RADAR Speeding Ticket | Washington State RADAR Information

/ 0 Comments /

Understanding your RADAR Speeding Ticket

If you received a ticket in Washington State, chances are that the law enforcement officer measured your speed using a RADAR or a LIDAR device. RADAR units are not as accurate as LIDARs. So a RADAR speeding ticket is easier to beat than a LIDAR speeding ticket. In this article, we will discuss the basics of RADAR units.

How RADAR Works: How does the RADAR Gun Measure Speed?

If you want to beat your RADAR speeding ticket in Washington State, it is crucial that you understand how the RADAR unit works. RADAR unit is not a laser. RADAR stands for Radio Detection And Ranging. RADAR unit emits radio waves.

There are many brands and models of RADARs. However, they all work on this basic principle. A RADAR gun transmits radio waves. The radio waves then travel out of the RADAR gun, bounce off a moving object (your car), and are received by the RADAR gun when they return. The unit then measures the difference in frequency after the waves hit the moving object, and calculates the speed of  that object.

Different Types of RADAR Units

As mentioned above, there are different type of RADAR units; different brands and different models. The RADAR units fall into two categories: car-mounted and hand-held “guns.”

Car-Mounted RADAR units can be operated in stationary mode or in moving mode. Car-mounted units read a vehicle’s speed when the vehicle passes through the unit’s beam. Some of the car-mounted units have a “speed set.” It allows the officer to set a speed at which the officer decided a stop is appropriate. If the driver’s speed exceeds the “set speed,” the unit alerts the officer.

Car-mounted RADAR units can also operate in a moving mode, allowing officers to measure drivers’ speeds even if the officer’s patrol car is also moving.

The newer RADAR units also come with a “hold” mode. When in “hold” mode, the unit will stop emitting radio frequencies so they are not picked up by drivers with RADAR detectors. So if you have a RADAR detector in your car and you received a RADAR speeding ticket, it is probably because the unit was in “hold” mode and undetectable by your RADAR detector.

Problems with RADAR Units

RADAR units are notorious for not working properly under real-world conditions. The following conditions will almost certainly give out inaccurate readings:

  • More than one vehicle on the road.
  • Whether conditions such as wind, rain, and storms.
  • Calibration problems.
  • Inaccurate reading of the moving patrol car.

Fortunately for RADAR speeding ticket lawyers who know what they are doing, RADAR unit inaccuracies give them just one more tool to beat speeding tickets.

Read about beating your Washington State LIDAR speeding ticket.

Author: Greg Sarkisyan is a lawyer at Community Law Firm, PLLC. For help with traffic tickets call us at (206) 262-7390 or e-mail us at Help@CommunityLawPLLC.com

 

 

separator