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I seem to remember that something like this was tried and it was stopped because of Morons using the fake patrol cars for target practice . The authorities were concerned that the actual patrol vehicles might be shot at.
Several years ago, in my town, they began parking a real Crown Vic patrol car near certain intersections, on a rotating basis. If one had the chance to look closely, there was a mannikin of some sort behind the wheel. With the locals, this trick only worked for a very short period of time, until word got around.
It would probably be effective with folks from out of town, however.
Noticed that in Florida last year. The same Sheriff’s car was parked in the same spot on the highway day after day. Then realized it was empty. They didn’t even bother to put a dummy in it. Maybe that worked for Floridians but us northerners caught on pretty quick. I expected to see the car up on blocks with the wheels stolen.
The state police in Maryland park a SUV at the end of work zones. The hood is often up and there is a speed camera in front of the truck. They double the fine if you are busted for speeding in a work zone, and often don’t reduce the speed in the zone, just actually enforce it.
Yes, it does work… because the patrol cars have illegal tint on the windows. Darker than the allowed limit of 33% (I think…). From the side you can’t see it, from the front, you sometimes can see in depending on the light. There was an empty sheriff’s car parked on my street to discourage speeders.
A few years ago, I was driving on Loop 1604 in San Antonio and noticed a Crown Vic parked under every overpass. I looked close and noticed they were unmanned.
There was one intersection where only the left lane could turn left but a lot of people turned left from the right lane to cut in front of the people in line in the left lane. One day, I noticed a “homeless man” talking into a cell phone at that intersection. He was calling in license plate numbers to police and there were about four or five cars pulled over getting tickets for illegal left turns. The next day, he was there again and obviously some people never learn. But it did convince a lot of people to wait their turn in line, which moved a lot faster when people weren’t constantly cutting in front of the legal left turn makers. It was one of those times when I was glad to see a law enforced as I gave a big “thumbs up” to the cops pulling those jerks over.
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Back in my days of commuting to work, there was an intersection where I had the misfortune to encounter the same jerk multiple times. I would be in the left turn only lane, he would be in the right turn only lane, and he would always cut in front of me to make a left.
The first time, I figured that he had simply lost his way, but when he pulled that shtick the next time a day or so later, I knew that he was a cheater.
Luckily, after a few months I didn’t see him anymore, and I think it was probably because he was T-boned by somebody at that same intersection.
If he survived, we can assume he learned his lesson
Many people only learn lessons the hard way . . . physical pain and/or financial pain
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Some people learn from reading, some people learn from others, and then there are the people that have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
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And then there are those who repeatedly touch the hot stove, burn every finger, and still don’t learn the lesson.
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Years ago when I just got back from Nam and stationed at Ft Campbell…one of the local towns would post a cop car with a mannequin dressed in uniform. Well eventually it was figured it wasn’t real (like 2 days later) so a few people took some shots at it and blew out a window. Then someone called in a report that a cop was shot in his patrol car. Even the staties showed up for that one.
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Was it the guy that shot the mannequin?
Ah Yes…Sorry…but I thought that was obvious.
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The downside of empty patrol cars: the sheriff of Volusia county FL place an unmanned car on I95 just north of Brevard county. This stretch is 70 MPH zone, I experienced cars in all three northbound lanes braking down to 55 MPH!
During the summer, driving north to Atlanta GA there were LEOs from various agencies operating speed traps about every ten miles from the FL border to Atlanta.
Yeah I traveled that stretch quite a few times and always blue lights ablaze. Out of state drivers beware. I kinda like the blue lights though used in the south. Minnesota has gone to bright amber and red and they are so bright and blinding at night you can’t hardly see the road when they have stopped someone.
I do not know if it is true or not but the story was in PA on the tollroad if you had too little time between toll booths they might give you a speeding ticket.
It was true when I was still working don’t know if it still is. Also on the Ohio and Indiana turnpike.
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That “factoid” circulated for a few years, in regard to the NJ Turnpike.
Like most tales of that nature, it was not true.
@Renegade seems to disagree! So does USA today! "Several states, including New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania, say they monitor speeds through the fast pass toll lanes and will suspend your E-Z Pass for multiple speeding violations. No tickets though, maybe that was the olden days.