Speeders Caught on Tape

Feb. 22, 2006 — -- Most drivers in Scottsdale, Ariz., can tell you about the Loop 101 Freeway and the speedsters that treat it like the Autobahn.

According to the city's Web site, Scottsdale has received complaints for some time and has tracked cars going as fast as 127 mph on the Loop. Crashes on the highway nearly doubled between 2002 and 2004.

Now, on top of the police cruisers that patrol up and down the roadway, lead-footed drivers have a new enemy to contend with: cameras.

Used for years to catch red-light runners, the cameras on the Loop will now ticket speeders who ignore the posted limit.

Along a 7.8-mile stretch of Loop 101, six cameras wait for speedsters to break the 76 mph threshold that triggers the camera.

Right now, the speed limit is 65, so the city is being relatively lenient. If drivers exceed 76 mph, they are mailed a ticket.

Drivers who exceed 100 mph can expect a visit from the police department and an audience with one of Scottsdale's traffic court judges.

"Judges in Scottsdale have been issuing two days in jail for over 100 miles an hour," Scottsdale police Lt. Frank O'Halloran told ABC News' Phoenix affiliate KNXV. "If they can spend two days in jail, they can probably travel over 100 miles an hour."

The city says that the cameras will not replace police officers, but will instead add a new weapon to their arsenal.

Although the program begins officially today, speeding drivers shouldn't expect to see tickets in the mail for a couple of weeks.