CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) — Did you know that you could get caught speeding by an aircraft flying above the roadway? It’s true, and Colorado State Patrol handed out quite a few tickets from the skies on Tuesday.
CSP operates multiple Cessna aircraft that it uses to monitor traffic on Colorado highways. The planes fly about 1,500 feet above the ground watching drivers on Interstate 70, Interstate 25, C-470 and other major highways.
Pilots then monitor a vehicle’s speed using thick white strips painted or placed on road surfaces. Each mark is exactly half a mile apart.
If you have ever driven by one of those signs that read, “Speed checked by aircraft” and thought it was just a scare tactic, CSP in Castle Rock is reminding drivers it’s not.
On Tuesday, CSP said they issued 18 citations in just two hours in the area of I-25 and Greenland using aircraft.
According to CSP, in general, it is common to spot speeders driving anywhere between 80 and 100 miles per hour in zones where the speed limit is 65 miles per hour.