Just about everyone knows that law enforcement uses radar to document a speeding violation. But there are places (in CA, at least) where they put up signs that say:
“SPEED CHECKED BY RADAR”
Why do they bother to put up these signs? They seem kind of pointless to me. I can think of only two reasons: 1) There’s some kind of legal requirement; 2) They think that this kind of sign communicates to drivers: “Even though we’re not around, we can still see you. Slow down.”
I don’t believe they’re required. They exist for one reason: they slow people down.
People see the sign and think, “Uh-oh! There are cops with radar guns around here. I’d better be careful.” They’re sometimes put up by neighborhood groups just to get people driving more slowly on side streets.
We have signs on I64 that say something like “Speed enforcement by aircraft and radar”, which makes me wonder if/when they actually spend the money to have aircraft clock your speed.
I’d say not. The community watch and drug-free zone signs don’t do diddly-squat. When some folks where I used to live asked the police for more patrolling along the main road there, the police provided copies of studies showing that the “speed limit enforced by radar” signs actually do reduce the average speed of drivers on the road.
At least in Iowa, I know the answer to this is yes. You’ll see big white paint splotches evenly spaced along the road, maybe ¼ apart, I don’t remember. That’s so they can time you from the air. They radio info on speeding cars to patrol cars on the ground, who actually do the stopping and ticketing.
Yep, I’ve seen those lines around here too, I’ve just never heard of anyone getting a ticket as a result. Of course they may not know that an aircraft originally spotted them.
Wow. A lot of guesswork going on here for a GQ thread. :dubious: A lot of wrong guesses, too.
In Georgia (and I assume the law is similar in California) a local law enforcement agency (as opposed to the state patrol) is not permitted to use radar guns unless signs are posted at the border of the local jurisdiction informing drivers that radar is in use within that jurisdiction.
This is part of a raft of laws designed to discourage local cops from setting up speed traps to boost their revenue. Other laws include statutes setting the minimum distance from which a cop using radar must be visible, laws requiring the cop to offer to test his equipment, laws prohibiting setting up radar traps on steep downgrades, etc.
Exactly. In California at least the law requires such signs. It also requires a traffic survey be done to support the speed limit. Which does limit the roads that radar can be used on (no survey, no radar)
