re: Speeding Ticket Defense

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Just because you believe a road should have a higher speed limit, doesn't make it so.

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Studies have proven time and time again that the safest posted speed limit should be the 85th percentile speed of free-flowing traffic. Unfortunately, most limits are posted well below that. Most limits are posted at the 50th percentile or much lower. This means that more than half of motorists are speeding on average and thus breaking the law. The fact is that lower limits do not make roads safer but actually more dangerous since it creates more speed variances and also causes widespread disrespect of speed limits in general.

The fact is that most motorist drive at speeds that they are most comfortable with regardless of the posted speed limit. Hence the flow of traffic. Why the low limits in the face of all the evidence? Ask the multi-billion dollar industry of speeding ticket revenue and insurance premium hikes.

It would probably depend on what frequency (band) each gun was operating on, but yes, the right interference can frick it up.


Eta: A good rule of thumb is that if you see them shooting a gun, it is laser. If they're sitting in their car with the windows up or driving, it's radar

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It would probably depend on what frequency (band) each gun was operating on, but yes, the right interference can frick it up

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On K-band a very huge maybe due to all the K-band pollution from blind-spot monitors and automatic cruise control systems. Even though K-band (24.050-24.250 GHz) is rather narrow compared to Ka-band (34-36 GHz), modern digital radar units are able to transmit and receive down to the 24.xxx or thousandth of a GHz (ok, MHz for the nerds here) in the K-band spectrum and even less thus negating the chance of interference. Most likely, if there was any interference the radar would display a ridiculous speed or none at all due to the Doppler shift being received being out of whack or out of scale with what was emitted.

If the radar unit was Ka-band. No chance of interference.

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Let me guess... you're one of those SOBs who ride people's arse on the highway. GFY.

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Nope, I actually hate that shite and hate those that do it to me. I also stay in the right lane except when passing. The left lane is the ticket lane anyway. While I may speed within reason on rural highways or interstates, I don't drive aggressively nor do I speed much around town or on city streets. Try again.

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Sigh. I guess you ignored the part about the major tax increases necessary to maintain roads to allow maximum speeds at which traffic flows, i.e. "balls to the wall," without consideration for turning traffic or pedestrians.

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I guess you missed the point about people driving at speeds they are most comfortable with thus negating your crappy, broke-arse, under-posted speed limit.

Besides, your increased taxes to support increased road maintenance is dumb anyway. Passenger vehicles cause very little wear and tear to roads compared to 18-wheelers or tractor-trailers that can weigh in excess of 60k lbs when loaded. Other than stopping distances, this is one of the reasons that many states have separate lower limits for these types of trucks. Which, I may add, cause speed variances that compromise safety.

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Does anyone know if there can be interference that would lead to a misread on a police officers radar gun if you have your own radar gun on in the car while driving?

The reason I ask is that I was sitting next to a baseball scout at a game and he kept getting "misreads" on his radar gun readings. When I asked him about it he said that sometimes other radar guns in the area will trigger a misread.

Does anyone know if there is truth to that?

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If it was a Louisiana State Trooper or Texas DPS then a definite "NO" due them being primarily on the Ka-band 34.7 GHz (+/- 100 MHz) frequency. The Stalker Dual or tGOAT Stalker DSR 2x brand radar unit centered around 34.7 GHz is deadly in the hands of the right Trooper or Highway Patrolman (Texas DPS uses the DSR 2x pretty much exclusively). There are 2 other radar unit manufactures that have Ka-band guns. MPH-industries (33.8 GHz), famous for "POP" mode that can slip by most radar detectors and Kustom Signals (35.5 GHz). When it comes to parish, local, or city traffic patrol, they use a mix of the 3 major Ka-band manufacturers along with K-band guns and even the extremely rare ancient pre-1980s X-band gun depending on location. Radar guns used by baseball scouts are on the K-band frequency (24.050-24.250 GHz) since they don't require an FCC Part 90 license to operate them.

In other words, unless the officer was using a early/mid 90s K-band radar unit or earlier, your only chance is to prove that the calibration certificate was out of date. If you're trying to prove that your vehicle was a case of mistaking identity (which is your word against his), then good luck. You have a better chance at hoping he/she doesn't show up for the scheduled court date or getting it pleaded down to a non-moving violation with a fine and thus no insurance premium hike.