An Op-Ed On the Radar Bill In the Senate
Unraveling RADAR
Officials, in response to constant haranguing by uninformed and mis-informed voters who are constantly told “Everyone Speeds!” and ”Slower is Safer,” want drivers to slow down. The officials try to accomplish this by posting low speed limits that they think will placate the voters.
Almost invariably, these lower limits are 8 to 16 mph below the 85th Percentile Speed (FHwA data), the safest speed. The result of these low-posted limits is that they make 85% of drivers into “speeders”-criminals- liable for a ticket.
When people don’t “slow down,” the uninformed and mis-informed voters clamor for enforcement: Just the reaction the officials hoped for. This is the excuse they need for the go-ahead with unnecessary and predatory enforcement-for-profit. The next step is for municipal police to complain that they can’t perform the level of enforcement the officials want without getting RADAR guns, the goal of Speed Trap Bill SB 607.
See how this works? 1. Create a non-existent “speeding” problem, 2. Post too-low limits, 3. Give municipal police RADAR, 4. Take your money.
The result will be to extract, unfairly and under the false pretense of making the roads safer, huge amounts of money from perfectly safe drivers.
The irony is, drivers know this is bogus and an excuse to justify writing boat loads of tickets. Yet the politicians continue to push the RADAR agenda. For your money, not for safety.
Tell your Representative and Senator to vote NO on Speed Trap Bill SB 607.
Tom McCarey