ROADPOL Partner RSS

Calibrating Police Speedometers

With analog speedometers increasingly obsolete police forces are looking for solutions. PHOTO: RSS13 JUL - The Road Safety Support (RSS), staunch ROADPOL partner and supporter of ROADPOL Safety Days campaign, has come to the aid of police with calibrating patrol cars digital speedometers.

This was achieved by the unique RSS International Speed Test Laboratory, which has so far calibrated no less than 30 digital speedometers for a number of police forces.

The speedometers were calibrated in various marked and unmarked police patrol cars, including Fords, Audis, Skodas, Nissans, Vauxhalls, Volvos, Seats and five BMW motorcycles.

Standard

The laboratory, believed to be the only one of its kind in the world, holds ISO 17025 accreditation to calibrate electronic and analogue speedometers in any location worldwide. This makes it easier for police forces to have the laboratory team come to them, rather than sending the equipment away, which can be costly and time consuming, RSS claims. The not-for-profit company launched its digital calibration method last year after an increase in the number of new vehicles fitted with digital speedometers. The method was developed after police force fleet managers realized that they no longer had a reliable way of calibrating speedometers in new police vehicles - something which is required, particularly with regard to evidencing pursuits.

Beneficiaries

South Wales Police, in the UK, was the first force to benefit from the RSS digital calibration service. “Due to the new digital type displays, our traditional solution was not an option. RSS were, to my knowledge, the only company to provide a solution in a moment when we were at the point of decommissioning an otherwise excellent vehicle", Inspector Gareth Morgan of the South Wales Police Western Roads Policing Unit commented. “It’s been a pleasure working with so many police forces, providing them with the assurance that their vehicle remains in its stock condition, and they can use the speedometer to make accurate speed measurements“, Steve Callaghan, Manager of the RSS International Speed Test Laboratory said.