APPENDIXConsider this section as
my guide's appendix. So, what are the different ways cops can get you?
Here are the devices and tactics officers use for speed enforcement.
A. Pacing
This is simple. The officer drives behind you and matches your speed
with his. This method usually works only at night. During the day, a
reasonably alert driver can spot the police vehicle. Cops have tried to
pace me without luck. If you get a ticket for pacing, it means that you
weren't paying attention to what was going on behind you. Sometimes,
you can also catch officers lying about determining your speed if you
tell the judge that you clearly saw the officer behind you. This is why
it is important to use your eyes when you drive.
Pacing tickets are the most difficult of the speeding ticket types to fight.
It basically comes down to your word against the officer's. Who do you
think the traffic court is going to believe? (In my experience, I'm 1
for 2.)
All is not lost. In court, ask questions related to how long you were
being paced, as well as his speedometer calibration records.
If the officer fails to produce proof of calibration, immediately motion for dismissal
on the grounds that the officer failed to prove to a legal degree of
certainty that his speedometer was accurate and functioning correctly
at the time of the traffic stop. Even better, get your hands on the
calibration records (if you can).
IMPORTANT: Be prepared for the idiot of a commissioner to reign
in and tell you that the officer does not need to produce calibration
records. The fact is without proof of calibration, the officer does not
have foundation for his case against you. Simply telling the court that
the speedometer was tested and certified by AAA is not good enough
(though some commissioners think otherwise). Consult the Tipmra or
Brown for the details.
There is a formula you can use that represents the
relationship between the two velocities (your car and the police
vehicle). Time to grow some balls with mathematics. You remember your
physics class, right? Recall that velocity is the distance covered in a
time period:
Since the time period is the same, you can manipulate the relationship to solve for your true velocity (speed) in MPH:
t = dyou/vyou = dcop/vcop
Remember that the officer also had to close in on you in addition to
the distance you were traveling while he was doing so. This is how
(s)he reads your alleged speed: (s)he closes in on you and looks down
at the cruiser's speedometer. What (s)he sees is what (s)he thinks your
speed is. This alleged speed (the one written on your ticket) is v
cop.
The officer's true distance? It's the sum of the distance you traveled
in addition to the distance (s)he covered while closing in on you:
Now solve for v
you, your true speed in MPH.
Be prepared to fully derive your final equation.
In other words, if the judge thinks you're a smartass, you better be
ready to do a proof (yes, those things you hated in your 9th grade
geometry class). Then again, the judge may not care out of ignorance or
his mental capacity will shut down at the thought of hearing
mathematical equations and variables.
In other words,
show your work.
If you think you can get away with it by copying and pasting what I did
here, think again. I made shortcuts. You won't have it so easy in
court. You must give your evidence credibility by establishing the
definition of velocity and working from there
through every step of the way.
For example, if the officer claimed to have paced you at 80 MPH, you
saw him behind you for 1/4 mile and it wasn't until 1 mile later that
he pulled you over:
vyou = [vcop] / [1 + (dclosein / dyou)
vyou = 80 MPH / 1 + [(1/4) / (1)]
vyou = 80 MPH / (5/4)
vyou = 16 MPH * 4 = 64 MPH
QED
In other words, you were innocent by 1 MPH. Again, know how I obtained that equation by working through the proof yourself.
Hopefully that should be enough help for you to work out the formula.
Also remember that it can help or hurt your case. It will either
provide true vindication or proof of your guilt.
You should study the headlight and taillight patterns of police
vehicles. For example, newer model Crown Victorias are easy to spot
because of the large amber "LED" strips (turn signals) present on the
inner part of their headlights.
B. VASCAR
Simply put, VASCAR measures the time it takes you to travel a known
distance. In California, this method is illegal, as it constitutes a
"speed trap" as per CVC 40802(a)(1).
C. Aircraft
![](../media/tickets/vascaracline.jpg)
This is another form of VASCAR. Look for large stripes painted in the
road as seen in the example above. Those stripes are a dead giveaway
that you're in aircraft country. Theoretically, the officers on the
ground are supposed to
independently
verify (usually by radar) that the vehicle being tracked is actually
speeding, although in reality this doesn't always happen. If you do get
a speeding ticket from aircraft, take it to court. Because BOTH
officers have to appear or submit statement of facts in a TBD case,
your chances of getting a dismissal go up drastically as aircraft
operators are RARE.
D. Hoses
Another form of VASCAR.
E. RADAR
RADAR devices bounce a radio signal off of an object. The signal is
picked up by a receiver, which in turn, converts the difference between
the object's frequency and the original frequency into a speed. In
other words, time is known, and the distance is the variable. This is
the opposite of VASCAR. In addition, RADAR only works in line of sight.
