Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: $Revision: 1.6.2.16 $; site inmet.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!yale!inmet!stern From: stern@inmet.UUCP Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Re: Radar Surveillance Message-ID: <57500005@inmet.UUCP> Date: Fri, 9-Aug-85 16:31:00 EDT Article-I.D.: inmet.57500005 Posted: Fri Aug 9 16:31:00 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 23:37:12 EDT References: <4891@allegra.UUCP> Lines: 40 Nf-ID: #R:allegra:-489100:inmet:57500005:000:1971 Nf-From: inmet!stern Aug 9 16:31:00 1985 [] I object to simple "one spring" radar traps, where a police patrol car sits hidden in the bushes, or parked illegally on a side street, and catches the "first" car that zips by exceeding the speed limit. What bothers me about them is that they are much too arbitrary. If you are going to catch speeders, then set up a "spotter-catcher" trap where one car sits with the radar gun, and another one, a little down the road, pulls people over who are speeding. This tends to be a bit more equitable. As an example: I was driving down I-91 toward Springfield, MA and saw a cop standing on the side of the road, looking like a hitchhiker. He had a hand-held X-band radar gun, and was picking off Sunday drivers like crazy. His five buddies 1 mile around the bend had 12 (yes, one dozen) people pulled over and were handing out tickets like popcorn. I have to admit I'm not crazy about speed traps, but at least it seemed like everyone got stuck. As a second example: I was cruising along a quiet side street in Freehold, NJ. One of the area's finest pulled me over for doing 43 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. (Point here: it *used* to be a 45 zone, and the people who live there complained. Problem was, some wise guys removed the 25 MPH signs, and those of us who had just returned from school had no idea the speed limit changed. I fought the ticekt and had it reduced to 26 in a 25 zone). Before the cop got me, though, he let a few other speeding cars go by. I got nabbed because I was driving the sportiest car, or because I was the youngest, or because I was lucky enough to be at the end of the line of cars. I couldn't have been going faster than them or I would have rear-ended someone. It was a little too selective to make me believe that justice had been served. Flames, comments, replies and other such fun material by electronic mail - please! No more flames in public...... --Hal Stern Intermetrics, Inc. {harpo, ulysses, ima, ihnp4}!inmet!stern