For and Against Local Police Running Radar As Bill Come To A Vote

by Alex Lloyd Gross

A house bill  that is making it’s way to a vote soon is seen by many as a money grab and by others as a tool for law enforcement. RADAR.  People speed on local roads everyday . Police cannot run radar to catch them. They can  currently use vascar or other  speed timed devices.  A  bill that is coming up in the PA House is seeking to change that.. It is HB 606.

Tom McCarey , of the National Motorists Association is against it. He calls it “A tax on every driver.”,  He also claims that speed limits are set too low to allow for safe driving.. “The speed at or below which 85 percent of all vehicles are observed to travel under free-flowing conditions past a monitored point” Traffic and Transportation Engineers use the 85th Percentile Speed as a guide to set the speed limit at a safe speed, minimizing crashes and promoting uniform traffic flow along a corridor When the posted limits reflect the speeds people actually drive safely, there is no need for over-the-top enforcement efforts. The less than 3% who drive dangerously fast can easily be dealt with by law enforcement,”he said.

Radar detectors and social media  are effective  in  keeping  people under the speed limit.  At least when the motorist  sees an officer run radar.  Different social media sites will have users advise when officers are out doing speed enforcement.Benslem Police

Many police unions are in favor of allowing their officers to run radar.  The downside to radar is the health effects on officers that operate or keep a radar gun too close to their body.  Many officers have gotten cancer that they believe correlates to running radar.  Philadelphia Police and many other suburban departments  have been using Vascar since 1985.  That device cannot be detected and it is safe to use.