Speed Traps in California

Nothing is more frustrating than the red and blue flashing lights popping up behind your rearview mirror. You know the lights are for you, yet you’re also positive you didn’t do a thing wrong.You didn’t blow through a light or run a stop sign. You didn’t cut anyone off and you haven’t been using your cell phone. So why are you being pulled over? A tail light not working, perhaps?When the officer approaches you, he or she asks if you know how fast you were going. You reply you were going 55, as the sign suggests. However, the officer tells you the speed limit actually changed to 25. It seems strange, because after all, how could there be such a wide drop in speed when you just saw a 55 MPH sign.

You don’t argue with the officer, so you accept your ticket, because after all, they were nice enough to write it down only going five over.

Yet when you return through the same road later, you do in fact see the speed limit drops, seemingly in the matter of a hundred feet or so, in an odd spot, without much warning. Why is that? Well, the purpose of speed traps is much simpler than you may think.

Where Do Speed Traps Occur?

If you’ve ever been pulled over in a speed trap, you’ll notice a few consistencies. First, it almost always seems to take place on the outskirts of a smaller town. Perhaps going from the highway to the main road of a small town, which is then shortly followed by another extended stretch of highway. The speed change is dramatic.You don’t receive much in way of warning between the sudden shift in speed. It may drop from 55 to 25, or 70 to 35. If you look down to change the radio station, or to tell the kids in the back you’re almost there, you may completely miss the new, reduced speed limit sign. Even if you do see the sign, there is almost no time to completely slow down, unless you either know the secondary speed is coming up, or you slam on your breaks.To compound the issue, many of these common speed traps take place on a slight decline, so the momentum of your vehicle is already traveling down. So why exactly are these speed traps in place? After all, there has to be a better way to slow traffic to the upcoming town.

There is a Reason Behind Speed Traps

The main, and really only reason, for these speed traps is to make money. The speed traps in California typically only occur around small towns. These small towns receive very little in way of internal fines and fees from locals. There might be the occasional parking ticket or running of a red light.For the most part, these smaller police departments just don’t have the monetary capability of other departments where a continual inflow of money comes in from fines. The sudden speed change is known to locals, so they can prepare for the shift by slowing down in advance. Outsiders driving through likely are unaware of the speed trap.This means fines from tickets come more from outsiders than those who call the town home. This works in two ways. First, the money is coming externally, which means it doesn’t hinder the local economy from a local losing money they would spend on goods and services. The second way is someone traveling through will most likely not want to fight the ticket, because who wants to return to a city away from home to fight it. It would cost more to come out and fight the ticket than to just pay the fine.

Defend Your Rights

There is something very dirty about speed traps. The quick and sudden shift in speed, and the way a hidden police officer sits right at the speed change, waiting for unsuspecting drivers.This has nothing to do about safety. In fact, throwing down on the brakes can lead to fender benders, or unsafe movement in the vehicle. But what should you do if you are pulled over within the speed trap? Should you just pay the fine? No, not at all. It is the duty of street signs, speed limits and the police to keep you safe. It is not there to just make money off of out of town drivers. As the sudden speed change puts everyone inside of the vehicle at risk, this is a liability over everything else. Ticket Snipers is around to assist you in any kind of traffic stop you’ve been in, including a speed trap.

Why Fight The Ticket

If you are pulled over and flagged for speeding, there is more at play here than just the cost of the ticket. Sure, the officer was “nice enough” to write the speed down. However, you may accumulate additional points on your license, and your auto insurance may go up in price as well, all due to this fraudulent form of police work.The local judge knows it is a speed trap, as he or she has sat on probably dozens, if not hundreds of cases involving it. You just need to present the case to court and the judge is more likely to side with you. With the best ticket fighting attorney at your disposal, you can avoid these costly fines and insurance costs.