Washington State Patrol Tackles Speeding With Cell Phone Data

If you know me at all by now, you know that I have a lead foot, and in my misspent youth I actually spent 60 days without a driver's license until I graduated from “traffic school”. Now I'm grateful for cruise control because it keeps me driving too fast when I would be speeding. 

All of this is an introduction to the story which on the surface might seem alarming, but it's really not as “Big Brother” as it sounds. 

According to msnbc.com,
‘The Washington State Patrol has revealed it will crack down on speeding by locating areas where fast driving is common using cell phone data, according to local NBC news affiliate KING 5’ 

Yes, on the surface it sounds like the Evil Empire is going to be listening to your cell phones to decide if you're speeding or not, but that's not quite true. 

Ok, the Washington State Patrol is going to be monitoring cell phone data in the state. But listen up, the cell phone data they are Monitoring is not real time data it comes from 2023. They don't know where you are exactly and how fast you're driving in real time. More like they know where someone was and how fast they were going, but they don't know who. 

What they will be doing is analyzing cell phone data from 2023 and then will be using that information to identify spots where people like to speed. “Hot spots”, if you will. Once that is done, they will determine peak times, and they will assign extra patrol units for those areas to spot speeders and distracted drivers. 

The data will also tell them those peak areas where people are texting or talking on the phone while driving. 

A few specific areas that we already know they will be focusing on are I-5, North and South of Everett, From Fife to Auburn, and from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Fife. Also watch out on I-90 traveling into or out of Spokane. 

You know what? I'm all for this. If it's going to save lives and it does not invade my privacy, (and I don't believe it does). I'm all for it.
What do you think?
Washington State Police Are Using Harvested Cell Phone Data to Hunt Down Speeders
Washington State Patrol uses cellphone data to curb speeding | king5.com
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