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Aerial Speed Enforcement
Aerial speed enforcement uses trooper pilots and trooper observers in airplanes
or helicopters to work with troopers on the ground to detect and cite speed limit
violators.
Trooper aviators, using calibrated stop watches, determine a vehicle's average speed
over designated quarter-mile marked sections (1,320 feet) of highway throughout
the state. The vehicle's description and speed are transmitted to troopers working
on the ground. The trooper observer confirms the vehicle's description, and the
road trooper then stops the violator.
Along with existing speed enforcement efforts, aerial speed limit enforcement is
an effective means of promoting highway safety," said Major Larry S. Ray, chief
of the department's Highway Patrol Division.
Troopers conduct aerial speed enforcement primarily during heavily traveled periods,
such as weekends and holidays.
The aerial speed enforcement program was originally initiated in 1990, with approval
of the Alabama Legislature.