A police officer checking speed with a hand-held radar device.

The term speed trap refers to a point where a speed limit is arbitrarily set, not related to prevailing speeds or hidden dangers, and is strictly enforced by police, though it may also refer to locations where a speed camera is posted.^[1] Alternately, the term may also refer to a speed limit that is enforced by timing how long a vehicle takes to transverse a measured distance. Cities or road sections become known as speed traps where police have a reputation for writing an unusually high number of traffic tickets, especially speeding tickets. Sometimes the posted speed limits are not easily seen; in other places, the limits might be set excessively low. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 571 pixelsFull resolution (2100 × 1500 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 571 pixelsFull resolution (2100 × 1500 pixel, file size: 1. ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll. ... A road speed limit is the maximum speed allowed by law for road vehicles. ... A red-light camera in use in Beaverton, Oregon, USA A road rule enforcement camera is a system including a camera and a vehicle-monitoring device used to detect and identify vehicles disobeying a speed limit or other road rule. ... A moving violation is any violation of the law, committed by the driver of a vehicle, while it is in motion. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Traffic ticket. ... A speed limit is the maximum speed allowed by law by vehicles on a road. ... A road speed limit is the maximum speed allowed by law for road vehicles. ...

Speed traps have been used since the beginning of the 20th century as a means to enforce speed limits, and Britain's Automobile Association was set up specifically to notify members of such speed traps.^[2] More modern examples of speed traps include their usage in the town of Big Cabin, Oklahoma, which raised three-fourths of its revenue from traffic citations, and a significant percentage of that was related to a section of highway where the speed limit dropped from 55 mph to 45 mph.^{[citation needed]} The state of Oklahoma enacted a law in 2004 that penalizes towns where the citation revenue exceeds 50% of the annual budget.^[3] The Automobile Association (also referred to as The AA) is a British motoring organization. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ...

In California traffic law, evidence obtained from speed traps (as specifically defined, see "Speed trap" in California traffic law) is not admissible. Photo enforcement systems for traffic signals may measure vehicle speeds to set the beginning of the yellow signal indication phase. Some courts have ruled that this is not a speed trap. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

France

Speed limit enforcement in France is widespread by the use of static manned police speed traps. In the case of offenders who do not have an address in France, French police and Gendarmes have the power to demand a deposit from the driver against the payment of the fine, which in practice is 100% of the amount of the fine for the offence. French police and Gendarmes target static locations where it is easy for them to trap large numbers of drivers exceeding the speed limit. These locations often include motorway sliproads, where speed limits that descend every 100 metres are common. Although accident rates are high in France, the French police and Gendarmes concentrate their resources mostly on speed^{[citation needed]}. In some cases, the gendarmes locate themselves at toll booths on motorways, and fine drivers who have arrived at the exit toll booth too soon since taking a ticket at the entry toll booth. A common tactic by long-distance drivers is therefore to take any breaks (for meals etc) on tolled sections of road rather than untolled sections, thereby reducing their average speed between the toll booths. Gendarmes Gendarmes guarding the Paris Hall of Justice Gendarmerie motorcyclists police the roads and autoroutes of rural France. ...

Radar detectors are illegal in France. The mere existence of a radar detector in a vehicle, even if switched off or packed in luggage, attracts a fine of up to €3000, confiscation of the device, potentially also of the vehicle, and in some cases a prison sentence.^[4] An early radar detector A radar detector is an electronic device used by motorists to determine if their speed is being monitored. ...

Automatic speed cameras exist in France, but are rare compared to other European countries, and usually face the front of oncoming vehicles, thereby capturing a photo of the driver.