A well-maintained device used by a qualified officer can be accurate to
within 0.1 MPH.
There are three different bands of RADAR used, X, K, and Ka. X band is
rarely used anymore, although it is responsible for the majority of
false alerts by detectors. K band is the most common, although it is
beginning to become contaminated by the same devices that transmit in
the X band range. Ka band is emerging as the band of choice, as it
spans a large frequency range and is difficult to detect. Combined with
low-power transmission, it can be deadly at the hands of its operator.
Modern Ka band RADAR use DSP (Digital Signal Processing), which changes
the frequency, making it more difficult to detect. A high end radar
detector should have no problem finding these.
RADAR can only be used if a traffic survey has been conducted in the
last 5 years. In addition, many speeding tickets involving RADAR are
dismissed every year because the defendant may request any or all the
following and does not receive them:
1. The officer's certification for use of the RADAR unit
2. Calibration and maintenance records
3. The make, model, and serial number of the unit as well as the tuning fork used to calibrate the unit
4. FCC License (yes, police depts. are required to have one if they use RADAR)
RADAR readings can also be affected by a variety of other factors. The more doubt you can cast, the better your case.
Get your hands on the traffic engineering survey EVERY TIME. Many
tickets are dismissed due to outdated or improper speed limits.
Although the burden is technically on the prosecution (officer) to
furnish the survey as evidence that the speed enforcement was done
properly, the reality is that YOU must provide the survey otherwise it
will never come into question by the judge/commissioner. It's best to
confront the officer about the traffic engineering survey during
cross-examination (see Brown,
Fight Your Ticket ch. 10 ff), get him to contradict the evidence, then enter the survey into evidence when you get the answer you want.
F. LIDAR
LIDAR works on the same principles as RADAR, except that uses a narrow
beam of light (904 nm). Because the laser unit must be stationary and
is difficult to use against darker-colored vehicles, few departments
have these toys. Forget your radar detector, you are toast by the time
your detector goes off.
Same rules apply as RADAR except for #3 and 4. The LIDAR units
supposedly "self-calibrate" but we all know what that really means in
the real world.
G. "Visual Estimation"
This is just a fancy term for "guessing." Cops spend no less than 6
months in training, clocking in 300 hours, learning how to become pros
at determining the speed of your vehicle in less than 2 seconds by
looking up from their newspapers. By the way, if you believe that,
perhaps you would be interested in some prime beachfront property in
Montana.
H. Photo Radar
If you get a photo radar ticket, wipe your ass with it. It is unconstitutional...at least in California. See section III.
I. Radar Detectors
Often I read a lot of misinformation on the boards about false alarms,
legal issues, ad nauseam. Hopefully this will help someone out there.
I will now shamelessly bite XFactor95SupraT's
thread on getting out of speeding tickets, as he has a good explanation about radar (recall subsection E):
How radar works is when the radar device is pointed at your
vehicle, it emits a radio waves on a particular frequency (I'll explain
how important for you this frequency is later). These radio waves
eventually travel to your vehicle, and bounce off, returning to the
radar device on a different frequency. In theory, this change in
frequency is directly proportional to how fast you are traveling. The
radar devide merely calculates this difference, and comes up with an
estimated speed. In order for the radar to work properly, it must be
pointed DIRECTLY at you. There can be no obstructions in the way ie:
other cars, bushes, trees, rocks etc. The device must also be
relatively close to you in order to insure that it's reading your speed
and not another vehicle's. Radar does not emit an even, narrow, direct
beam, but instead is more like a sprinkler or headlight. It is emitted
from the device, and spreads out wider and wider over a distance. It's
proven that at only one eighth of a mile from the standard unit, a
radar beam will be around 4 lanes wide, and sometimes wider. So if your
speeding ticket is based on radar, make sure you ask the officer "How
far away from me were you when you "clocked" me if you don't mind my
asking?" If there was enough space, he could very well have clocked
someone in a different lane, or even on the other side of the road.
In addition to all this, radar based speed reading devices have a
tendancy to read speeds of bigger objects rather than smaller ones, so
if there is some bigger truck near you, he may cause you to get a
speeding ticket when you were only traveling the speed limit due to the
fact that the radar device read the speed of the truck behind you, but
the officer tickets you because you were in front. I've also read in a
radar training manual (don't ask how I got it) that sometimes the radar
unit can read the speed of blowing dust, branches, rain, leaves etc. So
if you were ticketed under these conditions, you might have ample
reason to get your ticket dismissed.
Now on to the myths:
MYTH #1: RADAR DETECTORS ARE ILLEGAL.
Radar detectors are only illegal in Virginia, Washington DC, on DOD
Installations, and in most eastern Canadian provinces. I don't know
about other countries; you'll have to find that out on your own. OTOH,
radar jammers ARE ILLEGAL in ALL states. Besides, the jamming devices
usually do not work. Laser jammers may or may not be illegal, depending
on where you are. California specifically prohibits them.
