u know the signs along the street saying speed checked by radar, are they true? and especially the ones when u drive the interstate, like the sign reads "speed check by radar" and the have a pic of a plane under that.....
it all seems like kinda too unreal to me... like when I drive to vegas all the other cars are doing 75mph, and I'm doing like 90.... so are there really cops around?

 

they certainly COULD BE....on MANY california highways there are large white stripes painted across them in certain areas....I can't remember how far apart they are...but its a set distance...and they are far enough apart that you really don't notice them. YES AIRPLANES can see them....and they DO fly up and down some highways....and they TIME your car from one line to the next....that calculates your speed....they radio a car on the ground...and your busted.

NOW, its not like they are there ALL the time.....but you just never know now do ya? :{D

BTW....I lived in California for a good while.....so I am not just guessing here......

the safest thing for you to do....is just pace the traffic....if EVERYONE is going 80.....and so are you.....you should be FAIRLY safe....its when you are either running faster than all the surrounding traffic or out there alone speeding that you are going to get nailed.

 

They have the same thing here in Maine. Certian parts of the Interstate 95 and others have those short white marks in the breakdown lane. And you can see at the beginning and the end of every zone such as that, there is a white squared box with a picture of a plane on it. I see that bastard spotter all the time. But they do not use radar. They clock you for time, and calculate the speed. Thats what the special dashes in the breakdown lane are for. You can tell them away from other commercial traffic because they fly really slow, and they always fly in weird pattern. Otherwise, watch out for cops with radar guns, they can get you from far far away.

 

And I see more and more lasers out there these days. The cops are smart too. I always see them camping either at the top or the bottom of a hill where they can over see a lot of cars. And cars are most likely to speed on or down the hill. I saw a trooper at the bottom of the hill come out in the middle of the highway to point to the driver to pull over. The driver was probably clueless, but he pulled over. The trooper went back to his car and pulled up to the poor guy 50 ft down the road. Though, the funniest cop I saw was recently. He parked in the breakdown lane, and had his rear passenger side door open. First thing I though he broke down, or was getting something out of the car. Though, when I drove by him, he was just leaning against the side of the car and pointing his laser gun, waist high, into the traffic. He truely made me laugh, and made my day.

 

I've never noticed the stripes by the highways before, thanks for all the info.
I've only been in the states for like half a year so I dunno much about the techniques they use here.
Better watch my speed next time I drive interstate. Don't think I'll ever risk going to 200kmh again ... it was safe, late a night, no one else around..... everything started shaking like hell , then I chickened out .... let go of the gas... big rush....

 

i just love how tricky the cops.... and also how fast the parking enforcement guys come around when its time for street cleaning tickets

 

I see that alot on I-95 in VA. I often look up and wonder if it's true! Hee Hee!

 

I haven't seen those in central Texas, I know they have them in GA. near Atlanta. I know someone who got pulled over by that, he said he topped a hill and his radar detector never went off and there was like 6 state troopers pulling people over.

 

First off, those "your speed is" digital readouts actually WORK - you ever see people slow down near those things? They actually do the speed limit!

Another important note - just because a cop has a guy pulled over, don't ever think his radar is off. I got pulled over once a few years back - gave the cop my license and info - a few seconds later, he takes off! I was like "WTF do I do NOW??" So - I chased him. Hehehehe. I did like 90 to catch him, too. Turns out some chick passed him doing over 80, and his radar was still on. He couldn't resist going after her. I couldn't believe it. He was cool, didn't give me a speeding ticket either, which I did deserve.

Oh, and about the "timing" from aircraft - first off, that is 100% true - it is done. Second, don't think that planes are the only way it's done:

The major road to where I used to go to college was a toll road, where you get a ticket when you get on and pay the correct amount wherever you get off - New York State Thruway.

Anyway, my roomate hit the place where you take the ticket, then drove over 100 MPH the whole way - probably a distance of about 120 miles or more. When he pulled off the thruway, and gave the ticket to the attendant to pay his toll, the attendant noticed the TIME STAMP on the ticket, looked at his watch, and called over a State Trooper who is basically stationed at the booths. They averaged his speed and gave him a speeding ticket based upon the TIME STAMP!!! I think his average was 98 according to their math - he fought the ticket and LOST!

These guys have a million tricks, I swear.

 

Our cops like to pretend they have someone pulled over, they wait on the side of the rode w/ their flashers on and everything, hoping people will ignore them cause they're pulled over. Either that or they find the trickiest, blind hiding spots ever.

Every now and then, usualy on big tourist weekends, the staties will have like a gaint corral after the tolls, and had out tickets by the dozen to people spotted by the planes. Damn fund-raising

 

 

Yikes!!! My poor pro doesn't stand a chance!!