New technology at the Eugene Police Department will help reduce the subjectivity of tailgating tickets.
Using a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation, EPD purchased two
Distance-Between-Cars-enabled LIDAR units and upgraded two existing units. A LIDAR, which stands for light detection and ranging, uses an infrared laser to measure distances between objects. The DBC feature is a recently developed technology that allows officers to measure following distance, time between vehicles, and vehicle speed more accurately.
“Tailgating is Oregon’s leading cause of traffic crashes,” EPD Traffic Officer Scott Dillon said. “When a car is following too closely, it shortens the reaction time the following driver has in case the car in front suddenly decides to brake. This makes a crash more likely.”
To avoid such situations, Dillon and the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles, suggest obeying the two-second following rule. When the rear of the vehicle in front passes a stationary object such as a pole, begin counting. The car following should not pass the same stationary object for at least two seconds in order to be within the legal following distance range.
“This is fairly new technology we’ve begun to use, but I’m hoping we’ll be able to outfit the whole traffic department,” Dillon said. “The goal is to use the tool as a way to enforce Oregon’s tailgating laws and, hopefully, change driver behavior toward tailgating.”
[email protected]