Speeding, daring overtaking, not respecting safety distances, these are all small infractions that are committed by almost all drivers. And yet, in This holiday period, caution is required on the road. For a question of security, but also to avoid unpleasant surprises when opening the mailbox upon return. A country very popular with European tourists, Spain has been using drones since this summer to monitor its roads and crack down on overly daring drivers, literally raining down fines.
Automatic radars have been used for some time and can catch many speeding violations. One thing to note about speed cameras, however, is the fact that they are usually attached to structures, making them easy to spot, especially for motorists or motorcyclists who regularly pass by them. In Spain, the authorities seem to have come up with a brilliant way to discreetly monitor traffic, as well as issue fines for offenders. In fact, the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) has deployed more than 39 surveillance drones throughout Spain, and plums are falling straight from the sky.
Although these drones have primarily been used by local police to search for and detect dangerous and/or illegal activities, that does not mean that drones cannot also be adopted to detect traffic violations. In fact, the drones currently used by the Guardia Civil are equipped with powerful cameras capable of viewing your license plate. As such, these drones can easily be configured to monitor and apprehend traffic violations such as speeding, failure to wear seat belts for motorists, and failure to maintain safe distances.
In order to optimize the use of these surveillance drones, the DGT trained a total of 35 drone pilots and 60 camera operators. The most popular drone model used by the DGT is the Thyra V109, which is even equipped with an automatic vehicle tracking function. It operates at an altitude of 120 meters, making it virtually undetectable on the road, and can reach a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour, all with a battery life of 40 minutes.
