Who knew Dry Prong had a speed trap....

(>ahem<) As someone who pays attention to these things, the reports on this
site seem to be one-offs. Somebody got a ticket one day, then ran home to
post a report.

In all of the localities I checked, none had listed the current speed traps
I know of, most posted reports were outdated, and more than a few damn well
deserved a ticket, considering the locations they reported.

(Theoretical question: is a speed trap set up near a school crossing really
a speed trap, or is it more in the nature of a public service?)

dwight
www.tfrog.com

From a retired cop point of view....

There are legitimate locations which many call speed traps. Those are
places where there is a high accident rate, high spped violation rate,
etc. Enforcement is supposed to be "selective", however, if the rate
of incidence is high enough, that enforcement becomes nearly
permanent.

A "speed trap" is defined as law enforcement doing things like hiding
in the bushes where a motorist would be too late in observation to
reduce speed or whatever to avoid being caught.

Patrols are supposed to be in plain sight "to the observant motorist".
At night, parking lights should be on. Visibility (including the use
of "fake" patrol vehicles) is a psychological deterant, in the same
way K-9s are psychological deterrants, as well as trackers, etc. If I
recall correctly, these "rules" have come out of court cases, some of
which reached the Supreme Court (when it was a bit more left leaning).
Some places I worked, if you got caught breaking the rules, you paid
the price (unpaid leave, garbage details, etc).

I am not so dumb as to say cops don't ever violate the rules, and in
some areas they are supported in violating the rules. However, my
experience is that most cops do follow the rules.There are more than
enough violators on the roads to keep any cop busy.  Their "targets"
are those who brazenly violate the traffic laws knowingly and think
themselves immune to being stopped.

And YES, while a violation is a violation is a violation, I consider
violations on different levels. A school zone being a prime example.
Residential areas get precedence over industrial, and over open road.
A speeder may take a pass going with the flow, but the one who adds
weaving in and out to get ahead of the pack becomes a moving target

So, when you say spped trap.... is it really a "trap", or was it a
motorist who wasn't paying attention and got stopped and is now ticked
off and complaining about the "speed trap"?

By the way, AAA and other motor clubs I've dealt with, do trip
planning for members. Based on reports from members, which are
quantified, they actually stamp the maps with detours around
construction zones and speed traps and mark the maps as what it is.
If they get enough complaints the word goes out to all their offices.