Different Methods of Speed Detection

You must have noticed by now that police uses different appliances for recording a vehicle's speed and issuing pricey speeding tickets. Stationary radar, moving radar, photo radar, laser, VASCAR, aircraft and pacing are some of these methods.

Stationary radar is the top choice of police force for detecting speeders. An officer hides with a hand-held radar gun and awaits the arrival of a speeding car. The radio wave shot from the gun travels through the air toward the car and back to the gun and the speed of the car is calculated. There is no point in slowing down when you see the officers - the officers usually spot you way before you see them and by the time you slow down they have the speed of your vehicle on the screen of their radar gun. You are landed with a speeding ticket and in need of a traffic lawyer to get out of it.

Moving radar works almost the same as stationary radar, but it can be used while it's in motion. It is mostly used in highway patrol vehicles and a little more experience is needed to correctly clock the right vehicle.

In photo radar detection a radar gun coupled with a camera is set up at the side of the road. As soon as a vehicle traveling over a certain speed limit is detected by the radar gun a message is sent to the camera and pictures of the vehicle are taken. Later the photos are collected and based on the license plate a speeding ticket is mailed to the owner of the vehicle.

Laser gun is almost the same as radar gun, but it uses pulses of light to calculate the speed of vehicles. As the vehicle approaches, each pulse of light travels a shorter distance to the vehicle. Speed is calculated based on how fast the distance traveled by light pulses get shorter.

VASCAR (Visual Average Speed Computer and Reading) works much simpler than the others. Two marks, usually a quarter of the mile apart, are defined on the road. When you pass the first mark a stop watch or another similar device is started and stopped as soon as you pass the second mark. The time passed is divided by the distance of the marks and your speed is calculated. Soon you'll hear the sirens behind your vehicle and see a speeding ticket in your hands.

Aircraft or aerial speed detection is rarely used these days. The cost of it makes it quite unpopular especially in this economy. Basically it uses the same technology as VASCAR. Once a speeding vehicle is detected, a police officer on the road is notified and the vehicle will be pulled over.

Pacing is how drivers who don't pay attention to their surroundings are caught red handed and issued a speeding ticket. An officer drives behind your vehicle at the same speed of yours and checks the speed on his speedometer. If it's over the speed limit, you'll be pulled over.

Regardless of the method used in issuing a speeding ticket, Law offices of Amir Soleimanian can help you. Just call (866) 780-1234 or fill the online form to get help from a traffic lawyer at our office.