It was proven in court that it was not accurate. The reaction time of the operator varied too greatly.
That depends on the state.
The problem with Vascar…is that cops need to have a inconspicuous vantage point. They are NOT that easy. Plus people who have driven and know about Vascar…know what to look for. This makes radar the ideal choice for law enforcement. Although Radar really is only accurate with minimal traffic. But the courts in many states have ignored this inaccuracy and in some cases even refused expert witnesses to testify.
I’m not sure if the 1st amendment gives you the right to aid and abet criminal behavior. If you ever go to trial for perjury or fraud, try using the 1st amendment for a defense and let us know how it works out.
Prove that my intent was to aid and abet criminal behavior. Maybe I was warning them that deer were by the road. Or that the cop was next to the road in a dangerous space with his lights off and they should be aware he was there so they don’t hit him. If you’re going to apply an aiding and abetting standard to such things, then you’ll be able to shut down the media. After all, any sort of police corruption story, or a story that shows cops doing their job, will help criminals commit their crime either through information or by weakening the public trust in the PD. Does that mean that such news reports are not protected speech?
At the end of the day, even if my intent is to warn people that a cop is running radar ahead, we’re talking about speeders, not the mafia, and we’re talking about cops wasting time screwing around with harassment tickets such as this rather than actually going after the people who are driving dangerously.
“I’m not sure if the 1st amendment gives you the right to aid and abet criminal behavior. If you ever go to trial for perjury or fraud, try using the 1st amendment for a defense and let us know how it works out.”
I don’t think this qualifies as aiding and abetting criminal behavior. It’s warning people to obey the law, not break it. Now if there was a signal that all is clear, go as fast as you want, then that might be a different story.
“I’m not sure if the 1st amendment gives you the right to aid and abet criminal behavior. If you ever go to trial for perjury or fraud, try using the 1st amendment for a defense and let us know how it works out.”
So if a guy tries to rob you at gun point and you tell him he’ll never get away with it because there are police outside waiting for him…that’s considered to aid and abet criminal behavior???
Flashing your lights at someone to tell them to slow down because there’s a cop is NOT aiding and abetting a criminal. It’s helping a crime from ever being committed.
Flashing your lights at someone to tell them to slow down because there’s a cop is NOT aiding and abetting a criminal. It’s helping {stop} a crime from ever being committed.
Seriously, you appear like a wannabe attorney for the defense at traffic court! How is flashing your lights STOPPING a crime? If they’re already speeding and slow down, they’re already guilty of the offense. You’ve just stopped them from getting CAUGHT. If they’re not speeding, what are you preventing?
TwinTurbo, you are assuming the warning is only for the speeders. The warning could just as easily be for those who are currently driving a legal speed.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but speeding is only a criminal offense when it becomes reckless driving. That’s 20 MPH or more over the speed limit around here.
If they’re already speeding and slow down, they’re already guilty of the offense.
How do you know that??? How would I know that?? I don’t have a radar gun to tell how fast the cars are going!! You assume too much.
Mike, it’s statement of fact not an assumption. Please re-read, only slower. If you’re speeding and slow down because someone flashed their lights at you, you were speeding. If you’re speeding, you’re guilty of that offense. You can’t stop a crime that has already been committed, which was your premise for flashing your lights. How can that be hard to understand???
People don’t KNOW if you’re speeding but they’re flashing their lights IN CASE YOU ARE and to warn them so they don’t get tickets. Are you under the impression they are warning people that there is a car hidden off to the side of the road ahead?
TwinTurbo, you are assuming the warning is only for the speeders. The warning could just as easily be for those who are currently driving a legal speed.
Whitey, why in the world would you need to warn someone who is going the speed limit that there is a cop hidden off to the side of the road, well out of traffic with a radar gun up ahead?!?
Please, please, please for my, and everyone else’s, entertainment provide your reasoning for flashing your lights if you’re not doing it to help someone avoid a ticket. This ought to be good…
TwinTurbo wrote - Mike, it’s statement of fact not an assumption. Please re-read, only slower. If you’re speeding and slow down, you were speeding. If you’re speeding, you’re guilty of that offense. You can’t stop a crime that has already been committed, which was your premise for flashing your lights. How can that be hard to understand???
People don’t KNOW if you’re speeding but they’re flashing their lights IN CASE YOU ARE and to warn them so they don’t get tickets. Are you under the impression they are warning people that there is a car hidden off to the side of the road ahead?
Just in the past week I’ve had someone flash their lights at me 2 times (same spot only 2 days apart). And sure enough there was a cop sitting there trying to catch speeders…In both cases…I was NOT SPEEDING…So how can there be a crime???
Please, please, please for my, and everyone else’s, entertainment provide your reasoning for flashing your lights if you’re not doing it to help someone avoid a ticket. This ought to be good…
I’ve done it many times…
Saw an idiot traveling down a road with school kids walking home…He was doing at least 60…No cops were in sight…So I flashed my lights…making the idiot “Think” there was a cop…Sure enough he slowed down.
Also I’ve flashed my lights warning drivers there’s an accident up ahead…
“Also I’ve flashed my lights warning drivers there’s an accident up ahead…”
I have done that too, and for any hazard that is not visible for a distance, Ie. just over a hill. But I don’t warn other drivers about a cop waiting. Let them get the ticket instead of me.
What about people who drive the speed limit, but run into one of those one-horse towns where the local police officers make up a speed you weren’t doing, and give you a ticket for it?
If you see a car approaching you, and it flashes a warning at you, at the very least, it gives you something to ponder over, and if you were already just doing the speed limit, you might slow down a bit more, and prevent you from getting a ticket you shouldn’t have gotten if you suddenly don’t bring any attention to your vehicle at all.
You can’t tell the difference between a good cop and a bad cop until he interacts with you. All their cop cars look exactly the same. And you never know when you are driving into an area that the cops have been forced to write tickets to vehicles even if they are doing the speed limit.
Having a warning that there’s something up ahead to watch for is always a good thing.
me, i open my window and turn my finger (index) in a circular pattern to indicate there is a cop, works every time and i dare a cop to pull me over for that, and by the way i had a cop see me doing it. he went on his way. guess it was a smart cop. i have respect for cops but i won’t let him say i did something wrong when it’s not against the law