CHP Discrimination against mustangs!

Wow CHP dicriminating against mustangs. My experience has been different with mustangs. I had gotten a red 91 prelude after graduating highschool so I was pretty young. I have never been pulled over so much in my life as I look back now. I was pulled over for no reason numerous times and I was given tickets for what seemed like everything. I got smart and transferred over from the dark side to Ford and in my experience with them I have only gotten 2 tickets in the last 10 years and been pulled over less than a handfull of times. I have had a 95 escort;1 ticket, 98 mustang gt; 1 ticket, and the 05 zero so far, anyways I got a buddy who works with the police and he told me that the radar system the chp uses picks up on some darker cars more than others (reds,blacks) and if you are speeding that comes into the mix. I don't know, I think if you act like a fool when you drive or try and race everything in sight you are just asking for tickets. Bottom line is you gotta make the right choices on the road and you gotta make them quick and be responsible.

sacrstang said:

anyways I got a buddy who works with the police and he told me that the radar system the chp uses picks up on some darker cars more than others (reds,blacks) and if you are speeding that comes into the mix. I don't know, I think if you act like a fool when you drive or try and race everything in sight you are just asking for tickets. Bottom line is you gotta make the right choices on the road and you gotta make them quick and be responsible.

Click to expand...

Radar is not effected by color....size and shape makes the difference. Maybe your friend is thinking about Lidar/Laser which IS effected by color to a small degree. Darker color actually ABSORBS or DOESN'T REFLECT light as well so it is HARDER to pick up a darker car with a laser (to a very small degree I have found).

The 2005 Mustang looks like it would reflect the radar signals/waves back more easily than previous years. The lower, more slanted nosed cars are harder to pick up (i.e. Corvette). Also...if you are next to a semi or large vehicle with a much larger signature...the radar will pick that up even if it is behind you. However, most radars have a "fastest" button. I can hit that when I see a vehicle going faster than anyone else (even in a large pack or string of cars) and it registers that vehicle's speed....then you can "lock" it.

Don't be hating...I give 19 or more over before I start writing! I think that's pretty fair.

I like this guy Fortunately for me, I rarely ever exceed 19 as that would be going 89 mph on the Texas highways. I try to keep her about +5 mph which is 70 - 75 (speed limit is 65 or 70 on the highways). Although, on Fathers Day I had an incident where I looked at my speedo and I was doing 102. Glad you were not there! Have a great 4th and be safe

(sigh) The more strictly enforced a speed limit is on a major highway/interstate, the more fatalities there will be. You guys should check out the Montana Experiment and see how fatalities on their highways dropped 50% - 60% when they removed speed limits. When the courts (who benefited from speeding ticket revenue) found a sleazy way to reinstate the laws and speed limits were fully and strictly enforced, fatalities went up 111%. They countine to climb to this day. It's all about the money to them, the bastards.

Anyway, if you're looking for a good radar detector, go with the Escort X50 8500. Top of the line. But for LASER countermeasures, a laser detector is USELESS. As soon as it picks up the laser (which it hardly ever does), YOU ARE CLOCKED. To counteract a laser gun, you need a laser BLINDER. Although it is a federal offense to jam a radar gun, it is perfectly legal to jam or "blind" a laser gun, as long as you don't live in VA.

I have the Escort X50 8500 and six laser blinders. Two for the rear of my car, two for the front, and two on either side. I haven't gotten a ticket, but I HAVE gotten a lot of nasty scowls from NJ Troopers. It is most amusing to watch them from behind see my radar detector, get frustrated and toss their radar gun down, and try to get me with the laser gun and when the readout comes back blank they get even more mad.

OBleedingMe said:

(sigh) The more strictly enforced a speed limit is on a major highway/interstate, the more fatalities there will be. You guys should check out the Montana Experiment and see how fatalities on their highways dropped 50% - 60% when they removed speed limits. When the courts (who benefited from speeding ticket revenue) found a sleazy way to reinstate the laws and speed limits were fully and strictly enforced, fatalities went up 111%. They countine to climb to this day. It's all about the money to them, the bastards.

