Is it more than a quarter mile?
2007-06-01 06:20:38 · 5 answers · asked by chiwisthedog 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
Depends on the terrain and the amount of traffic. With light traffic and terrain with a long field of visibility, from a stationary position, a speed gun can register a good reading from about a mile away. With a lot of traffic with shorter lines of sight, it might only be a hundred yards.
2007-06-01 06:27:16 · answer #1 · answered by thegubmint 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed gun's distance is a lot bigger than you think. It is more than a mile, however, that is only on a straight line of sight. But, the distance that it is legally allowed to be used, is the average distance that a normal person can see. For example...two cars are basically side by side, only one is doing 70 while the other is doing 55. The road is flat straight and the cop is five miles away. The speed gun might be able to register that someone or something is going 70 mph, but the cop can not determine from that distance who or what that is. Once the vehicles are close enough to see, then the cop makes a determination who is the speeder.
A good example is when you see five or more cars all speeding, and the cop pulls over one. It's the cop's judgment, and not the speed gun that is making the determination which is which. If you had all of the license plate numbers of the other vehicles, you might be able to beat the case...but people don't memorize those for each car that might be around them that is speeding.
2007-06-01 14:06:00 · answer #2 · answered by auditor4u2007 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Weather and terrain make a big difference, but under good conditions most are effective to close to a mile.
Now if the trooper happens to be equipped with a laser for measuring speed, the range could be more than a mile.
2007-06-01 13:29:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes
Recently my hubby and I were followed by a state trooper...I would estimate that he was as least a mile or more behind us when he flipped on his lights, and pulled us over for doing 3 over the limit.
2007-06-01 13:28:21 · answer #4 · answered by All I Hear Is Blah Blah Blah... 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the gun. Is it radar or lidar? Some models of radar can "see" over hills and around corners. L(aser)idar is only line of site and how far the officer can see (to aim).
Frequency, pulsation and signal strength are factors in radar.
More than 1/4 mile, sure in most cases.
Stop speeding and you can stop worrying.
2007-06-01 13:29:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