According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, most drivers do not pay attention to speed limit signs. Instead, most people drive at whatever speed over the speed limit they think will not get them a ticket. If you have a tendency to think maximum speed limit signs are more a suggestion than an actual rule, you might want to try taking this quiz to see how much you know about all the different ways law enforcement can take the lead out of your foot.
Q - If an officer is pacing you, he will follow you for several miles before pulling you over. True or false?
A - If you get pulled over by an officer who was using his speedometer to pace you, it's likely you won't know he was following you until after you see the flashing red and blue lights in your rear-view mirror. Since speeding is considered dangerous, most officers will only pace an offender for two-tenths to one-half mile before taking the wind out of his sails.
Q - "Radar'' is an alien space weapon or a character from the television show "M*A*S*H.'' True or false?
A - "Radar'' actually is an acronym that stands for "radio detection and ranging.'' When an officer aims a radar gun at your car, he is taking a reading of the electromagnetic radio waves reflecting off your moving vehicle. Since a radar device can be used while an officer is in a moving vehicle or standing still, radar remains the most frequently used device for catching speed violators. It is, however, very difficult for an officer to use radar in a heavily trafficked area, as radar is not vehicle-specific. Since radar has a wide beam with a range of three-quarters of a mile or more, officers must be highly trained to be certain that the wrong vehicle is not cited.
Q - Radar detectors are illegal. True or false?
A - While a radar detector is legal, a device that jams the radar signal is not. However, your radar detector might not be as valuable as you might hope. Some jurisdictions use drone radar stations. These unmanned stations send out a signal to purposely trip your radar detector. You think you're being targeted, so you slow down. Effectively, you are busted without being busted.
Q - Radar guns and pacing are the only ways authorities can catch a speeder. True or false?
A - Some jurisdictions will catch you with LIDAR (light detection and ranging), which uses a laser beam to track your speed. Or you can be caught speeding by an "average speed computer,'' which is mounted on the police vehicle dashboard and can measure your average speed over a particular distance. Or you may be brought down by an "eye in the sky'' air patrol. Or you can have an extremely unflattering picture taken of yourself (and your license plates) as you whiz by a photo radar system. So many possibilities!
Q - Your car will never have control over your behavior. True or false?
A - A system being tested in Ottawa, Canada, uses a modified GPS system that monitors a vehicle's location, then prevents the vehicle from exceeding the maximum speed limit on the road the vehicle is traveling on.
If it seems like law enforcement agencies are going to some pretty extreme lengths to get you to cool your heels, they are doing so for a good reason. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding is a factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, killing an average of 1,000 Americans every month.
Now, that's something to slow down and think about.
Michelle Groh-Gordy is the owner of InterActive! Traffic School Online at www.trafficinteractive.com, and writes a syndicated weekly column on driving for the publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