Anyway, if you're looking for a good radar detector, go with the Escort X50 8500. Top of the line. But for LASER countermeasures, a laser detector is USELESS. As soon as it picks up the laser (which it hardly ever does), YOU ARE CLOCKED. To counteract a laser gun, you need a laser BLINDER. Although it is a federal offense to jam a radar gun, it is perfectly legal to jam or "blind" a laser gun, as long as you don't live in VA.

I have the Escort X50 8500 and six laser blinders. Two for the rear of my car, two for the front, and two on either side. I haven't gotten a ticket, but I HAVE gotten a lot of nasty scowls from NJ Troopers. It is most amusing to watch them from behind see my radar detector, get frustrated and toss their radar gun down, and try to get me with the laser gun and when the readout comes back blank they get even more mad.

Click to expand...

It might work or be practical in Montana...but it has a lot to do with traffic density.
And saying more traffic enforcement would increase fatalities...come on. If I have a trooper or a speed camera at every tenth of a mile citing for 2 mph over...there won't be ANY speeding and speed variation in the flow of traffic...that would make it pretty damn safe (and boring). That's not practical but having no enforcement in areas where density is higher and the roads are not designed for high speeds isn't either.

Question on your "blinders". Not sure why you have them on your sides? Also...I always shoot for the headlights (because of the interference equipment out there)...and my longest distance is probably 800 feet or shorter(pretty narrow beam). Would your blinders fool me too?

Your friend, the Bastard

Hey now, I don't think cops are bastards! My uncle is an Inspector up in Staten Island.

But to answer your questions, I just checked my manual and you're right - I should reinstall the blinders on the side of my car to the front/rear. A laser gun is not accurate when shot from too extreme an angle. And yes, they would fool any laser gun pointed in my direction, regardless of where the beam is aimed.

I have serious disagreements with your speed limit enforcement tactics. For instance, I was traveling in a 65 MPH zone one day, going around 70 - 75 with the flow of traffic. Coming around the bend, EVERYONE slammed on their brakes. I was nearly rear-ended by the pickup behind me. Everyone slowed down to 50 MPH... I thought there was an accident....nope! Just a cop sitting around a bend in a blind spot. God knows how many near-misses he caused that day.

When you speak of higher density areas, highway speeds tend to limit themselves. If there's heavy traffic - there's nowhere to go anyhow! I'm talking about open highways. There's a reason the Autobahn is safest roadway in the world, even when it's congested with rush hour traffic.

When the speed limits were removed from Montana's highways, the average speed only increased 2 MPH. Yes, you had the jerks who drove recklessly and tailgated, but WE HAVE THAT NOW. Every study points to three major factors in driving habits that are VASTLY improved when speed limits are removed on major highways:

1. Lane courtsey improves.

2. Safe-distance driving increases, tailgating drops dramatically.

3. Seatbelt usage increases.

Removing speed limits also allows traffic enforcement to concentrate on the REAL cause of fatal accidents - reckless driving and tailgating. During the Montana Experiment, tailgating, like in Germany, was considered a HUGE offense. It came with very heavy fines.

Check out these links, officer:

Montana No Speed Limit Safety Paradox

Fatalities Double On Montana's Highways!

Effects of Raising/Lowering Speed Limits

The American Autobahn

National Motorists Association Speed Limit Research Links

I would really like to make it clear that I do not dislike cops. I have a great respect and admiration for the job you guys perform. Sure, there are some bad apples, but there are bad people in EVERY walk of life. All my hostilities towards speed limit enforcement are directed towards the individuals in the government who enforce them purely for profit, even when confronted with a study that shows thousands of lives were saved by removing them. You guys are just the messenger, nothing more, and as we all know, you don't shoot the messenger.