Stopped with the satellite tower stuck on the hood

A motorist who didn’t care much about where he was going stopped at the wheel on Friday as he was driving with a satellite tower set up in the hood of his car.

The incident, which took place in Palmdale, California, was reported by the California Highway Patrol in Antelope Valley on Facebook.

The StarLink dome used to receive the Internet via satellite certainly connected the motorist well, but obscured his view.

When questioned by a police officer who intercepted him, the motorist admitted that the antenna prevented him from seeing “only when I made the right turns”, amusing the police who fined the driver for negligence.

“Yes, it is illegal to place a satellite tower on the hood of your car, which would interfere with your view,” police continued, although the rule should be clear.

According to the NBC channel, the motorist clarified that he was using the antenna to stay connected to the Internet so that he could conduct his business.

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s StarLink satellites aim to provide Internet access everywhere in the world, especially in remote areas where it is difficult to imagine the infrastructure needed to access the Web.

Visionary, Mr. Musk gave an example of the script in an interview on Friday a year ago, according to the commercial magazine “The Edge”.

“The antenna is about the average pizza size for a high data rate and low latency, so it fits in the car, but it’s more bandwidth than is needed. Technically, it’s possible to buy one to stick to the car,” he said in January 2020.

Elon Musk made it clear on Twitter in 2021 that SpaceX wants to connect vehicles with StarLink, and that the antenna is intended for aircraft, trucks and other ships, but certainly not for small cars. .