I got an envelope in the mail yesterday. It was from the District of Columbia Automated Ticket Office.

Apparently a photo radar snapped a picture of me doing 45 in a 25 on MacArthur Blvd. In D.C.

How do these things work? Do they actually use radar or what? I don't remember if I had my V1 on or not when it happened. Alot of the time I'll take it off the windshield cause possesion of radar detectors are illegal in DC. UGH!

$150, no points.

 

My mother got a ticket for $100 or $150, for doing only 11mph over on MacArthur. They sit on the side of the road in unmarked Crown Vics, with a bumper mounted camera/flash. As cars pass in excess of 5mph, the computer alerts the officer in the car, who "validates" the ticket at the push of a button, confirming the offense.

It sucks, but atleast no points are assessed. Sorry to hear man!! What can I say, DC has some crazy laws, and stupid traffic enforcment.

You may be able to contest the ticket, and say that you were getting out of the way of an ambulance?? (Sibley Hospital is around the area they usual monitor through photo radar).

They also heavily monitor Portal St. between Beach Drive and Connecticut Ave, either direction during rush hour-----

 

if there is no points noted then it is not worth to lie under oath!

sidemarker

 

Jesus Christ... that is just like D.C. cops. You'd think they have better things to do than sit a cop in one of the nicest areas in DC MacArthur Blvd! Go sit on New York Ave or 14th Street. Jesus. What a waste of tax payer money.

If it was a stationary mounted camera on a pole I wouldn't mind AS much. But the fact that a cop actually sits there, reads the Post and presses a button pisses me of!

 

Honestly I may have been moving out of the way for an emergency vehicle. I don't even remember the actual incident! I drove down that road every day that week.

 

Great I drive down Portal everytime I go to the office. Cut through "the park" from Silver Spring to get to Bethesda.

I'm just not speeding anymore. Not worth it. They are gonna get me no matter what now.

 

PERFORMANCE PARTS = SPEEDING.....

 

HAHA I know!

CT headers and exhaust Thursday.

Uni-Chip sometime soon too. HAHAHA

 

im with you, after getting busted twice (almost 3 times) i cant get it any higher than 15 over without having flash backs. its just not worth it anymore.

 

my friend got pulled over for doing 5mph over speed limit. this is ofcourse is a joke, and cops know that you can easy fight this in court (due to minor inaccuracy of radar detector).
So the cop was like "allright, i am gonna give you a break and will only give you ticket for one of your tail lights being out".
supposedly the cop is a "nice guy". fuking pigs. i hate them. we have more cops in decent upper class areas, they are bored and just looking for reasons to haress people driving nice cars... probably cars they could never afford. they ain't going to bad places where they can get shot.

 

I never drive in DC.


The main reason is because drivers down there aren't required to have auto insurance.

METRO IT!


Also, all those goddamn camera's for lights and speeding.

 

Trust me i'd take the Metro everyday to work if I could. But I very often go between different jobsites and to different meetings everyday. Not really possible

 

Who said he would be under oath?? In the District of Columbia, you can contest parking tickets and photo radar/red-light tickets in writing, without appearing in court, in person... It's worth writing to contest the fine- I hardly get parking tickets, but when I do, I simply contest in writing and it's thrown out (DC only)...

That can be your defense Mr. Steve. When was the ticket written? From the best of your knowledge, since you were not issued the ticket at the time of the offense, you recall on that day needing to get out of the way of an emergency vehicle, and believe the ticket may have been written at the time you were attempting to pass traffic, merge right to allow an ambulance to pass- (worth a shot, worst case they will still make you pay)

Goodluck contesting the ticket, maybe you can save $150!! Be careful on MacArthur, they also have lots of "in-person" laser/radar traps. Also, if you ever cut through the neighborhoods from MacArthur to get further towards the river on Arizona to get to Canal during rush hour (to get to Chain Bridge, Rt. 123 in VA), be careful. I got pulled over 6 years ago for "No Thru Street During Rush-Hour." The signs (which I did not see) are POORLY marked and faded... (contested and won w/ pictures)


"Driver's down [here] aren't required to have auto insurance"? It is against the law to drive without auto insurance in DC, MD, and VA. If you are stopped by an officer, they may not require proof of insurance, but...

Statistically, however, alot of driver's are technically uninsured, up to a 1/4 of al driver's in DC propper, mostly in SW and SE. Most of the "uninsured" are DUI, committing a felony (i.e. posession of narcotics) or have cancelled insurance. (I learned this from a judge while interning at DC Superior Court) However, drivers down here are required to have insurance (probably what you meant, it's all good!)


On a side note, my sister just this Easter morning got hit in her Land Rover on Connecticut Ave., and I went to see her at the scene (no injuries). The officer wrote a report, but did not require, nor asked either parties for insurance information. The other driver was at fault, and written a "Failure to Yield" citation for $50 and 2 points, however, the officer told me that he was not responsible for collecting insurance information. Is April the month for accidents??

 

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20040...0524-5559r.htm

 

You're either 100% V1 (or some other worthy radar detector if there is one) or you're taking your chances. I suggest you find a way to rig it up properly and permanently hidden.

V1 would have nailed that photo radar. If it's anything like the ones I ran across in Phoenix (Paradise Valley), you would have detected them quite a ways out.