One town in West Virginia with a population of
only 3,200 issued more than 18,000 tickets in a
single year, booking almost $4 million in revenue
Laser
Radar and Laser: Fair or unfair?
How laser works
Laser works very differently from
radar. The laser gun sends out a beam of
laser light that is so narrow and precise
it must be aimed with an optical sight,
like those used by sharpshooters. The
operator looks through the sight, aims
Laser guns are aimed with a sight, like a rifle.
Why radar and laser are used:
it’s not always about safety
When a driver is blatantly ignoring
safe driving techniques (i.e., speeding
through school zones or weaving in
and out of traffic) police are rightfully
enforcing traffic safety laws. But more
often than not, traffic radar is not about
safety. It’s about revenue.
at a specific vehicle, and pulls the trigger,
sending out a beam of light. When
this beam is reflected back to the laser
unit, the unit provides a speed reading.
Because of the narrow beams, laser
units are hand-held, and can only be
used from a stationary position.
Common laser errors
Both human error and the nature of
laser light contribute to errors. For
example, laser can only be used at a
distance of a thousand feet. This does
not give much time for aiming or vehicle
identification. Environmental and usage
conditions also affect laser. Rain, fog,
and snow can lead to false readings, as
can reflections of laser light from
highway structures and other vehicles.
As with any complex electronic
device, there can be technical
malfunctions and miscalibrations. It’s
even possible for the optical sight to be
misaligned, so the operator aims at one
vehicle, and clocks another.
Laser is inherently more difficult
to use and sensitive to environmental
conditions. In fact, because of
inaccuracies, some jurisdictions have
refused to give laser judicial notice,
which is required before a device is
authorized to be used for measuring
speed by law enforcement agencies.
The fact is, radar and laser speed
measurement are used to make it easier
to give traffic tickets. They are often set
up in areas where there are no safety
or traffic problems, simply high traffic
volume. Many times they are set up to
monitor the speed of every vehicle that
passes.
And enforcement is often highly
selective, with almost all vehicles
exceeding an often unreasonably-low
posted speed limit, but only a few
vehicles stopped.
Safety, or revenue?
Many times, speed enforcement
is motivated by revenue, not safety.
The virtually perfect conviction rate
of radar and laser clocked tickets has
balanced more than one town’s budget.
One town in West Virginia with a
population of only 3,200 issued more
than 18,000 tickets in a single year,
booking almost $4 million in revenue.
The high cost to the motorist
The cost of a single ticket can add
up to thousands of dollars. The fine
itself can range from $200 to $400 or
more, with insurance increases that
can add as much as $1,000 to $1,500 in
additional premiums. Many people pay
traffic fines out of convenience, never
realizing that insurance companies
treat payment of fines as a reason to
increase your premiums, regardless of
whether you were guilty or not.
