Lorton, Va. –– Police in Fairfax County say the ghost cruiser works.
The unmanned marked police car was parked last month on Pohick Road, near the overpass of Interstate 95, as a part of a special traffic study.
During one phase of the two-part test, officers studied the speeds of the drives on Pohick Road without the squad car present. Then they parked the car and monitored speeds, and as if it were almost a no-brainer, people slowed down when they saw the car.
“The results indicated that the ghost cruiser had a significant impact on the speed of passing motorists. The average speed of the vehicles was reduced by over 9 percent, and the number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by 15 mph was cut in half,” said Fairfax police spokesman Richard Henry.
Officials have parked the car in a variety of places and police each time note a decrease in traffic and speeding violations.
Tinted windows on the car prevent anyone from seeing inside the vehicle, leaving them wondering if indeed an officer is watching them, said Henry.
The car will continue to be used in Fairfax in an effort to get more people to slow down.
Sheriff’s deputies in Stafford County have also used the same method to slow would-be speeders.
Officials over the summer placed their ghost car on Va. 610 in North Stafford, near Stafford Marketplace, and noticed a decrease in speeders.
A Stafford sheriff’s office spokesman said the marked car they use still runs, but can no longer meet the demands deputies put on their squad cars each day.
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