Radar Guns

[c4c2006]

What is the name of your state? GA
What is the maximun distance a radar gun can capture speed and would an officer have enough time to walk, not run, to the left lane (of a 2 lane hwy) and motion a car to stopped that was clocked at 66 mph?

An officer clocked a van at 55mph that was just in front of me and said I was clocked at 66
The van was in the right lane and I was in the left. Maybe I'm just ignorant as to how advanced radar guns are but it just doesn't add up to me. I'm thinking that If I had enough time to see him and slow down that I was pretty far away esp since I was on a highway where you don't expect some idiot to jump out in the middle of the road.

Thanks

 

[seniorjudge]

...What is the maximun distance a radar gun can capture speed and would an officer have enough time to walk, not run, to the left lane (of a 2 lane hwy) and motion a car to stopped that was clocked at 66 mph?....

I would suggest that with all those variables, your question is unanswerable.

Let me just say this: If a cop testifies he got such-and-such reading off a radar gun, what would you say to prove him wrong? Who do you think the judge will believe?

 

[Robbie0723]

Nominal range is 3,500 ft depending on conditions and size/shape of the target, etc.

So at 60 mph you can be nailed up to 30 sec before encountering the "idiot" in the middle of the road.

 

[cepe10]

What is the name of your state? GA
What is the maximun distance a radar gun can capture speed and would an officer have enough time to walk, not run, to the left lane (of a 2 lane hwy) and motion a car to stopped that was clocked at 66 mph?

An officer clocked a van at 55mph that was just in front of me and said I was clocked at 66
The van was in the right lane and I was in the left. Maybe I'm just ignorant as to how advanced radar guns are but it just doesn't add up to me. I'm thinking that If I had enough time to see him and slow down that I was pretty far away esp since I was on a highway where you don't expect some idiot to jump out in the middle of the road.

Thanks

Keep in mind:

At 1000 feet the K-Band Radar Beam width (12 degrees) is over 200 feet wide.

The radar will report the speed of the stronger target - usually the bigger vehicle.

You were traveling at 100 ft/s so that leaves little time for walking accross the highway and leaving time still to signal you to pull over.

How that unit was calibrated and how the tuning forks used to calibrate it were certified for accuracy is also important to look at.

 

[Robbie0723]

The radar will report the speed of the stronger target - usually the bigger vehicle.

Be aware there are radars that display speed of the strongest signal and can also track the speed of the vehicle that is the second strongest target -- as long as that target is going faster than the primary target.