CHP: What is my SAFE Speed?

[cryptkeeper]

Radar jammers are illegal everywhere. It's a federal offense.

[BigDogatPlay]

My ON DUTY record WAS spotless until recently.
Long story short:
I was caught going 71 (officer wrote 65+) going up hill in the rain hauling a set of doubles in a Truck that is governed at 62mph. It is 100% impossible to accelerate past 62mph. Going up hill with doubles you lose speed. I won't lie. I was speeding. (hate CA truck speed laws) I was doing 60mph passing a car that was doing about 50!!! I'm thinking the officer saw me passing rapidly and assumed I was cookin'! I did Trial by Written and Trial De Novo. Lost both. State is in need of money. I will say it. They robbed me! Nothing else I can do as I can't afford to miss anymore $175 work days to fight a $290 ticket. Just not worth it.

If you could prove that the rig was governed and that the governor was operating properly that would seem like an instant dismissal to me. Of course the rain condition might have had something to do with it as well.

As for the 2 speeding tickets in my car. I do feel they were safe for conditions. Both dry road, sunny day, open FWY. Both by officers hiding under overpasses.

Then the next question becomes did they write you for unsafe speed, or for exceeding the maximum speed? Not that it matters at this point, but it's a matter of curiosity.

As for the "professional" status. It does carry over to my personal vehicle but in a way I'd rather it did not. It works against me. My tickets are about 30% more than a Class C liscensed individual in their car. It really hurts.

Well the good thing is that a Class A license gets you two extra points to play with before DMV will consider you a negligent operator.

Currently I am down to doing 72-73/65. Would anyone here write me a ticket for that?

Depends on the conditions....

Seriously though... good luck and keep it at 70 or just under. You'll be a lot happier.

[jlh95811]

If you could prove that the rig was governed and that the governor was operating properly that would seem like an instant dismissal to me. Of course the rain condition might have had something to do with it as well.

Then the next question becomes did they write you for unsafe speed, or for exceeding the maximum speed? Not that it matters at this point, but it's a matter of curiosity.

Well the good thing is that a Class A license gets you two extra points to play with before DMV will consider you a negligent operator.

Depends on the conditions....

Seriously though... good luck and keep it at 70 or just under. You'll be a lot happier.

I had a shop work order stating that the governor on the truck was turned down from 64mph to 62mph about 6 months prior to the incident as per new company policy. Also our trucks have a monitoring system that would flag an overspeed in the system had I gone 63mph.(which is possible on a downhill swing) I got a list of all trucks flagged for overspeed violations 48hrs prior and 48hrs after the ticket was issued.

I'm telling you I was ROBBED!

Both cases in personal vehicle were for exceeding max speed. One is like 4 years old so only the last 2 are on my record. It just upsets me. I feel like suing for defemation. I should look into statute of limitations for filing an appeal.

[SD202]

When I was assigned to the traffic unit and worked a radar car, my personal policy was no stop until you're 15 over on any main artery, 10 over in any 25 zone. There is no policy or set number as it's up to the individual officer's discretion.

I thought the CVC said the "buffer" was 3MPH.
I got popped for CVC 22348 [b] excess 100mph in 65mph........the officer sure was nice for how fast i was going with a passenger thanks CHP
Just dont speed no jammer or detector will save you the officer is going to know you are jamming his gun. The detector only warns you.

[DNA]

Here's a suggestion. Get your car legal (remove tint) and drive the speed limit. Problem solved.

And it isn't about money. The state doesn't make much (may be actually losing money since so much paperwork is generated) and individual officers don't have an incentive to write cites for other than to assist people with changing their habits. Behavior modification so to speak. No one wants to wake up at 6am on an off day to drive for an hour and a half through traffic to go fight a ticket.

Dan

[jlh95811]

Here's a suggestion. Get your car legal (remove tint) and drive the speed limit. Problem solved.

And it isn't about money. The state doesn't make much (may be actually losing money since so much paperwork is generated) and individual officers don't have an incentive to write cites for other than to assist people with changing their habits. Behavior modification so to speak. No one wants to wake up at 6am on an off day to drive for an hour and a half through traffic to go fight a ticket.

