Having been to Missouri a number of times, I'd have to adopt their
state motto with respect to your suggestion of finding a used Lada:
"Show me."
--
C.R. Krieger
(Been there; ain't seen *that*)

An old diesel car -- could be a Merc -- is better for keeping the speed
down.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---

[...]

I had 1999 Audi 2.8 Quattro, then a 2002 Audi 3.0 Quattro and now a
2006 330i - sports package, 6 speed manual, silver.  I never knew what
loving a car was, I can't believe I wasted all those years on Audi's.

If you are driving the same speed as the majority of cars on any road
you will not get pulled over.  You do not need a radar detector unless
a) you are driving faster than the crowd - or 2) you are driving on
roads with little other traffic.

In the Northeast, even on I95, 10mph over the limit is a given.  Driving
75mph on the interstate you will never get pulled over, even if you are
the only car on the road.  That also happens to coincide with the speed
that traffic generally goes.  There are some cars that will go faster.

BTW, if you were really driving 100+ on your bike you were most
definitely going considerably faster than the average traffic.  In most
states a reckless charge is usually based on "speed over the limit" only
(which is stupid) and does not need to take traffic or road conditions
into account.

Here's an Atlanta cop's view of speeding and radar, it was posted
elsewhere about a year ago.  An interesting writing style...
=======================
Awright, glubdammit, enough whining and speculating about how to get
out of a speeding ticket. So much has been thrown around that's made
me snork my skoal that I've got to toss in my notes. Forget the
websites that have scrounged bits and pieces of mis-applied theory and
the ones that want to sell you a book. Have a seat on Uncle Juan's lap
and lemme tell you how it is. Yeah, right there. Squirm a little, I
like it.

First off, if you were speeding, stop whining. You played the game,
you got caught. Spare me the "this road was designed for xx miles per
hour, this speed limit is arbitrary, you're just trying to make money
for the county" etc. etc. Of COURSE I'm trying to make money for the
county, numbnuts! Complain to your commissioners if you want; all they
care about is that dollar figure on the fines revenue sheet each
month.

Second, schmooze it into a warning. Save the vitriol unless you really
want a "contempt of cop" ticket. Polite and even toned. Don't swing
the other way, either, into begging. Doesn't work, won't tug my
heartstrings; I haven't got one. And while I might be bi and willing
to sleep with almost anything, I'm not stupid. Put your swaying dugs
back in the blouse/tuck your man-missle back into the jeans. If you've
got a unique excuse or story- and I mean unique and funny, not the
same tired cliches- it might work. I'm a sucker for a good story I
haven't heard before. You can try the "I've really got to find a
bathroom!" only if you're willing to go the extra mile and actually
sh.t your pants. That has worked on me before- I figure anyone that
dedicated to getting a warning has gone above and beyond the call of
doody.

Third, as has been stated here before, shut the f.ck up. I'm going to
ask you "do you know why I stopped you?" and "do you know how fast you
were going?" Of course. Statements made by the driver are tasty
nuggets in court. Give it your best somewhat bewildered act. "Um, not
really... Speeding? Goodness. I thought I was going the speed limit,
but..."

Fourth, won't really help, but I thought I'd put it out there, as it
seems to be the most popular bit of urban legend: No, I do not have to
show you the radar.

Fifth, don't stand out. Don't give me a reason to remember you a month
or two later when the case finally drags into court. Be unremarkable.

So, the cocksucker gave you a ticket anyway. Well, now's the time to
hope you've got a lazy officer. You have three choices: Bench trial,
where it's you, the officer, and a judge; Bench trial with an
attorney; or jury trial. Beware attorneys "specializing" in speeding
cases... like DUI sharks, they don't give a sh.t if they win or lose.
All they want are their fees; as many as they can charge. They're not
worried about word-of-mouth referrals, because there's always more
fish in the sea. Jury trial can be a double-edged sword: You may find
a sympathetic jury; but if you're convicted, it's been my experience
that the State or Superior court judge who had to hear your case is
tired of "penny-ante" misdemeanors clogging his courtroom and will
slam you with the maximum punishment allowable.

Bench trial? OK. Don't put too much hope on the officer not showing
up. In some large, busy jurisdictions; possibly. In smaller ones, the
judges get testy when officers ignore their subpoenas. Your hope is to
attack his foundation. Note that this varies from state to state, but
most of them are similar.

