<WOB> VASCAR

["Lowe, Daniel" <DLowe@xxxxxxxxxx>]

To those who don't know,

VASCAR is very simple.  Mr. Policeman decides on two fixed objects
(usually lines painted on the road for Mr. Policeman) and determines the
distance between them.  This information is entered into the machine.
He then flips a switch or pushes a button when your car crosses the
first object and then flips or pushes when you cross the second object.
Then the VASCAR determines your speed based on the time it took you to
cover that distance.  It is undetectable except with the naked eye that
you use to see the cruiser sitting at the side of the road.  As noted
before this can be done in the air or by one officer watching up on a
hill radioing to his fellow tax collectors.

 I got nailed with this for supposedly going 93mph in a 55 in my "arrest
me" red '87 325is (obligatory BMW content).  This was totally wrong.  I
can never go that fast with the wife in the car.  She agrees it was
probably in the 75mph range.  This is coming down a decent size hill
where all traffic travels at 70mph or more.  I got the ticket reduced to
65 by talking to the county attorney and to my surprise I knew the judge
and got off with just court cost and went to traffic school.

If you do a search for VASCAR you should be able to find a guy who took
his VASCAR case all the way to at least appeals court maybe state
supreme court and won because the numbers didn't calculate correctly.
It's an interesting read.  I'll try to find the URL if anyone cares.

So, just because the detector isn't going off doesn't mean Mr. Policeman
is taking a siesta.

As a side note, yes police do go after certain cars.  A few years ago,
my mother who almost never exceeds the speed limit, ever, was driving my
brothers brand new red Trans Am ( a.k.a. The Big Red Sled) in a group of
about 5 or 6 cars.  She was in the middle of the pack of cars.  They
pass a trooper at about  7mph over the limit.  Who did the trooper pull
over?  You guessed it, the bright red Trans Am.

Sincerely,


Daniel L. Lowe
BMWCCA #93878
'87 325is

If you don't like my driving, don't call anyone. Just take another
road. That's why the highway department made so many of them.

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