STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. – You can’t see through the tinted windows of the police car that sits on the median of Va. 610 in North Stafford, but authorities say they can see you.
It’s known as the “decoy car.” A Ford Crown Victoria baring the markings of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office sits on the heavily traveled six-lane thoroughfare, near Staffordborough Boulevard, to remind drivers to take it easy behind the wheel.
“The empty marked vehicle reminds motorists to drive the posted speed limit. The very next day, there may well be a uniformed deputy in their vehicle at that site,” said Stafford sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy.
Before the car was parked there earlier this month, an electronic message board was posted along the roadside reminding drivers the posted speed limit is 35 mph.
The decoy car comes after the department fielded several complaints about speeders in the area, said Kennedy.
The vehicle itself can be driven, but can no longer able to handle the regular demands sheriff’s deputies can put on their patrol cars.
This isn’t the first time the car has been stationed in North Stafford.
The county, along with other local jurisdictions, has used the decoy car in heavily traveled spots in Stafford County.
“It’s all about potentially saving lives,” said Kennedy.