MYTH #2: RADAR DETECTORS ARE ALWAYS BEEPING AND I NEVER SEE A COP AROUND.The
constant "beeping" is usually caused by false X-band (and increasingly
K-band) sources. The annoyance factor depends on the model you have.
Cheap Wal-mart specials will always give off false X-band alerts with
no way to really minimize them, even in "city" mode. The high end
models offer better filtration. What some may not know is that some of
these models can be reprogrammed (such as the V1, Escort 8500, or Bel
985). For example, I reprogrammed my V1 to eliminate X-band completely
(be careful if you're in a state that still uses X-band) and to delay
K-band alerts, as I get a lot of falsing on K-band.
MYTH #3: This detector sucks! The cop went right by and it never beeped.
He was not running radar. Radar detectors are not cop detectors, yet it's amazing how many people do not realize the difference.
Let me repeat myself for those that missed it in section II:
Radar detectors are NOT cop detectors. They only tell you if radar is
being used nearby. Don't think that just because you see a police
cruiser and your detector keeps quiet everything is fine and dandy for
you to haul ass. It is just a tool to help you as you drive. Think of
it as a co-pilot helping you look out for bogeys.
I1. Understand Your Radar Detector
Know how to use your detector. It should be a tool to help you find the
sneaky cops. Don't place blind faith in one, as you can still get
caught by other means. Know the alerts:
X-band: Only a few holdout states (IL, OH, NJ, I think) still use it.
99% of the time it's the microwave at Mc Donald's setting it off. If
your detector can be reprogrammed, eliminate this band.
K-band: Might be a cop, might not be a cop. This band is getting
increasingly contaminated by false sources. However, it's better to be
safe than sorry. Most radar trailers use K-band. Some cops also using
moving K-band. Until you're sure of the source, be careful.
Ka-band: If you get one of these, it's NOT a false alert. Most cheap
detectors (Wal-Mart specials) will not pick this up in time. With the
high-end models, you get plenty of time to react.
Laser: I'm not going to bother with this one. If it goes off, it's time
to pull over. NO DETECTOR, not even the V1, will warn you in time that
you're being locked on by laser. Spot or be spotted.
Be careful about these so-called filtration modes. You do NOT want to
have K or Ka band filtered along with X-band. Most cheap detectors do
this in their "City" mode. If you have one of these detectors, you
wasted your money. Put it up on E-bay for someone who would like an $80
dash decoration. Make sure that you have a detector that gives you a
choice of filtering out only X-band (aka City X mode) or if you really
want, all of them as what I just warned against. Most (I'd say 90%) of
the falsing happens on X band, so choose the X-band filtration mode.
I2. PlacementYou want your detector to be as high on
the windshield as possible, as it increases the "line of sight." Radar
works the same way. You want more time to react. If the dangling cords
annoy you, you can snake the wiring behind the roofliner and down the
pillar (if it's long enough), or hard-wire it. You can also go to Radio
Shack and get a straight wire that uses an adaptaplug. This of course,
does not apply with the V1, as it uses standard phone jacks. Most V1
owners either hard-wire their detector or snake the wiring behind.
If you want to leave your unit on the dash, that's fine. But
then again, reception won't be as good as high up on the windshield.
Plus, you have to worry about the wipers being in the way.
I find it hilarious to see people who have hidden their
detector down by their shifter. Whoever told you that was the best
place for it should be pimp-slapped.
That's about all, really. One last thing for the prospective buyer...
I3. Testing and Rating Sites
Take them with a grain of salt. Most of the owners of these sites are
in bed with one of the companies, so they are inclined to give higher
ratings to them. Also some site owners have personal vendettas with
other radar detector manufacturers and will purposely smear an
otherwise good detector with lower ratings or misinformation.
(*ahem*radartest.com*ahem*)
Shop around and do your research.
One more thing I forgot to mention...the so-called "Safety Alert" or
"SWS" feature. These don't exist. Well, they do according to the FCC.
But for now, it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick.
I can guarantee you that state agencies will not buy transmitters just
so they can communicate with radar detector owners about road hazards
that can otherwise be seen with the eyes. State Police/Patrol agencies
perceive radar detectors to be a tool for speeding, so don't expect
them to help out these owners by telling them of road hazards or
construction zones. If you have the option to turn this "feature" off,
do so.
Remember, people buy radar detectors to DETECT RADAR. Duh. Don't fall
for these lame gimmicks such as a built-in compass or features to let
you see the frequency of the radar used.
I4. More Information
Mike Valentine wrote up some really good reports
here. Take some time to read them.
< No Mercy