scott

Got a ticket last night from an ******* of a Mass State Trooper. He nailed me for 78 in a 55 using Lidar. I had not heard of lidar. To learn more about Lidar see http://www.speedtrap.com/faqonlid.html I have my doubts about this Lidar...because I was coming around a corner, and there is NO WAY I was doing 78....when I looked down I was doing FAR less that 78mph......I was 100 yards from a sppedlimit 65 zone too....<p>The cop was rude as hell, and when he came back with my ticket, he LITERALLY chucked it into the car over my shoulder while mumbling something 100% imperceptible. Doesn't he have to at least explain it to me? Has anyone fought Mass and won? Feedback appreciated.<p>Scott<ul><li><a href="http://www.speedtrap.com/faqonlid.html">http://www.speedtrap.com/faqonlid.html</a></li></ul>

Scott

Do they always go off with Lidar?

Cris

I just paid my ticket to the Mass. Supposely I was "going" much (alot) faster than my speedo was saying. They had a trap at the Sturtbridge on I-90 heading East, then a partner is 1/4 mile down the road flagging people down. Apparently the 1st trooper clocked me while I was passing a car, from the inside lane! WTF!?! Not a single warning went off with my radar detector... not even Valentine 1 would have saved me. Are all troopers rude about pulling people over? Mine was.... wouldn't talk to me when I asked a question. <br>Paid my ticket and that's it. Of course, you may be able to get points knocked off if you fight yours. <br>Good luck.<p>Cris<br>

Mark P

I'm a dumb ***. Now that that is said... Traveling home from Poughkeepsie, NY to Danbury, CT on I-84 just before exit 19, I notice an officer parked on one of those couple-hundred-ft branches between E and W traffic. He was on the complete other side (closest to Wbound traffic) and his car was pointed N (pointed to enter Wbound traffic). I'm going Ebound. I can somewhat see him leaning against his driver's door and think that he is probably shooting Laser out the passenger window. This also crossed my mind because their radar units are usually mounted to the car parallel to the length of the car and thus would be doing no good the way he was parked. Being that it appeared that he was targeting the Wbound traffic, I (am stupid) didn't slow down in my bright red auto (Ford Probe since '00 1.8T is still a few months off). Sure enough, he does a U-turn and enters Ebound traffic. He's almost a mile behind me. I contimplated getting off the next exit as it is a back way home, but the exit was too far ahead and that might only make things worse. So, I pulled over into the right lane and set the cruise control to ~67? He made his way slowly passing cars and finally pulled behind me turning on his lights (I could write a lot more on how I hate cities/states/towns that only have red lights. I feel police should have red/blue as it distinguishes them more. This overflows into my feelings about red turn signals as well, but I'll stop for now). So we get pulled over, he asks for license and reg. I give him lic, and begin looking for reg, since it's my father's car. He asks if I know why I was pulled over. I tell him that I assume for speeding. He replies if I know how fast I was going. I look him square in the sunglasses, and say "Honestly, I had the cruise control set for about 67, and I was passing some cars back there". He tells me that I was going 83, and with my surprised look, I say that I did not know that I was going THAT fast. He asks if the car is reg with my last name (I have still not found the reg), I say yes, he says not to worry, he'll run a quick check. I find the reg and he say that it is good that I have it, but he doesn't need it.<p>He says "since you were honest with me, what I have done is write the ticket up for 83, but if you fill out the 'not guilty' part we can talk abou this some more". We talk a little more and he is on his way.<p>HERE's THE REALLY STUPID PART:<br>In NYS, you have to mail in the ticket and then they send you notice of the fine (or court date if you plead not guilty). I sent in the ticket WITHOUT filling in the back (ie Guilty/ Not Guilty) ARRRRGHGGGHHGHHHH!!!!! Now I gotta call the court I guess.<p>Something else I noticed: When he pulled me over he told me that he got me with Laser, yet on the ticket as the infraction he wrote "Speeding (Radar)" My understanding is that those are two different things.<p>Anyway, must find court # now.<br>I'll post updates if they're interesting.<br>Sorry, I know this belongs Off-Topic<p>Mark

BorisM

Scott,<br>The laser detector will not go off unless the detector sensor is illuminated by the laser. In taking the speed reading, the cops aim for the license plates (the most reflective surface on your car). The laser beam travels in a straight line with minimal dispersion, and if the cop car is relatively close, the laser beam will reflect off of the license plate without hitting the detector. Now, if the cop car is 300-400' away or more, the laser light will be somewhat dispersed in a cone pattern, and will likely hit your detector. Your V1 will start wailing, and you will see three dashes on the display.<br>Things to keep in mind:<br>1. Lidar works in a straight line - the cop must have a clear view of your car. Meaning - you have a clear view of the cop too.<br>2. Lidar is heavy and bulky, and has to be steadied. The cops typically use the car window to steady the lidar.<br>3. Lidar is instantaneous. If my memory serves me right, the LTI 20/20 (the more popular of the two lidars on the market) samples speed 20 times a second. Meaning - if your detector goes off, you've been nailed. Mickey Valentine is quite candid about the worthlessness of laser detectors, and says that he added the laser detector feature to be competitive with other radar detector makers.<p>My technique for avoiding lidar:<br>1. Pay attention. You will see the cop the same time he/she sees you. It takes time to aim the lidar and press the trigger. You will have a second or two to slow down.<p>2. Slow down before blind corners.<p>3. Watch the tail lights of the drivers ahead of you. The lidar cop has to be in the open - the other drivers will signal you.<p>4. If your detector goes off, start getting your license and reg. ready. Get that V1 off your dash.<p>---------------<br>C&D did an excellent review of lidar detector effectiveness a few years ago - you might want to fire up your favorite search engine to find it on the Web. <br> <br>Hope this helps,<br> B.<br>

Scott

Thanks Boris<br>1. It WAS a blind corner, and it was PITCH, I MEAN PITCH black.<br>2. I was between two other cars so i am not sure how we go me.<br>3. Should I get those plastic liscence plate covers?<p>scott

Andreas

I was researching this issue myself, and I found a product from Lidatek that supposedly "jams" the radar gun. It's suppose to give you between 6-12 seconds to slow down. I haven't used it myself but it does look promising. The url is:<p>http://www.lidatek.com/<ul><li><a href="http://www.lidatek.com/">LidaTek inc.</a></li></ul>

BorisM

Scott,<br>1. I've never seen or heard of troopers using lidar after dark. They have to aim the darn thing using a riflescope-like aimer. The oncoming headlights would blind them.<br>2. Using lidar, the cops can pick and choose among traffic. But - they have to see you clearly! Not likely in pitch blackness.<br>3. No opinion. It can't hurt, though. I've seen license plate covers that will protect you from photo-radar, preventing the camera from taking a picture of your plate. These prevent off-axis view of your license plate, and I heard of people being pulled over for having them.<p>Your encounter sounds like an arbitrary and capricious law enforcement. Ask your lawyer.<p>Happy motoring,<br> BorisM<br> 97 1.8TQMSX Silver<p><p>

RobP

Re: Ha! They got you too?-Gee that is their favorite spot on the PIKE!

Scott G

Re: Just paint your car flat black.