‘SPEED ENFORCED BY DRONES’ SIGNS IN CALIFORNIA ARE REPORTEDLY FAKES
Several signs have appeared on Bay Area highways telling drivers that drones are enforcing
the speed limits in the area. The metal signs, reading “SPEED ENFORCED
BY DRONES” with and image of a drone firing a weapon, are apparently
fake, as the California Highway Patrol claims they do not have drones.
“As people are driving by and they see something like this, it’s
definitely a distraction,” said Officer Andrew Barclay of California
Highway Patrol. “The first officer who saw this on Highway 37 was out
patrolling his beat…did a double take, flipped around, came back, and
confirmed it was what he saw.”
Barclay
stated that whoever made the signs knew what they were doing.
“Professional materials, it is a black & white reflective sign, just
like the signs that we use on the side of the road for speed limits,
and everything else,” he said. “One of the signs that we found on
Highway 37 was actually mounted using tamper-resistant bolts,” he said.
“The other two signs were strapped using metal strapping on poles on the
side of the freeway.”
Barclay
emphasized that the California Highway Patrol does not have unmanned
aircrafts for checking speed limits. “At CHP we definitely do not have
drones. We use radar, lidar, pace, we have planes and we have
helicopters, but we do not have drones,” Barclay said. “Along with not
having drones we definitely do not have any drones that would fire any
type of weaponry.”
More
signs apparently popped up on Bay Area roadways on Thursday. California
Highway Patrol is checking local sign makers to see if they filled the
order for the signs.
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