Fake Radio Ads by Police

The Labor Day weekend has reminded me of one of my favorite police tactics:  The fake radio ad.

Occasionally we hear a public service announcement on the radio that goes something like this, "Highway traffic is heavier today due to the long weekend.  Please note that police have increased their presence in the area and will be more prominent on the roads today.  You likely have noticed a police cruiser already during your travels.  Have a safe weekend."

What this announcement really means is this is probably a good time to put the pedal down as highway enforcement is at a minimum.  Mainly these announcements are played during a long weekend.  Police are usually Union, operate twenty-four hours a day, and want their holidays as much as the rest of us.  It is much more difficult for an organization that runs 24/7 to accommodate holidays and time off than for organizations that keep regular business hours.

It is my experience that, except for serious locations such as construction zones, police rarely announce when and where they are doing traffic enforcement.

Please note that in Alberta, the Sheriffs tend to prefer Holiday Mondays to monitor speed on roads such as Highway 2 between Wetaskiwin and Leduc.  The Sheriffs also don't usually broadcast fake public service announcements.

My Very First Ticket

My desire to help others deal with tickets began in about 1989 when I received my very first speeding ticket.  Back then I assumed that the Police were right and I was wrong and just paid the ticket and got it over with.  Later on I discovered I had been robbed. The Police were wrong but the ticket was paid and it was too late to do anything about it.

Police said I was traveling 70 km/h and that the speed limit was 50 km/h. Closer investigation of the area revealed that the speed limit where I was tagged was actually 60 km/h. Edmonton Police Service had their radar trap set up just ahead of a 50 km/h zone. The speed sign that they were behind read 50 AHEAD. Not MAXIMUM 50. I was traveling 70 km/h in a 60 km/h zone, not a 50 km/h zone as Police had told me.  Whether that would still have been ticket-able would have depended on the officer's threshold. Bottom line is  Edmonton Police Service lied to me that day. Whether they did it deliberately or not, I will never know.

Fast forward twenty years and we now have photo radar (aka the Scam Cam). Whether or not this is legitimate enforcement or a tax grab I will leave for another post. My purpose here is to provide solid information so that the average driver can understand how to avoid tickets and contest them when necessary.

For a list of potential problems in your area see Trapster - Speed Trap Sharing System.