Thread: hand held radar!!!

In NSW the 'hand held' jobbies are Lidars (Light Distance and Ranging) which operate by releasing a light beam (constant speed) and using a timing device built into it to then calculate the speed. Vehicle mounted radars work on the same principle (S=D/T).

These things aren't calibrated - they operate on constants such as the speed of light and time, so they can only be checked for accuracy against surveyed distances. This is done before and after use - start and end of shift. They get checked by the Radar Engineering Unit every six months (manufacturer specifies every 12 months) and are issued with a certificate as to its accuracy which is recognised by the Courts.

As for operating procedures, vest - yep, tripod or monopod - no, only if you want to. There's a fair bit more to just grabbing one and knocking off speeders.... During the Highway Patrol training you have to consistantly demonstrate your ability to estimate the speed of approaching, receeding vehicles to within 5kph OR YOU FAIL THE COURSE. This is done on the side of the road and from within a moving vehicle, day and night. Your estimates are checked by the training officer using a Lidar or radar.

The (broad) guidelines for using a lidar or radar are that first an estimation is made - that's your prima facie evidence - not the radar/lidar. The speed on a lidar/radar backs up your estimation and gives the court/punter a number to look at.

Broadly, the lidar has a reticle and head up display, so you can put a little red dot on the car/bike you're looking at, so there's no ambiguity. A radar speads a beam that obtains readings by a reflected return, so observation and estimation is critical.

At the end of the day, we know when we're speeding and if you don't know how fast you are going (in reference to the limit) then bad luck. No one I know hits anyone less than 20 over the limit, so I reckon that's fair enough.

You always have the option of having the matter heard before a court but YOU must aduce evidence that the device was inaccurate and/or it was being used improperly......Oh, and you also get asked if you were speeding or not (under Oath).

Matt

PS. I absolutely HATE speed cameras.

Originally Posted by mudmouse

In NSW the 'hand held' jobbies are Lidars (Light Distance and Ranging) which operate by releasing a light beam (constant speed) and using a timing device built into it to then calculate the speed. Vehicle mounted radars work on the same principle (S=D/T).

These things aren't calibrated - they operate on constants such as the speed of light and time, so they can only be checked for accuracy against surveyed distances. This is done before and after use - start and end of shift. They get checked by the Radar Engineering Unit every six months (manufacturer specifies every 12 months) and are issued with a certificate as to its accuracy which is recognised by the Courts.

As for operating procedures, vest - yep, tripod or monopod - no, only if you want to. There's a fair bit more to just grabbing one and knocking off speeders.... During the Highway Patrol training you have to consistantly demonstrate your ability to estimate the speed of approaching, receeding vehicles to within 5kph OR YOU FAIL THE COURSE. This is done on the side of the road and from within a moving vehicle, day and night. Your estimates are checked by the training officer using a Lidar or radar.

The (broad) guidelines for using a lidar or radar are that first an estimation is made - that's your prima facie evidence - not the radar/lidar. The speed on a lidar/radar backs up your estimation and gives the court/punter a number to look at.

Broadly, the lidar has a reticle and head up display, so you can put a little red dot on the car/bike you're looking at, so there's no ambiguity. A radar speads a beam that obtains readings by a reflected return, so observation and estimation is critical.

At the end of the day, we know when we're speeding and if you don't know how fast you are going (in reference to the limit) then bad luck. No one I know hits anyone less than 20 over the limit, so I reckon that's fair enough.

You always have the option of having the matter heard before a court but YOU must aduce evidence that the device was inaccurate and/or it was being used improperly......Oh, and you also get asked if you were speeding or not (under Oath).

Matt

PS. I absolutely HATE speed cameras.

Matt,
same in SA, we have the lasers, radars and H/patrol (and some of the scooter pigs I think) have "Lidars".

Each unit calibrated every 6 months, twice as often as recommended by maker as already stated. This is done by a SAPOL employee.. BUT he is certified and is tested regularly by outside agencies and as such is very neutral...

same as in other places, if you blow throug somewhere with no reguard for those who live there expect to get 'a smack'!! If ou dont want someone doing 95 down your 60k street, dont do 115 throug an 80...people live there and the limits are there for a reason..in SA our road toll this year is absolutely atrocious so we are out and hard on road safety and the
"fatal 5"...

As` to the inference that coppers for some reason would try and 'bodgy' up a reading.. all I can say is this... 1) I dont reckon I know any one who would do this, we get paid the same wether we issue the notices or not...
2) Im too old to become a plumber, so I wont risk my job, pension, super etc for anyone...
3) If you do the crime -expect to pay the fine...simple
4) any when you do get caught 25k up on thelimit and ask if maybe I could give you a warning, expect "A WARNING, SURE, DONT SPEED OR YOU'LL GET ANOTHER ONE OF THESE" .. as its my standard answer now...

lastly...If you do get caught you have to look at it in a positive way....
think of it this way, 2 more of these and youll get a pushbike.

rant concludes
digger

Originally Posted by purples3t

Have not been nicked for a long time and never in a landrover..lol, however ride a 1200 motorcycle with grin and gusto. my gripe is that tickets need to be issued legitimatly or we waste tax payers money(job for polititians) . i want to see things that make a difference done by our hardworking boys in blue. brisbane now has 40 speed limit in cbd to try and protect morons who are too dumb to look before crossing the road, or more specificly to protect drunks ....hello it is against the law to be drunk in public not to mention stupid to out of control in an unfamiliar enviroment, arrest the drunks not the the car drivers. put em all in a cage overnight and fine em 130 bucks lets see how many reoffend!

As someone who has worked in the CBD for a long time I can assure you this has nothing to do with drunks. My observation is that many pedestrians cannot talk on a mobile phone and perform routine things like cross a road at the same time. There are many instances of people walking out without looking while on the phone.

I am a big fan of jaywalking but most people seem to do it without any intelligence, they just have a quick look and go, they don't think about the cars that may turn right or left. Ruin it for everyone cause then the cops have to stand around booking anyone jaywalking regardless of how safely they do it. They must hate that as much as we do.

But more importantly there are motorists who think it is okay to come off the freeway ramps, over crests into the CBD and not slow down. Drivers who cannot think further ahead than their bonnet, drivers who plant their foot in the CBD to make the orange light.

When you have that many pedestrians and motorists in close proximity behaving like morons then 40kph is needed. Like it or not half of our population has below average intelligence.