The entire Woodbridge/Lakeridge area

Woodbridge, VirginiaOct 16, 20103 Comments

Has anyone noticed that the entire Woodbridge/Lakeridge community has become one giant speed trap over the last year? For instance, on any given day there are a total of 3, yes I said 3, speed traps on Smoketown between Minnieville and Old Bridge. Now in the last 2 weeks, the cops have been out several times, in the dark no less, with their radar gun at 5:45 in the morning on Beaver Pond Road which is a small road that cuts through my townhouse community. Now that’s ridiculous! Is PWC out of money and this is their way of raising it??

Comments:
As you may know, Virginia is the only state that bans the use and sale of radar detectors. There is no evidence that the radar detector ban increases highway safety. Our nation’s fatality rates have fallen consistently for almost two decades. Virginia’s fatality rate has also fallen, but not any more dramatically than it has nationwide. Research has even shown that radar detector owners have a lower accident rate than motorists who do not own a detector. Maintaining the ban is not in the best interest of Virginians or visitors to the state. I know and know of people that will not drive in Virginia due to this ban. Unjust enforcement practices are not unheard of, and radar detectors can keep safe motorists from being exploited by abusive speed traps. Likewise, the ban has a negative impact on Virginia’s business community. Electronic distributors lose business to neighboring states and Virginia misses out on valuable sales tax revenue. Radar detector bans do not work. Research and experience show that radar detector bans do not result in lower accident rates, improved speed-limit compliance or reduce auto insurance expenditures. • The Virginia radar detector ban is difficult and expensive to enforce. The Virginia ban diverts precious law enforcement resources from more important duties and this ban may be ILLEGAL. • Radar detectors are legal in the rest of the nation, in all 49 other states. In fact, the first state to test a radar detector ban, Connecticut, repealed the law – it ruled the law was ineffective and unfair. It is time for our Virginia to join the rest of the nation. • It has never been shown that radar detectors cause accidents or even encourage motorists to drive faster than they would otherwise. The Yankelovich – Clancy – Shulman Radar Detector Study conducted in 1987, showed that radar detector users drove an average of 34% further between accidents (233,933 miles versus 174,554 miles) than non radar detector users. The study also showed that they have much higher seat belt use compliance. If drivers with radar detectors have fewer accidents, it follows that they have reduced insurance costs – it is counterproductive to ban radar detectors. • In a similar study performed in Great Britain by MORI in 2001 the summary reports that "Users (of radar detectors) appear to travel 50% further between accidents than non-users. In this survey the users interviewed traveling on average 217,353 miles between accidents compared to 143,401 miles between accidents of those non-users randomly drawn from the general public." The MORI study also reported "Three quarters agree, perhaps unsurprisingly, that since purchasing a radar detector they have become more conscious about keeping to the speed limit..." and "Three in five detector users claim to have become a safer driver since purchasing a detector." • Modern radar detectors play a significant role in preventing accidents and laying the technology foundation for the Safety Warning System® (SWS). Radar detectors with SWS alert motorists to oncoming emergency vehicles, potential road hazards, and unusual traffic conditions. There are more than 10 million radar detectors with SWS in use nationwide. The federal government has earmarked $2.1 million for further study of the SWS over a three-year period of time. The U.S. Department of Transportation is administering grants to state and local governments to purchase the SWS system and study its effectiveness (for example, in the form of SWS transmitters for school buses and emergency vehicles). The drivers of Virginia deserve the right to the important safety benefits that SWS delivers. Please sign this petition and help to repeal this ban and give drivers in Virginia the freedom to know if they are under surveillance and to use their property legally: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/repeal-the-virginia-radar-detector-ban Tell Friends and Family about this.
#1Jul 11, 2011Report Abuse
To answer your question, yes this is revenue generating. Old Bridge Rd and Smoketown Rd also spend a lot of time hunting for DUI suspects in the late hours. For example, I pulled out of the Brittany's parking lot, headed westbound going about 53 (8 over the limit). I got pulled over, but I had nothing to drink so they let me go before even looking up my record.
#2Feb 29, 2012Report Abuse
Also going 40 on Smoketown is very easy. There is no reason for the limit to be 25 in over half the places that it is on that stretch.
#3Feb 29, 2012Report Abuse

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