How did they give speeding tickets before they had radar?

Question

Also, is there a record of the very first speeding ticket?

Answer 1

Prior to Radar and even today Some Police Officers and State Troops are trained to be able to judge speed by eye. It is said to be accurate to within 3 to 5 miles a hour. Needless to say, it would not hold up in court if the difference in judgement would elevate the cost of the fine. The best method was to ride up behind the vehicle (without lights or sirens) and use a calibrated speedometer affixed to the dashboard. As far as the first speeding ticket given I can't be sure but even in the old west speed restrictions were imposed when riding through towns on horse or wagon

Answer 2

This is a dinosaur question so I will surrender my oldness. Mirror boxes and a stop watch. The officer on foot would position himself so as to read mirror box one and mirror box 2. The boxes were position at 2 separate fixed points. As the vehicle entered into view of the first mirror box the officer would start the stop watch. As the driver passed into view of the second mirror box the officer would stop the watch. Based on mathematical formulation of time and distance the speed was calculated. The officer radioed the chase car and the violator was stopped and issued a traffic ticket. this was the early testing for a speed device known as vas-car.

Answer 3

The old police cars had two speedometers!
They basically had to follow you to nab you. Also, they could time you between two points on the road, and if your speed was too fast you would take less time to go between the two points.
First speeding ticket?? Don't know.

Answer 4

they are able to %. you. in actuality, CA used to require CHP to %. the suspect automobile for a minimum of a million/4 mile in the previous CA allowed radars. yet in a diverse way is pre-degree the area from 2 particularly observed landmarks, and time the motor vehicle in between. If the time is decrease than so and so, given the quantity of version of hand-timing (even applying a stopwatch), the guy might ought to do doing a minimum of a definite velocity.

Answer 5

Timing a vehicle as it passed two known points where you know the distance and doing the math, or following and using the police car speedometer at a set distance were two popular methods.

Answer 6

i remember reading once that the 1st speeding ticket was written in one of the large cities in the east.new york or chicago i think.
with some research you could find it.

Answer 7

They would use simple math. They would clock a person. If a person drove from one point to another in a certain time they would do the math and figure out the speed.

Answer 8

Here was a common method: a policeman would catch up to you, pull alongside you going at the same speed, then read his own speedometer. He'd later testify in court what he read.

Answer 9

Same way they do today. If you have a nice car and look like you can afford the ticket, your guilty. After all, it's your word against a government agent's.

Answer 10

they would use a stop watch....they still test their radar with a stop watch to make sure it is acurate