JoeTaylor

I got popped in a speed trap in Tifton, GA this past weekend. They had 8+ patrol cars doing the work and a single guy shooting laser from an overpass. I never saw the guy shooting laser. I was in my DD, black on black, Acura RL. Got popped for doing 80 in a 65 zone in I-75 South.

That got me looking for protection and found an interesting web site;

Guys of Lidar - http://www.GuysOfLidar.com/

The site is quite good, they are reviewing radar detectors and laser jammers. It seems the best of the lot is some jammer called "Laser Interceptor" (as of test date in 7/2008).

I am an BSEE and impressed with the range and scope of their testing and lack of recommendations, IE you decide.

Dont know if anyone else posted this info, but I thought I would share it with everyone.

VTY,
Joe

Ron_H

Joe, you may want to check your state's statutes for the definition and legality of "speed traps", which are not allowed under California law. Florida may be the same way and you may have the evidence suppressed if you can get the judge to rule against any officer who utilizes a speed trap in absence of a valid engineering study that is current.

JoeTaylor

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the head up. What you say is logical, but there are several problems.

1) Tifton, Ga is 3-4 hours from my home in Florida (Jax area)

2) Small town Ga towns LOVE out-of-state plates, I know, I lived in one for a while. Zapping people from Florida is a sport.

3) I am pretty sure Georgia allows what they did. IE, an organized speed trap, it was a classic on I-75 and I-95 going though Ga.

I dont like it, but I will just make the phone call, dummy up and pay the ticket. If I grew up in Tifton or a neighboring county, I would not have gotten a ticket, maybe just a warning.

I am just gratefully the speed trap wasnt an hour north on I-75 or I would have been sitting in the jailhouse, smiles.

VTY,
Joe

Fogey1

I don't know how far away Tifton is from you, but if you take it to court both officers need to show up to make the case. Maybe they made enough off the other unfortunates they won't want to pay the overtime for two cops to show in court.

Just sayin'

Iwanna928

Great thread! I will need one, SOON!

Stephen

lrpman

Florida speed trap is run by the "Silver Bullet" on US 301. It is a legend in the are of Stark Florida.
The speed trap on a holiday weekend is a given. They call them a SWEEP and the town loves the added income.

NoVector

And I just got a V1 for Christmas this morning. Guess I should have asked for the combo laser blocker package instead…

/ Bruce

Jim M.

The BMW forum is having a group buy on the Blinder M27/47

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=416025
The prices are as follows:

- M27 (2 head system) Retail $479 / Group buy price $360 SHIPPED IN THE US
- M47 (4 head system) Retail $749 / Group buy price $650 SHIPPED IN THE US

tveltman

I believe that states can only outlaw interference with an officer performing his duty. Only the federal government has the right to regulate the electromagnetic spectrum. The laser they use in the LIDAR gun is almost identical in wavelength to your television remote control -- the FCC isn't going to regulate it. As long as you react accordingly to keep the unit somewhat stealthy, I don't think they have a case, especially if they get a lock on you. Radar jammers, however, are illegal. You need an FCC licence to operate on any of the radar bands, but I suppose you could get one under the guise of a "vehicle proximity awareness safety system" or some such. It's probably easier to invest in a CB radio and keep an ear out for the truckers, they always relay speed trap info down the line.

shmark

Georgia definitely either legally allows such traps or has a well established "look the other way" policy because these are common. I drove down from Atlanta to south GA yesterday afternoon and passed several. The one that saved my bacon was seeing a cop with someone pulled over on the northbound side. There was a laser car on the bridge and several pursuit vehicles lines up on the onramp. And yes Tifton is known for being a popular speed trap, welcome to GA!

Ron_H

I agree. CBs are great on the open road. TRuckers share information and so do I. Smokey alerts are common in my experience. But truckers can't be everywhere, unfortunately.

dr bob

And the good news--

The drivers' paradise of Glendale here in SoCal just received a GRANT from a "traffic safety foundation" for laser speed guns. Foundations don't have any need to expose who the donors/supporters/benefactors are. Grant is large enough to equip every car and motorcycle with one of these amazing tools. I'm really looking forward to having safer streets now!

Money better spent would be on in-car video to verify red-light and stop-sign runners here. Not those pole-mounted things, but a camera in the car that would show unequivocally that the driver did in fact drive the way he/she learned to while drive watching others cruise right through red signals and stop signs. Camera cuts down on arguments, and prevents authoritarian abuse at the same time. Not a bad idea to have a camera running in your car while driving anyway. They are sure cheap enough.

dprantl

There should be a real driving test, then there wouldn't need to be so many (or any at all) stop signs everywhere...

Dan
'91 928GT S/C 475hp/460lb.ft

Ron_H

This man speaks the truth.

RKD in OKC

I think something as easy to cheat on as an internet based multiple choice test of just the basic rules would improve driving safety tremendously. Heck, I would think it would improve safety much more than a freaking laser speeding ticket revenue generator in every police car. These people are just greedy and untruthful. They should be honest and say they are putting lasers in cars to increase income not to make the roads safer.

We had a public safety TV commercial here in Oklahoma a few hears ago where a Highway Patrol Officer made the statement: "20% of fatal accidents involve speeding, and 80% of drivers are speeding." Those statistics are saying 20% of drivers that aren't speeding are causing 80% of the fatal accidents! Then the officer goes on to talk about how speeding kills, What? Non-speeders are causing more fatal accidents than speeders!

/Rant