[greg]

Got popped today by a CHP (Calif. Highway Patrol) airplane - HWY 80 Westbound in Fairfield. They had me going 92 (I had slowed down) but (fortunately) wrote me up for "only" 82mph. Damn. The worst part was trying to remain below the limit for the rest of the drive!

Given that I had seen significantly higher speeds on this trip, I guess I should feel lucky. God the car feels so good at speed in the mountains!!

WARNING For those of you in Northern Calif - I was coming home from South Lake Tahoe. CHP was using Radar ALL OVER THE PLACE. This is NEW - there has been very little use of radar by CHP except in a few isolated spots. But now, EVERY CHP vehicle I encountered (and there were a lot) between SLT on Hwy 50 and around Davis on Hwy 80 had radar, including not only their sedans but their new Ford Expeditions. Thanks to the V1 or I might have come home with TWO tickets. Based on how the V1 acted, it looks like their radars are mounted shooting FORWARD which leads me to believe they are using them while on the road, not while stopped at the side. I also noticed that all the speed limit signs on the freeway now say "Enforced by radar" - this is also new.

You are now forewarned.

As for the airplane, I even SAW the damn thing. In fact I slowed because of it. But it crossed the fwy at a 45 degree angle, and continued on that heading until I couldn't see it - so I assumed it was not CHP. The sneaky bastards must have seen me but not been able to clock me, so pulled this maneuver to get behind me.

Anyone know if Solano County/Fairfield allows you to request traffic school by mail or phone?

 

[rsteele]

<< Got popped today by a CHP (Calif. Highway Patrol) airplane >>

Now there's a worthwhile use of scarce public funds. CHP could catch speeders more efficiently by posting one policeman by the highway under a shade tree with an on/off radar gun and a sack of donuts.

 

[JEM]

CHP started going in for radar big-time about a year or so ago.

We got home from Tahoe a week ago (in the in-laws' Land Cruiser) without incident, though.

I'll say it again: we need to stop buying cars and start buying legislators instead.

 

[jlvink]

Greg,

What a bummer! Reminds me of the old saying. "a bear in the air is no fair".

About the radar - you are right, most CHP's have them these days. You have to watch out because some can clock you facing in either direction whether you are coming or going. I was nailed a few months ago in the company car when a CHP was parked in the center divider under an overpass facing me. I did'nt have a detector(it is forbidden in our company cars) so he did a quick u-turn and wrote me up for 80 in a 65. What a waste of a ticket - in a Taurus!

My V1 has saved me numerous times in my 5 on that same stretch of road. The other thing that I have to watch for are the motorcycle CHP's. They usually don't have radar and they accelerate like hell coming onto the freeway and clock you before you know what happened. You have to be looking behind you even if you have a V1.

Hope the traffic school works out.

John

 

[bobafett]

go to www.trafficschoolonline.com

I did the whole thing in an hour. of course, i didn't bother to read it too much.

alth oI was in SMC for mine. dunno abotu the other place.

What the devil does a CHP airplane look like? a commercial jet flying way up above or a low-flyign plane that is obviosuly marked or what?

forget buying legislators, i say we buy CHP. i mean, i have a connection for santa clara county and smc sheriffs, but CHP is ridiculous. NO way to get onto their "good" side (i.e. know someone there).

--Dan

 

[alpywhite]

Had K40 installed two weekends ago. Very, very pleased. It has twice sniffed out opposite-bound cruisers WELL in advance.

Alps

 

[greg]

Originally posted by bobafett:
What the devil does a CHP airplane look like? --Dan

They use low, slow planes - usually Cessna 180's - taildraggers. This one was NOT marked - at least it didn't say "highway patrol" on the underside of the wing in huge letters like some of their earlier planes.

/G

 

[KKelly]

Greg, drove the E34 to Tahoe last summer and noticed the same thing. Just as you go by the basketball arena I started getting warnings all the time. I was pretty shocked because that was soon after they started using radar. I guess they have identified it as a stretch to really start enforcing on. Kind of like 101 near King City?

Knock on wood, 7 years and no tickets. Given the fact I average 85-90mph and I drove a red 325i for 3 years this is just dumb luck.

Saw a nice silver one in the City to day. We were actually lined up one light before the 101 onramp on 4th street (or is that 5th?, whatever). Previously he had been next to me but stared straight ahead when I glanced over. We both got on 101 south and I lost sight of him around South City (but I was speeding like a bandit).