Dan

My tint is legal.
Officers have no incentive? Think again. If they don't meet the quota the budget gets cut and as a result so do patrolmen. Think it's not about the money? Why is the CHP hiring while were in a recession? Why when other departments are being downsized? Don't ignore the elephant in the room.

[ojisan]

Never lead the pack.
Never chase the pack.
Never be the fastest or "Passing All".
Learn where the "Cherry Patches" are and go slow there.
Always watch your six.
Get a radar detector and learn to use it fully.
Slow down a bit.
Sometimes it's just your turn.
Good luck.

[DNA]

I don't understand where every gets this information that LEO's have quotas. Frankly my supervision doesn't care whether I write 0 cites or 100 cites a month. It's not about the money. Usually though, citations are written when there are multiple infractions, when you "stick out from the crowd."

The LAPD is also hiring while the City of LA is going under, your point is?

There are things such as a minimum staffing level, so that there are enough officers for calls for service. As much as I do admire the CHP, I for one would not want their job. Way too much danger on the highways.

Dan

p.s. as for the legal tint please refer to the vehicle code;

26708. (a) (1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any
object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied
upon the windshield or side or rear windows.

[Knight]

Never lead the pack.
Never chase the pack.
Never be the fastest or "Passing All".
Learn where the "Cherry Patches" are and go slow there.
Always watch your six.
Get a radar detector and learn to use it fully.
Slow down a bit.
Sometimes it's just your turn.
Good luck.

This.

Also, I have passed CHP going 8 over under various speed limits (63/55, 73/65, 78/70) and I have not been lit up.

[Fjold]

My tint is legal.
Officers have no incentive? Think again. If they don't meet the quota the budget gets cut and as a result so do patrolmen. Think it's not about the money? Why is the CHP hiring while were in a recession? Why when other departments are being downsized? Don't ignore the elephant in the room.

I asked a buddy of mine (CHP) if he had a quota and he said that they used to, but know he can write as many as he wants.

[jlh95811]

p.s. as for the legal tint please refer to the vehicle code;

26708. (a) (1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any
object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied
upon the windshield or side or rear windows.

Tint shops would all be closed down if this were the case. I've never heard anyone I know or anyone I've met for that matter talk about getting a ticket for tint unless it was on the winshield or they went with a darker tint than allowed on the front two.

There are a couple different shades of tint. The number gets smaller as the tint gets darker.

Limo's use double the darkest tint available which is 5 tint. My car has a single layer of 5. It is just on the rear window and 2 rear sides. Tint darker than a 90 is illegal on the front two and any tint is illegal on the windshield.

Most factory cars from the shop today come with 20 tint on the rear and 2 rear sides. Yet some only use 50 tint.

If it were illegal they would not let the auto manufacturers sell the car.

What the vehicle code you showed is talking about is items that need be affixed to the windows that may obstruct the view. Such as GPS Units, Sun Shades, and non-transparent decals.

[jlh95811]

I asked a buddy of mine (CHP) if he had a quota and he said that they used to, but know he can write as many as he wants.

That's funny. I assume it's a joke. I know they can right as many as they see fit. But there is a number that the department as a whole MUST produce. If they do not do so in consecutive months their budget gets decreased.

Ever think it's odd to see all the CHP out in force the last 3-5 days of the month?

[FLIGHT762]

Tint shops would all be closed down if this were the case. I've never heard anyone I know or anyone I've met for that matter talk about getting a ticket for tint unless it was on the windshield or they went with a darker tint than allowed on the front two.

There are a couple different shades of tint. The number gets smaller as the tint gets darker.

Limo's use double the darkest tint available which is 5 tint. My car has a single layer of 5. It is just on the rear window and 2 rear sides. Tint darker than a 90 is illegal on the front two and any tint is illegal on the windshield.

Most factory cars from the shop today come with 20 tint on the rear and 2 rear sides. Yet some only use 50 tint.



