Publication Details

An evaluation of the operational efficiency of VASCAR - a speed measuring device

Type: Paper

Author(s): Waller, Patricia F.; Council, Forrest M.; Barry, Patricia Z.; Rouse, William S.

Publisher: UNC Highway Safety Research Center

Url: https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/40114/

Publication Date: Jan-1968

Address: Chapel Hill, NC

Abstract: In late 1967 the North Carolina Highway Patrol began using VASCAR, a new device designed to calculate the speed of a moving vehicle. The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) observed the testing of five North Carolina Highway Patrol troopers and ran tests of its own under the same conditions. The certification test requires a trooper to measure the speed of a moving vehicle for five trials in each of five basic maneuvers. In none of the 25 trials may his error exceed 2 mph. HSRC's operator performed ten trials in each of the maneuvers. His performance nearly equaled the excellent performance of the state troopers. The average error for all the operators over all the conditions (175 trials in all) was 0.65 mph. While errors in reaction time or depth perception could cause difficulty in the use of VASCAR, the high degree of accuracy displayed by the six men who were tested indicates that with proper training and careful certification VASCAR can be used effectively to measure speed.