How does a Parking Meter Work?
A parking meter is used to keep track of the amount of time a vehicle is parked in a specific area. After inserting money into the parking meter, the commuter has a certain amount of time to keep his or her car parked in the spot before it is necessary to insert more money. If the person fails to insert more money into the parking meter when time runs out, he or she may receive a parking ticket from a police officer commonly referred to as a meter maid. Traditionally, the parking meter was activated by placing coins inside a special slot. While the coin-activated parking meter is still common, there are also parking meters that accept credit cards or even special cards called smart cards. With smart cards, the commuter prepays for use of the parking meter. The slot in which coins are inserted into the parking meter is capable of identifying the type of coin that has been inserted. The slot in the parking meter identifies the coins through a combination of tests it has been programmed t
