DisneyDestroyer

I was talking to a co-worker two told me that the I-5 north of Oceanside / south of San Juan Capistrano is RADAR-free. He said it's because of Camp Pendleton and the boo... erm, I mean the Nuclear Power Plant, and it's because it messes up the military training and nuclear electronics (respectively). Has anybody else heard this? Does this also cover LASER? Is it only certain bands of RADAR?

Sputnik

That sounds like such a load.

Think about it. That means that any terrorist would be able to drive through there with a transmitter and mess with the nuclear power plant. That means that an enemy could create chaos in the battlefield with a radar gun.

The CHP might not use radar on a regular basis on that stretch, but it wouldn't be for those reasons. It is more probable that the military emissions messes with the radar than the other way around. There are several stretches in California where the CHP hasn't used radar on a regular basis. That's why the "CHiPs Detectors" were so popular for a time.

But don't think that that means it's a "free ride" through that stretch. There are several other different methods to catching speeders, and there aren't any effective detectors for it either.

---jps

tribal azn2

i dont quite get what your trying to say. radar isnt like a fixed thing. radar is what cops have on their cars when they get ur speed. the whole I-5 is "radar free", its the cops that have the radars. now r u trying to ask if there r cops on that stretch of the highway?

ibfubar2000

hey disney why dont you do some on road research and try this weekend and let us now if you get any tickets :D

ggreen29

If I remember right, it's something like an 18 mile stretch with only one exit, so people just fly on that thing. If chp gives few tix, I expect it's because it's a lost cause rather than anything else. I drive it regularly, cruising at 80mph, and I regulary get passed by SUVs, vans, Corollas, etc (and every other driver's on a cell phone). Even at 80mph I spend most of my time in the 2nd lane from the left to allow the parade to pass by.

There's also plenty of traffic on it until about 10pm, and then it starts again by about 6am, so you won't be able to go super-rev-sonic unless you're willing to take a lot of people out with you. On summer weekends it gets busy by 10am. And there's a Hiway Patrol truck scale on both north & south bound sides as well as a Border Patrol checkpoint on the n-bound side, so there'll be quick response in case of an accident.

I'd suggest instead a drive on 15 south, south of Temecula, on an early sunday morn. I took that a few years ago and never had to change lanes for an hour.

DisneyDestroyer

Hmmm, interesting. Maybe I'll take FUBAR's advice and try...

AutoStrada

no dice...i got a ticket down that stretch two years ago...69 in a 65.

visitor

you can still get a ticket, especially if you're going over 80. chp's usually pace the car their tracking, and if they're pulling away, they get a ticket. and if you are pulling away over 80mph, you deserve a ticket, that stretch of road isn't exactly the safest to speed on. lots of crazy people on that stretch of highway, my roomate was driving home to san diego one night and some idiot was coming onto him at a pretty fast pace....coming onto him meaning he was on the wrong side of the freeway. what's funny is he called 911 and they told him that they knew about it, and that was pretty much it. imagine getting into a collision 80mph head on, or losing control during evasive maneuvers. that **** sucks.

DisneyDestroyer

Well, pacing is a bit easier to see when it's happening than a radar. Oh well, 69 in 65 SUX HARD!!!!

Sputnik

Well, yes and no. Don't forget, they don't have to be immediately behind you to pace you. In some cases (it depends on local and state laws), they can be behind a car behind you, and they can even be in front of you. And they won't always be in a marked car (again, that depends on local laws, etc.).

And then there is a method called VASCAR. The car is basically timed between two objects, and it's speed determined very acurately. This could be between permanent items like bridges, sign posts, and those white lines on the road, or it could be between temporary items like a car parked on the side of the road, or even a bag of trash. Most people recognize when they do it with the white lines on the highway with helicopters or planes, but it can be done with a single car too.

EXAMPLE: You are heading Northbound on I-5, and a cruiser approaches Southbound. The officer sees your car and visually determines that you are speeding. He chooses an item that your car will pass and punches a button on his VASCAR computer, and chooses a second item, and pushes a second button on the VASCAR computer when your car passes it. The items don't have to be too far apart, either. He then crosses over and heads Northbound. As he passes that first item, he hits another button, and when he passes the second item, he hits yet another button. The VASCAR computer is tied into the car, so it then knows exactly how far it is between those two items, and can compute how fast you were going. It's just a matter of hitting the rollers and pulling you over.

No radar detector works for that, and even CHiPs detectors aren't too effective for it either.

---jps

santino

DO NOT try speeding through there....my uncle was driving my FD through that stretch. He was caught doing 95 mph. the CHP was cool enough to lower the speed to 75 though.
now, every time i go through that area, i slow down to 70...even when the trucks pass me by.

santino

Toadman

The entire Camp Pendleton stretch is an MOA (Military Operations Area) and restricted airspace. VASCAR won't work, requiring aircraft. CHP Radar messes up with radio/radar operations, especially when frequent air/sea assault exercises are going on.
CHP knows we know this, and enforce heavily.

Sputnik

Aircraft is one method of employing VASCAR, but it's not necessary. You can use VASCAR with as little as a single stationary or moving cruiser.

---jps

MrWigggles

Cops in Tenn. use VASCAR in cruisers, but I hadn't heard of them being in an on-coming lane and being able to pull off the procedure effectively.

They usually have to start off behind you. Well that makes it a lot easier.

-Mr. Wigggles

mx5-->rx8

I received a Vascar based ticket in Wisconsin many years ago. The system they used was to have lines painted across the highway, then a police car timed traffic between the lines from the vantage point of an overpass or elevated onramp.

No plane, no radar, no laser, but very effective.

norats

Also illegal in CA!