# How much trouble with the law could I get for driving down Main St at 0.9c **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 10, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979 "2003-02-10T00:43:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/1 "2003-02-10T00:43:01Z")
Lets say that I have a car that can travel short distances at 0.9c (c being that speed of light thingy) that didn’t crush me nor cause the air hitting the windshield to go into thermonuclear fusion. I see a parking spot at the end of the block, hit hyperdrive and almost instantainously appear right at the spot, all with in site a a cop. What can I reasonably be charged with? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/2 "2003-02-10T00:47:56Z")
But could the cop actually _see_ you going from the end of the block to the parking space? Can the human eye do that? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/3 "2003-02-10T00:48:40Z")
Probably nothing. His radar wouldn’t even register you, since it would be redshifted well below the receiver’s ability to detect it. From his perspective, he’d see you disappear, then reappear in the parking space at nearly the same instant. Since such things don’t happen in most people’s everyday experience, he’d probably write it off as a momentary observational glitch. He probably wouldn’t even bother reporting it, since no one would believe him. ---
**Author:** ![Slartibartfastt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@Slartibartfastt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slartibartfastt)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/4 "2003-02-10T01:31:36Z")
You could be charged with breaking several laws of physics. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/5 "2003-02-10T01:33:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Slartibartfastt \* > \*\*You could be charged with breaking several laws of physics. 🙂 \*\* “But, Officer Heisenberg…are you certain I was going that fast?” ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/6 "2003-02-10T01:44:03Z")
Let’s see. c=186,000 miles per second .9c=167400 Ft per second=88,387,200 A block is about 300 ft. So about .0000033 seconds. Now what was the question? Oh, what can you be charged with. Being in two places at the same time, almost. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/7 "2003-02-10T01:55:54Z")
Speeding. Failure to signal. (There is a time requirement for signals, in VA, anyway.) Might have been an illegal lane change, too. You in a heap a trouble, boy. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/8 "2003-02-10T02:09:55Z")
Assuming you didn’t hit anyone or destroy half the city with the shockwave, probably any of the things you could be charged for if you were driving 10 miles per hour over the limit. Speeding and reckless endangerment come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/9 "2003-02-10T02:22:49Z")
Well, it would certainly be a _moving_ violation. Moving pretty frickin quickly violation. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/10 "2003-02-10T02:36:24Z")
Also, if you got up to 0.9c, wouldn’t your mass increase significantly. I don’t know how the math would work out, but wouldn’t you cause a large gravitational disturbance? ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/11 "2003-02-10T02:44:19Z")
Another thing: if the human body accelerated from 0 to 167400 mph instantly, wouldn’t it luiqify, or something? That can’t be good for your health. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/12 "2003-02-10T02:45:21Z")
\*liquify ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/13 "2003-02-10T03:33:17Z")
Not to mention the grammar and usage police: _In_ how much trouble… ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/14 "2003-02-10T17:36:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MonkeyMensch \* > \*\*_In_ how much trouble… \*\* “This is the sort of language up with which we will not put!!” – Hap, quoting Winston Churchill ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/15 "2003-02-10T17:38:10Z")
> [@](#): > > if the human body accelerated from 0 to 167400 mph instantly, wouldn’t it liquify, or something? Acceleration doesn’t kill people, differential acceleration kills people. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/16 "2003-02-10T17:44:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*“But, Officer Heisenberg…are you certain I was going that fast?” \*\* “Yes but I don’t know where you were.” ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/17 "2003-02-10T18:04:05Z")
186,000 miles per second isn’t just the law, it’s also a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/18 "2003-02-10T18:36:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Billdo \* > \*\*Also, if you got up to 0.9c, wouldn’t your mass increase significantly. I don’t know how the math would work out, but wouldn’t you cause a large gravitational disturbance? \*\* Nah… Well, it would but not too badly. I think around 0.9c you’d have about four times the mass you do now. Not nearly enough to achieve your own gravitational effect (at least none worth noting). The graph showing mass increase in relation to velocity is not a straight line but one that curve more steeply the faster you go. Up to 0.3c the effect is barely noticeable. At around 0.65c you double your mass. Between 0.9c and 1.0c you jump from four time your mass to infinite mass. SOURCE: [http://www.btinternet.com/~j.doyle/SR/Emc2/Derive.htm](http://www.btinternet.com/~j.doyle/SR/Emc2/Derive.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/19 "2003-02-11T00:40:05Z")
Well, you could also look at it this way: how much trouble would you be in if you fired, say, a supersonic projectile down Main Street? That’s only a tiny fraction of the speed you’d be going. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979/20 "2003-02-11T00:57:49Z")
I’m not sure about the frequency shift being too much for a radar gun, but I don’t have time to calculate it. I’m certain however that you could be gotten for infraction of local noise ordnaces (~0-\>.9c in under 1 second will be hella loud). Probably stunting, dangerous driving, and (depending on local laws), having unapproved automotive equipment. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-trouble-with-the-law-could-i-get-for-driving-down-main-st-at-0-9c/153979.md?page=2)