Speeding Ticket

[mckpickle]

I got a Speeding ticket by the Maine ST. POL the other day. The odd thing was they said I was clocked by and aircraft.

What do you guys know. Do they use a stop watch against marks on the road or do the A/C have super secret radar guns?

Thinking of fighting it, any suggestions?

 

[ShawnC]

Computerized stop watch.

 

[mckpickle]

Computerized stop watch.

Hummmmm do yo happen to have any details of how it works?

 

[Jmmccutc]

i know the OH state police use a stop watch and they fly to my apt all the time for fuel. i sked one how accurate it is, nad he said the judges prefer that over radar ...don't know why, but just passing on the info...

 

[ShawnC]

Hummmmm do yo happen to have any details of how it works?

Well I have seen one demonstrated and stumbled across the other on the net, one where they pick a car and press a button when it crosses the line, and press it again when it crosses the next line. It does some magic and outputs the speed.

The other had a tracking sensor (still had to have the cop tell the computer to track each car) on the camera, where it would automatically start the time and stop it when it breached the line, did the same magic except the officer doesn't have to press the button at the exact moment that they cross the line.

That's about all I know about them, had the first demonstrated for me by the chopper cops at the airport. The other second is the one that I read about.

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

I would guess that a good scheister lawyer would be able to successfully argue that it's possible the cop hit the button the second time too early, thus rendering an erroneously fast speed.

 

[navigator72]

coming from Maine i know

If a Maine State trooper gave you a ticket then obviously you must have been speeding right? I am from Maine and I know first hand that they use aircraft to clock cars on the highway all the time. They have markings on the road and measure the time it takes you to get from one marker to the next. Just curious, where were you? They had a big speed trap on 95 north (Newport) last week.........

 

[chperplt]

Find an attorney in Maine that deals with traffic violations and have him get it reduced to a parking ticket or other non moving violation.

 

[mckpickle]

Re: coming from Maine i know

If a Maine State trooper gave you a ticket then obviously you must have been speeding right? I am from Maine and I know first hand that they use aircraft to clock cars on the highway all the time. They have markings on the road and measure the time it takes you to get from one marker to the next. Just curious, where were you? They had a big speed trap on 95 north (Newport) last week.........

YUP that was the one. They had to have about 5 cars over in the 10 minutes it took to write my ticket.

I have a boring life so I got a buddy to print the winds for the area and all the other aviation data. I figure put it on an E6B, dazzle the judge with, "well his course was this and the track was that," and the LLWS that day Blah Blah Blah......Tell you what though. They made some money that day! The cop even told me that they had to give another cop a ticket!

 

[chperplt]

The Maine troopers are a pain.. My only speeding ticket in the last 12 years was in Maine, on the interstate just before Portland.. 69 in a 65 zone at 2am..

 

[Chas]

it was probably vascar

A small computerized box that interprets speed by pushing buttons http://travel.3dresearch.com/prep1.html

or possibly two white lines across road with stop watch . Chas

 

[flint4xx]

VASCAR (Visual Average Speed Computer and Recorder) is really a stopwatch coupled with a calculator. Once a distance is entered, the operator pushes a button to start then stop the stopwatch. VASCAR displays the speed calculated from the distance entered and the time measured.

 

[ShawnC]

VASCAR (Visual Average Speed Computer and Recorder) is really a stopwatch coupled with a calculator. Once a distance is entered, the operator pushes a button to start then stop the stopwatch. VASCAR displays the speed calculated from the distance entered and the time measured.

That was the system that I was shown, just forgot the names.

 

[Dubya]

Try dealing w/ states attny.

I train the Illinois St. Police pilots every year (instrument currency) for the past 3 years...(they fly 182's for traffic, a c421 for transport.)...chief pilot told me the tix they give stand up in court all the time. Best to sit down with the States Attny and try to make a deal. They use the lines and the 'puters.

Anybody get caught with the camera taking a pic of you yet? IL is getting ready to put them in construction zones. Can't wait.

I can't drive 55. (everybody sing)

W

 

[ShawnC]

Thank god we don't have them in Florida.

What I hate the most are the stop light cameras that some cities are putting in.

 

[mckpickle]

Update...

thanks for the info, especially the website about the VASCAR stuff. I also had a buddy print the WX for the area. It was a pretty windy day, and also included AIRMETS for turbulence. I think with the fact that it takes a human to react within a very small amount of time PLUS the fact that it was windy/turbulent I might have a case? All I need is resonable doubt right?

 

[Ralgha]

Wind/turbulence is going to make no difference, and human reaction time will change the time by no more than a few tenths of a second. Not enough of a difference to matter significantly in the calculated speed.

It doesn't matter how fast the aircraft is moving, the time is based on the car going from point A to point B, aircraft speed is not going to change that at all.

Also, if the computer was tracking the car through the camera, then there is no reliance on human reaction time at all.

 

[mckpickle]

I understand that. The point I'm trying to make is that turbulence and ground track vs magnetic heading may have caused the operator to use the instrument improperly. Bouncing around in a plane and trying to hit a button at the EXACT time might be hard. Maybe worth a shot.

 

[Ralgha]

Ground track and magenetic heading have no bearing on the operation of the equipment as I understand it. You tell the computer how far the car travelled, and how long it took the car to travel it. Direction means nothing.

The only possible failure points are incorrect timing, which is unlikely, and a typo while entering the data, which is more likely than incorrect timing. However, with a typo, the resultant speed would most likely be grossly inaccurate, and the people who do this kind of thing already have some idea in their head of how fast the car is moving, so they would notice an incorrect result and re-enter the numbers.

If the computer is tracking the car through a camera, it still doesn't matter what direction the airplane is moving because it is still only measuring time.

It would also have to be some very strong turbulence to make it difficult to disrupt starting and stopping of a hand held stopwatch.

I just don't think it's worth the effort to argue it.

 

[FN FAL]

Here is the secret to beating Troopers using VASCAR. The first thing you need to see is a sign that says Vehicle Speed Tracked by Aircraft. If there is no sign posting this than you can bring that to the attention of the judge. If there is a sign then plea guilty, your caught, your done, hope for mercy. Here is the secret of knowing when Troopers are using VASCAR. Look well down the road if you see cars hitting the brakes then there is a Trooper just ahead. If you see a orange cone or a line across the road there may be a Trooper near. If you cross the first line and see a Trooper sitting in the middle of the road, carefully hit your brakes and slow about 10 to 15 MPH and you will mess up the timing. Vascar after all is time and distance converted into speed. These troopers use aircraft, binoculars and such to catch you. Normally there is a line of sight to a median which is perfect for VASCAR.

What a bunch of hooey! Where do you guys make this stuff up at? They use VASCAR in cars, motorcycles, and airplanes. In wisconsin the use the airplanes and there are no signs...the signs that you see are not a permision for the state to use an airplane to clock your car, it's a sign to warn you slow down cause they use planes. It's just to get you to feel like there is a plane up there watching you all the time.

You show me the state code or stat that says if they don't have a sign up there the cops can't use an airplane to clock your speed. You won't find such a think...its some kind of urban folklore you picked up somewhere.

Next thing you know you are going to tell me they got have a sign that says cops are clocking you with LIDAR or RADAR from a car.

Nice try though, but O.J. Simpson or Rodney King wouldn't have gone far with you as their attorney.