People thought (or found it convenient to infer, all those radar devices were totally false and they wanted the use of radar be outlawed. Sounds like the same kind of arguments about the automated read light enforcement.
Actually radar is NOT used correctly by many police in many states. Radar waves reflect off the LARGEST reflecting object. The cop could be aiming the gun at you, but the returned radar wave could be the 18-wheeler 1/4 mile coming up fast behind you. At 1/4 mile away the radar is covering not only your side of the highway…but the opposing side also.
If used properly by police it’s fine…but it’s NOT.
Mike is right. Radar is often used as a revenue generator rather than a compliance tool. As I said in my first response, I categorize these tools all the same; used properly an dintelligently I have no problem with them. Used as revenue generators they corrupt the whole idea of regulatorry compliance.
And the states are often complicit in this corruption. The west end of Rt 2 in Massachusetts is a four lane divided highway, straight, wide, in great shape, and with unobstructed views. Mass kept that end of the highway ta 55 mph, even dropping it to 45 at the and of that stretch. I used to commute that road, and it’s a string of speed traps. I never drove it without seeing at least 3 to 5 people getting tickets. I myself got a ticket there for doing 70 in a 55. The ticket was technically legit, but the setup was a corruption.
I got a speeding ticket from a state trooper once for allegedly doing 64 in a 55 (divided 4 lane) based on his radar. Was I speeding? Yes, but I was only doing about 58.
The problem I had with this in traffic court is that the trooper admitted that he “was in high speed pursuit of someone else” at the time and was traveling in the same direction as me. This brings up the points about whether or not this guy had the radar unit facing out the back window and how did I overtake a trooper in “hot pursuit” while I was only moving at 58 MPH.
The trooper crossed himself up about 3 times during my questioning and even stated that I “was a more serious violation”. The DA finally turned around and just told the trooper to shut up. They found me guilty anyway.
If there was any justice at all it happened some years later when I saw that this trooper made the local news over a sexual assault but they still had my money. Cops, both state and local, have made a cottage industry in OK of crossing the legal lines. It seems that every week here we read about a patrolman, police chief, or state trooper being arrested for (fill in the blank), getting fired, or resigning under pressure. In Tulsa it was en masse.
It should never be assumed that the guy operating the radar is as pure as driven snow.
The setup was “corrupt” IMHO because the divided highway was 65 mph for many many miles and without any change in physical characteristics, without any change in the road, withuot any change in visability, it suddenly drops to 55 and is lined with speed traps. The folks that live out there know about it. It was us out of towners that got lined up for tickets. That ain’t right.
The speed limit in that area SHOULD be 65. There’s no reason for it to be 55. It’s only 55 because it’s a speed trap. I’ve been down that road many times myself.
MA has speed-traps leaving the Cape also. I got caught in one…75 in a 55 zone. Problem is I wasn’t even going over 50…I just got on the highway. My truck couldn’t accelerate that fast. They were giving everyone with out of state plates a ticket. They figured you wouldn’t contest it (and they were right). I couldn’t take time off to drive 2-3 hours to fight a traffic ticket. And in MA if you fight a ticket and LOOSE they’ll notify YOUR state of the infraction. If you just pay the fine (which is hefty) they don’t notify your state.
When Albuquerque killed their red light/speed cam program the local news shows blabbed it all over loud and clear.
— I thought to myself " You stupid jokers, just stay quiet about it…leave the strobe lights on a timer…and there’s you cheapo deterent right there. "
but no, they had to tell all the speeders and light runners that they now had Carte Blanche on the intersections.
This town has had a bit of a reputation for staking out speeders and other miscreants; usually out of towners on their way to the drag strip just outside of town. Unfortunately, this caliber of police officer is not a rare thng.
The followup is that no cops went to jail over this. The DA pled them out with a deferred sentence and some community service; all over a harmless rat snake.
I have two big problems with them, one is they generally set up to generate revenue not for safety, second you’re guilty until proven innocent. In many place if you fight the “ticket” you can’t call the person who set it up, you can’t call the person who tested it, you can’t get the records to see what was done, if anything, to the light. That because in many cases it considered a civil offense, like a parking ticket, and the owner is responsible for the fine. How many traffic violations can you think of that is considered a civil offense, if an officer were to stop you for running a red light you would be able to call the officer into court, same thing with a speeding ticket, you could find out who tested the radar, who set it up, etc.
So basically you can’t fight it, in most cases it doesn’t improve safety and their only purpose is to generate revenue.
“Radar waves reflect off the LARGEST reflecting object.”
That is not technically correct. Radar waves reflect off ALL targets. Selection of which target is determined by whether the system is set for largest signal (amplitude of the reflection) or highest speed (highest doppler shift among all detectable signals). The choice is a user selection and largest signal is usually the choice.
Many factors go into the largest signal, but the most dominant is the distance to the target. Signal strength drops off by the square of the distance. Size is important too, but the larger target has to be much larger and quite close to the closer target in order to be selected by the radar. I.e., the 18 wheeler would have to be tailgating the Saturn to become the largest signal.
Materials also play a part. Plastic and fiberglass cars have a little advantage, but they still have a metal frame which returns the signal, as do the headlights. The headlights act like little radar dishes themselves and really concentrate the signal for the radar gun.
Another factor is the angle formed between the direction of travel of the target and the line between the target and the source (radar). This can never be accurately determined, but if a cop uses this theory to “adjust” the speed to compensate for the angle, the math can be very convincing.
And then there is the angle formed between the axis of the radar gun and the line between the radar gun and the target. The beam from a radar gun is classified as a pencil beam, but the beam is actually about 60 degrees wide. It is strongest on center and drops to 50% power 30 degrees each side.
Basically, if you are the closest target and he is pointing the gun at you and he has largest signal selected, your speed, minus the sin (sine) of the angle in the previous paragraph, is on the display. Technically it is your actual speed times the cos (cosine). At narrow angles, this difference is insignificant.
That is not technically correct. Radar waves reflect off ALL targets. Selection of which target is determined by whether the system is set for largest signal (amplitude of the reflection) or highest speed (highest doppler shift among all detectable signals). The choice is a user selection and largest signal is usually the choice.
Correct…the wave is reflected back from ALL reflecting objects. The radar gun has no way of making the distinction of which vehicle the signal came from. Largest reflecting object most of the time means the closest object. But NOT always.
Locally, the city court is set up to make it very difficult and expensive to defend yourself against a traffic citation. If ticketed, mailing in the fine is simple and quick. To fight the citation the greater part of 2 days in court is necessary and often the docket is so full that a third day is necessary and in the event of losing the argument court costs in excess of $100 is added to the fine.It truly is a kangaroo court. Recently one of the local J.P.s was fined and taken off the bench for 30 days for fixing tickets for pay offs.
Locally, the city court is set up to make it very difficult and expensive to defend yourself against a traffic citation.
Last year my daughter got a ticket for running a red-light in Nashua NH. She said she wasn’t guilty and wanted to fight it.
Told to show up on a Tuesday at 9am. She showed up at 8:30. They went through everyone there…and if you plead NOT-Guilty you were told to wait in the back of court. Finally at about noon they told everyone to come back a 2 and they MIGHT get to you by 6. If not then you were to show up the following day at 9am again…and start the process all over.
They put barrier after barrier in front of you so you just either pay the fine or loose money fighting the ticket. she just paid the fine and walked out.
You are correct, extend yellow light by a half second, not even a full second, and violations drop to almost nothing. It is all about money, not safety.