United Kingdom

Most speed limit enforcement in the United Kingdom is carried out by automatic cameras (mostly Gatso, but some Truvelo- see Category:Speed camera types used in the United Kingdom). Cameras operated by Safety Camera Partnerships are required to be painted bright yellow to give lie to the camera's use as a deterrent rather than as a revenue-generating device, and new installations are mainly at defined accident black spots^{[citation needed]}. Gatso cameras face the rear of vehicles, meaning that no photo of the driver is captured. Cameras are not allowed to be hidden, for example behind road signs, trees or bushes, but this requirement applies at the time of installation only. A Gatso speed camera Gatso is a brand of speed camera manufacturd by the Dutch company Gatsometer BV. The Gatso works by using radar to measure the speed of vehicles, and then photographing the vehicle from the rear, after it has passed the camera, if it is travelling above the... Truvelo Combi speed camera Truvelo is generally used to refer to a speed camera manufactured by the South African company Truvelo Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd, the actual name of which is the Truvelo Combi. ... Safety Camera Partnerships are Local Government based organisations, set up in the United Kingdom as part of The National Safety Camera Scheme. ...

Manned static speed traps are becoming more and more frequent, usually in the form of automatic cameras carried in mobile vehicles. Some speed limit enforcement is carried out by police officers in cars (both marked and unmarked) who follow offenders (often filming them) for some distance before stopping them. This allows officers to gather evidence of other traffic offences and to gauge the overall standard of the offender's driving. Drivers of vehicles with no address in the UK currently evade paying British speeding fines very easily, given that the British police do not have the power to enforce payment on the spot, but plans have been announced to change enforcement procedures [1] [2].

Camera and radar detectors are currently legal to possess and install in the UK, though the actual operation of such a device is considered to be obstruction of the police in the execution of their duty. There are plans to ban them though such a ban would not be extended to GPS-based devices that merely warn drivers of fixed camera sites.

United States

Limiting speed traps

In response to speed trap towns such as Iowa Colony, Texas, the Texas Legislature limited the revenue that smaller cities may collect from traffic tickets. All funds in excess of this amount are remitted to the state. Oregon and other states have similar laws. Iowa Colony is a village located in Brazoria County, Texas. ... The Texas Legislature is the central lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Texas. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ...

Another tactic to limit speed traps is to reserve traffic law enforcement on numbered highways to state police or a similar entity. State police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in the United States. ...

Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officers are not allowed to enforce speed limits with RADAR speed detection devices. Instead devices such as VASCAR, and ESP are used. In these techniques, a distance is defined between two white lines, or another method of marking, and the time it takes the vehicle to traverse the distance is recorded.

"Speed trap" in California traffic law

The notion of "speed traps" is entirely different in California. Before the advent of radars, lasers and other hi-tech speed detectors, the speed of a vehicle was often determined with the help of aircraft observations by timing the moments when the vehicle passes two specific marks on a highway with known distance between them. This way was declared illegal, and for the purposes of the law the following definition was given in the California vehicle code: The California Vehicle Code pertains to the majority of laws and regulations relating to motor vehicles and their operation in the state of California in the United States. ...

A "speed trap" is ... a particular section of a highway measured as to distance and with boundaries marked, designated, or otherwise determined in order that the speed of a vehicle may be calculated by securing the time it takes the vehicle to travel the known distance.

The prohibition of this kind of "speed traps" followed after a series of successful defences that argued inadmissible error margin in human timing.

Subsequently, the second clause was added to the "speed trap" definition to cover inadmissible usage of "radar or other electronic devices". It considers multiple factors, such as the operation standards of devices, training of police officers, and whether the enforced speed limits were properly justified.

See also

• Speed camera
• SPECS Speed Camera
• Radar gun
• Radar detector
• Point of Interest

A red-light camera in use in Beaverton, Oregon A road-rule enforcement camera is a system including a camera and a vehicle-monitoring device used to detect and identify vehicles disobeying a road rule or road rules. ... SPECS cameras over motorway SPECS is a speed camera system manufactured by the British company Speed Check Services Limited. ... U.S. Army soldier uses a radar gun to catch speeding violators at Tallil Air Base, Iraq. ... An early radar detector A radar detector is an electronic device used by motorists to determine if their speed is being monitored. ... A point of interest, or POI, is a specific point location that someone may find useful or interesting. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is the second-most widely circulated newspaper in the state, after The Oklahoman. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Speedtrap Registry Sponsored by the National Motorists Association.

• Speed Traps In Your Area

• Speed Traps in France

• Speed Traps in Israel

• Speed Traps on your mobile phone

• PocketGpsWorld (GPS locations of speed traps)