, our highways will become safer as speeders realize drones are watching and waiting to hit them with speeding tickets that come with heavy fines.

Now, I realize there are some legal hurdles that need to be dealt with to ensure the drones aren’t issuing tickets to undeserving drivers. Like most law enforcement personnel today, each drone should videotape all encounters with speeders, record the speeds of the drivers with a verifiable system, and get irrefutable evidence of the license plates and make/model of the cars. Every agency using drones to catch speeders should have a clear privacy policy with enforceable teeth to ensure only public spaces are captured during active surveillance periods. Limiting the use of such drones to highways will cut down the risk of privacy issues substantially. With technology, a fleet of drones could literally be in the air most of the time with widespread coverage of the major highways and outer belts. My guess is after three months of using drones, speeding in Ohio will go substantially down and our highways will be safer.

To repeat: I’m not advocating for a surveillance state like the movie, “Minority Report;” rather, I just think reckless drivers need to be held accountable for the dangerous conditions they create on our public highways. Using drones to do that is far cheaper than hiring more law enforcement officers and buying more patrol cars to patrol our highways. No one should lose a loved one because some jackass is in a hurry or thinks they have the right to irresponsibly exceed the speed limit because they delusionally think they have F1-level reflexes in a car traveling at 80MPH.

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