If it were illegal they would not let the auto manufacturers sell the car.

What the vehicle code you showed is talking about is items that need be affixed to the windows that may obstruct the view. Such as GPS Units, Sun Shades, and non-transparent decals.

I am one of the Officers that enforced tinting on the driver's compartment windows(the two front side windows). California law allows the rear side windows to be tinted as dark as you like and the rear window IF you have a right side mirror.

The legal tint allowed on the driver's compartment windows is a minimum of 70% visible light transmittance (VLT) Most factory driver compartment windows come with a solar tint and will register between 80% to 72% VLT. The driver's compartment windows on my Crown Victoria patrol car register 75% VLT. ANY tint applied to the driver compartment windows would take the VLT below the legal limit.

To measure the VLT accurately, I purchased an electronic tint meter from laser labs. http://www.laser-labs.com/products.php

I bought the meter to stop arguments about what the VLT is. The meter is accurate to within 2% and self calibrates. The meter is accepted by the Courts.

There is a lot of misinformation on window tinting. The CVC section is long and a bit complicated. I've had every excuse used including a Doctors note to be shaded from the sun due to eye or skin sensitivity. The only problem is the code specifically addresses the issue and states a sunscreen device may be applied with a Doctors note BUT the screening device must be removable and not permanently affixed. The code also allows a UV blocking mylar with a VLT of 80% to be affixed for people with medical issues.

Every State has their own specs. as to what tint degree is allowed. California requires 70% VLT on the windshield and driver compartment windows.

I could tell the approximate degree of tint just looking as the car drives by. The point where I am not able to see the driver clearly through the driver's side window is in the 30's of VLT. I've cited for as low as 2% VLT on the driver's compartment windows.

You are incorrect about the tinting shops. They routinely illegally tint windows. 26708.5(A) prohibits the actual installation of the tint. Some people that I've stopped have told me when they had the tinting installed, the tinting shop had them sign a waiver. The shops don't care and there is no one at the shop to enforce the section.

The section I cited for is 276708(A) (2). This section does not allow anything applied to the window the reduces the clear vision, This does include the mylar or sprayed on tinting.


I've had more non compliance with window tinting and would repeat cite drivers who refused to take the illegal tinting off. I would use 24004 VC, failure to comply ($300.00- $400.00 fine). If the driver came right out and told me he would just get one of his COP buddies to illegally sign it off, I would write on the face of the cite "advised 24004 and 40616 VC" I would also write on the violators copy where the Officer signs off the cite " per sec. 40616 VC to be signed off only by ******* P.D."

Anyone willfully refusing to correct would be cited for 40616 VC, failing to correct or willfully refusing to correct. This section is a misdemeanor section and would be prosecuted in regular court, not traffic court.

All I wanted to do was to get compilance. Many drivers were unaware and I had no problem showing them the tint meter and educating them although,I got jerked around so much by non compliance with tinted windows I had to resort to these legal enforcement measures to get compliance.

[jlh95811]

You are incorrect about the tinting shops. They routinely illegally tint windows. 26708.5(A) prohibits the actual installation of the tint. Some people that I've stopped have told me when they had the tinting installed, the tinting shop had them sign a waiver. The shops don't care and there is no one at the shop to enforce the section.

Either you are not picking up what I'm putting down or vice versa. I never said tint shops would not apply illegal tint. I simply was saying that if tint in general were illegal, as DNA eluded to, that tint shops would be put out of business either by lack of patronage or by regulation.
I know you are correct though about them tinting to levels that would be illegal to drive the streets with and I've been educated on the waivers as well.
While it really is just a sneaky way to make the money without being responsible they seem to have a leg to stand on in that a show car, for instance, does not get driven; it gets hauled. Thereby it need not be street legal. So essentially they can tint it legally as they have no clue what you intend to use the vehicle for.

[jafount]

Your question was asked and answered. Tint shops can apply anything to the rear windows. NOT to the side windows. Though, they are not te ones to receive the citation, so you pay for this at your own risk. End of story.