First, he'd better have the required paperwork. A radar permit,
created by the jurisdiction's government and approved by the
Department of Public Safety that lists, in excruciating detail, the
roads on which radar is allowed to be run and the posted limits on
those roads. A calibration performed by a licensed FCC Radiotelephone
Technician once a year. A radar log showing a test of the unit's
calibration at the beginning and end of each shift (hint: look for
calibration check times that are the same each day. No one can do the
test at the exact same time every single day). In Georgia, the
violator has to be offered a test of the calibration of the unit on
the side of the road before the citation is written. The calibration
test, otherwise known as the "manufacturer's recommended daily test"
has to be performed as stated in the unit's manual... so he needs to
show the manual. The tuning forks also need to have yearly
certification paperwork... and ask to see the forks. Do the serial
numbers match the ones on the paperwork? Tuning forks go missing a
lot; and a lot of officers just grab whatever set they can find. Are
the forks chewed up because he's been smacking against something
harder than aluminum to make them ring? An FCC license granting
permission to operate the radar transmitter. His operator's permit,
and any renewal permits. If he's failed to present any of this during
his testimony, ask to see it when it's your turn. If the judge is
honest, he'll have to throw it out; because the State failed to lay a
proper foundation.

Next, in Georgia, there's some other locations that exclude operation
of radar. If he's stationary, he has to be visible for 500 yards
unless he's in a school zone, marked historical district, or marked
residential district. He can't operate on a road with more than a 7%
grade. He can't operate within 500 feet of a sign warning that speed
detection devices are used in the jurisdiction or a sign warning of a
speed change ahead; or within 300 feet of a reduction in speed sign in
an urban area (600 feet in a rural area). The speed measured must be
more than 10mph over the posted speed limit. IMPORTANT CAVEAT: None of
that applies to God's Special People, AKA the GSP, Georgia State
Patrol. They can basically run wherever they want.

Next, he has to have a valid tracking history to show that the speed
he registered belonged to your car. First is the visual estimate. Part
of his training is estimating speeds within +/- 5mph visually. Second
is the audio doppler tone. It should be pure and free of distortion
and of a pitch that matches his visual estimate. Third is the target
speed reading. It should match the visual estimate and doppler tone.
If he's running moving radar, the patrol speed displayed by the radar
must match his speedometer +/- 1mph. Finally, if he's running same
lane radar, he must speed up or slow down and ensure that the target
speed reading remains constant; this is the target speed
discrimination test. He may also identify your vehicle by listening to
the audio doppler as the car passes through the antenna's sidelobe;
the audio will drop off and distort as the car passes before finding
another target. Very few officers do this, I've found. Did he leave
out his tracking history, or was it incomplete? Attack this, as it's
how he ensured he tracked the correct car.

If he's dotted his i's and crossed his t's, rotsa ruck. At least you
will have the satisfaction of having fought a good fight; maybe 1/2 of
1 percent of people ever bother attacking a foundation or tracking
history. Their "testimony" usually makes the judge roll his eyes.
Don't be that person.

I present a gruff, jack-booted thug image online. Of course I do...
it's far more entertaining to the masses than Dudly Do-Right. Tweaking
the noses of folks who get bent out of shape too easily over imagined
slights of justice is too enjoyable. But I've certified several
hundred officers in this part of the state to run radar and laser, and
despite my persona, I can't become that kind of hypocrite. When I
write a ticket, I am 100% sure I am correct; or I don't issue one.

But, never fear, Atlanta area denizens. There are 50 lazy cops for
every one of me. And now that I'm sergeant in charge of training for
my department, I've turned in my jack-boots and traffic car for a desk
and a dry-erase board. Highway scofflaws are safe from my privations
for now.

Tune in next week when Uncle Juan presents: How To Talk Your Way Out
Of A Statutory Rape Charge, or Who Knew They Were Growing Tits On
Twelve-Year-Olds Like That These Days (It Must Be The Hormones In
Chicken). Now get off my lap or prepare to receive a rogering.

---
juanrico*at*5100bac.net
"Forget those trivial inventions like fire,
the wheel, the bow and arrow, and the plow.
Man didn't become truly civilized until Alex
Bell uttered those immortal words, 'sh.t,
Watson, I spilled acid all over my balls.' "
    --John Varley, _Steel Beach_

I live along the I-15 cooridor leading into San Diego County, and I also
have to do 90 or die. I've been passed by the cops while doing 85, so I know
they tend ot be a bit on the lenient side on occasion. Clearly, I am not a
saint when it comes to observing traffic laws, but I've failed to attract
attention to myself by lifting off the Go Pedal when I am not on the
interstate. I think the OP hasn't got the descretion that I've got. He
suggested that he has gotten several tickets, and is looking for a way to
beat them or not get them in the first place. If one is prone to getting
tickets, then one must be prone to speeding in places where the cops are not
happy about it.

If this rationale is accurate, then it seems that slowing down is the
premier action to be taking. The secondary action would be to go out and buy
one of the multi-band radar detectors, the Valentine 1 was suggested in
another post, that costs somewhere in the $400 range.

What I meant to say was...

I think you are mistaken, sir. According to the Consumer Reports
website I subscribe to, they have never tested radar detectors;

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/customer-service/helpfaqs-no-reports-availabl
e/index.htm?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=8&searchTerm=radar

Maybe you can post details of the test which "liked" the Valentine 1?

I'd far sooner speed wrecklessly than recklessly, but will the chicks
dig it as much?