Return-Path: Received: by K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU id aa09744; 19 Jun 92 14:43:41 EDT Received: from cary.adm.cs.cmu.edu by K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU id aa09628; 19 Jun 92 14:26:18 EDT Received: from cary.adm.cs.cmu.edu by CARY.ADM.CS.CMU.EDU id aa05479; 19 Jun 92 14:23:01 EDT To: bovik@CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Vascar Date: Fri, 19 Jun 92 14:22:49 -0400 Message-ID: <5476.708978169@CARY.ADM.CS.CMU.EDU> From: Cary_Lund@CARY.ADM.CS.CMU.EDU Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1992 09:48-EDT From: Kyoung.Kim@ISL1.RI.CMU.EDU To: Cary Lund Subject: Re: Vascar? Message-Id: <708270511/kk1m@ISL1.RI.CMU.EDU> In-Reply-To: Cary Lund's bboard message of 11-Jun-92 09:35 Cary, I also got a speeding ticket at the same location your partner got a ticket. They clocked me at 36.5 mph (grand total $203). Unfortunately, I think the Vascar in question was pretty accurate because I was doing about 35 mph at the time. I knew something was going on and I slowed down a bit, but it was too late to avoid being clocked by the Vascar. I am going to go to traffic court and plead guilty. I will just ask the judge to reduce the fine (because I am one of those poor sutdents) and promise I will NEVER do it again. If your partner is interested in going to the court together, let me know. Another guy also got a ticket and he may contact me soon. -- Harry (x8780) Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1992 13:15-EDT From: Robert.Frederking@DHAKA.MT.CS.CMU.EDU To: Cary Lund Subject: Re: Vascar? Message-Id: <708282917/ref@DHAKA.MT.CS.CMU.EDU> In-Reply-To: Cary Lund's bboard message of 11-Jun-92 09:35 I'd certainly fight it. With Vascar, the officer running the Vascar equipment determines its accuracy. In Ohio they have to be specially licensed. She should find out if that's the case in PA, and ask the officer if he is. She should also get details of how they measured the distance, how exactly he clocked her car, and insist that she wasn't going that fast. Were there other cars around her going faster? Maybe they mistook her car for another one. If she's lucky, the officer won't show up. Bob -- Robert E. Frederking Internet: ref@cs.cmu.edu School of Computer Science/CMT Telephone: 412-268-6656 Carnegie Mellon University FAX: 412-268-6298 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1992 12:53-EDT From: Michael.Mills@B.GP.CS.CMU.EDU To: Douglas Reece Cc: Cary Lund Subject: Re: Speed trap Message-Id: <708368031/mills@B.GP.CS.CMU.EDU> In-Reply-To: Douglas Reece's bboard message of 12-Jun-92 12:05 having read your posts, i was the victim of quite a vascar fiasco several years ago and, in prep to fight it, an attorney friend of mine gave me a sizeable file of data including statutes, prior cases, AAA info and commercial vascar literature, and even her personal notes for fighting this type of case. if either/both of you would like to copy any of this, i'll bring it in this afternoon. i will need to have it back in entirety but you're more than welcome to borrow it... michael To: cary+@CARY.ADM.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Re: Vascar? Newsgroups: cmu.cs.general In-Reply-To: <1992Jun11.131632.237062@cs.cmu.edu> Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon Cc: Bcc: Date: Thu, 11 Jun 92 10:00:03 EDT From: michal@GS58.SP.CS.CMU.EDU Sender: michal@GS58.SP.CS.CMU.EDU Read bovik for info on how to fight speeding tickets. It has a lot of useful information, including how to defend yourself even if the cop does show up in the court. However, since you mentioned that stop sign, can I ask you how did you win that case? My wife just got a ticket for that too, and I couldn't find any good tips for defending it (short of hoping that the cop does not show up). If you don't mind, I would forward your answer to Bovik. Michal From: Robert Harper Date: Thu, 11 Jun 92 10:23:20 EDT To: Cary Lund In-reply-to: cary+@CARY.ADM.CS.CMU.EDU's message of Thu, 11 Jun 92 09:16:32 -0400 Subject: Vascar? I posted an article to Bovik a while back about dealing with speeding tickets. There's another informative article in there somewhere as well explaining everything. The main point is that it is definitely worth fighting in court (I offer some advice). Vascar is a bunch of bullshit: it means that the cop timed you with his watch. They give you a speed to one decimal place, neglecting to mention that it's plus or minus 5 mph (at least). And these speed traps are completely horseshit that should be disallowed as wasteful of police resources. Bob Date: Thu, 11 Jun 92 10:48:06 EDT From: Thomas.Sullivan@DB2.SPEECH.CS.CMU.EDU To: cary.lund@CS.CMU.EDU Subject: vascar I can't give you any scientific accuracy info on vascar, but I do know that in the majority of the cases I've heard of people fighting ticket like this, the person generally gets away with a reduced fine and no points, which is certainly worth one's while (especially the "no points" part!). I'd say fight it, it's worth the extra 5 bucks it may cost. --Tom Date: Thu, 11 Jun 92 11:35:48 -0400 From: psc@SEI.CMU.EDU Message-Id: <9206111535.AA08144@ts4b.sei.cmu.edu> To: cary+@CARY.ADM.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Vascar Well, I suppose you know already that vascar is *not* radar, and that only state police are allowed to use radar. Vascar is a simple timing device that clocks speed between two points--that's all. It is apparently very accurate when it is calibrated. I know of two people who have beaten tickets in court by questioning the arresting officer as to the last date of calibration of the vascar device. Apparently there is a rule that the device must have been calibrated within the last 30 days (maybe 60, not sure). My former boss got out of his ticket by questioning vascar (he just thought of this himself). And my other friend Jack, who is a real rod nut, used this defense routinely in defending himself from speeding tickets. He now works for the city and still recommends using it. Peter Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1992 13:06-EDT From: Paul.Kikuchi@CONN.FAC.CS.CMU.EDU To: Cary Lund Subject: Re: Vascar? Message-Id: <708282402/mopar@CONN.FAC.CS.CMU.EDU> In-Reply-To: Cary Lund's bboard message of 11-Jun-92 09:35 I spent a day in traffic court one time. All the cases concerning vascar basically held up. The judge said that vascar has been decided to be very accurate. However, many fines were reduced if the story was good enough :^)