From: GERALD PARRY on Friday, August 27, 1999
State: Pennsylvania
Story: I was traveling home to Buffalo, NY from VA., It was about 2am when I driving into a small. I saw signs warning about up coming intersections.
I then noticed a 35mph speed limit sign, I broke immediately! I then noticed a police car park on the side of the road. I was sure glad I broke in time. I then rolled past the police car and noticed that I was being pulled over, so I pulled over about 20 yards up the road, he then showed me a vascar reading of 55.3. I couldn't believe it because I broke when I saw the 35mph sign not the cop. So I asked him, how do I know that was my reading? He said it was me and that he doesn't know of any radar that id's the vehicle.
I Then asked him to show me the exact point where he clocked me. I was a point not too far up the road from where I saw the police car. By looking at the road I could see a sudden drop ingrade and right after that the 1st vascar stripe, and the 2nd stripe was about 100'' down the hill. I was then given a ticket for going 55 in a 35mph zone. I can't believe a police dept can setup such a hazardous speed trap, there was no sign's warning of steep grade, Which was very close to a intersection at the bottom of the hill.
What if it was raining or icy? I could of slide right into the red light! But instead of having the road flatten or posting a steep grade warning sign. They just slap a vascar stripe down and hope you react to a green light before you noticed the drop off. Isn't there a error in the distance measurement on a steep slope? Is it the actual surface traveled or the tangent distance between the 2 marks? Well I definitely think his reading is wrong and plan to fight the charge. Could you please advise me of any help you can give me. Thanks a lot.
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