Police and Speedtraps at Bottom of Hills!

Adoniah, I did not get a speed ticket. I am merely reporting my independent observation. And as already mentioned, though i am aware of the effect of gravity and tailwind, most people have no idea about these natural induced factors. Texas neither caution nor mention these effects its driver handbook and therefore, I find it wrong and unjust that a state would penalize motorists for induced natural factors that the public is not informed about.

Good I am glad that you have never gotten a ticket. You sounded to smart to get one. Most people are pretty savey about where the police hang out and wait for them. They aren't as stupid as the police would like to think they are. They do the same thing here. They hang out at the bottom of the over passes, we don't have hills here. Fl is very flat.

Adoniah, my husband and I drove a couple of hours north of us a few weeks ago to pick up a bike and, instead of taking Rt 4 over to 75 on the way back, we took a straight shot down Rt 27 south...and I was shocked! We encountered hill after hill! Since we were pulling a trailer the truck wasn't too thrilled about it and it was up to us to make sure that we maintained the appropriate speed whether we were going uphill or downhill.

Xfahctor, this is not the case of speedometer working or not working. The case that appears here is the case of induced natural factors, Xfahctor! You see, if the speed limit of a downhill of a highway is about 30 MPH and one even reduces speed so that the speedometer shows about 20 MPH when going through said downhill, this wise action by driver may not prevent a speedtrap at bottom of hill from also registering a 15 MPH or 20 MPH that may have been added-on to the travelling vehicle the result of gravity! Meaning that instead of your 20 MPH displayed on the speedometer, the speedtrap at bottom of hill is in fact reading 35 MPH or 40 MPH and you are pulled over for exceeding speed limit (though your vehicle is in fact accelerating at about 20 MPH)! Induced speed produced by hills and tailwinds are neither recorded by a vehicle nor displayed on a speedometer. Got it?

True, speed caused by gravity for downhill travels will add-on to the actual acceleration of a vehicle and be displayed on the speedometer. But unlike tailwind speed on planes (and in very rare occasions on ground vehicles) that is not reflected on speedometer, add-on speed of ground vehicles the result of gravity and tailwind is picked up and reflected on the speedometer. Okay? The point in this discussion has been the injustice in encumbering people for speeding on downhill for natural-factor actions that most people are not knowledgeable about and have not the quick reflex to immediately control. I am not against speedtraps; except, of course, when the speedtraps are at the bottom of hills, where gravity forces vehicles to travel faster. On the other hand however, if notices were put up informing motorists of upcoming downhills and radar speed signs (the driver feedback signs that display a driver's speed against speed limit of specific travelling zone) and a motorist chooses to ignore these warnings, then I will side with speedtrap at the bottom of hill! Until these precautionary steps have been taken to alert motorists going downhill and to help keep our roads safer, I would have to say: Please, go set those speedtraps elsewhere (and I am sure there are plenty of places to rightfully set up speedtraps).

No, I don't "got it". What your saying makes no sense. How is it at all possible that your speedometer, which works by counting the revolutions of your drive wheel, suddenly reading differently because you are going down hill? The wheels are still making the same number of revolutions, gravity has nothing to do with how your speedometer registers.

I know that the motorist is responsible for the speed of his or her vehicle. But the speed displayed on the speedometer is not what I speak of here, Spalladino. My discussion is about induced speed to a vehicle caused by natural factors such as hills and tailwinds - When a vehicle is going downhill, depending on the steepness of the hill, the induced add-on speed caused by gravity is not recorded by the speedometer of the vehicle and thus not known to the driver. Speed produced by either gravity or tailwind is neither recorded by nor added to speed shown on the speedometer of a vehicle and thus not known to a driver, though known to outside observer who is judging speed based on distance covered by vehicle in a specific time period (and in the case of add-on speed by gravity or tailwind, this new speed is not the actual acceleration of a vehicle). The speed captured by the police speedtrap is the distance covered in x time by a vehicle, and in the case of vehicles travelling downhill, this speed is the speed of the vehicle plus the induced add-on speed by either gravity or tailwind. It only takes a knowledgeable driver to note this new travelling speed, seeing this new speed - actual acceleration of vehicle plus induced speed by either gravity or tailwind - is not shown on speedometer and not recorded by travelling vehicle. In the event you are still not convinced by my assertion, you are welcome to contact the Aviation Industry since it is aware of and takes seriously the effects of both tailwinds and headwinds. I am happy to mention that for at least this past week-end (week-end of September 18, 2010) there was sight of HPD nowhere around the above mentioned favorite speedtrap highway in Houston, Texas! Hooray! NOTE!!! I have intentionally used the word speed when in fact acceleration would have been more scientifically correct at times, because I would love to think that you are intelligent enough to distinguish, based on the sentence, the implication.

Okay! Okay! Psychology-Physics is over! Never hurts to stimulate the brain, does it? True, speed caused by gravity for downhill travels will add-on to the actual acceleration of a vehicle and be displayed on the speedometer. But unlike tailwind speed on planes (and in very rare occasions on ground vehicles) that is not reflected on speedometer, add-on speed of ground vehicles the result of gravity and tailwind is picked up and reflected on the speedometer.

Nets, I understand what you are saying but natural factors such as downhill momentum and natural factors do not override the job of the speedometer, which is to indicate the speed the vehicle is traveling, whether you are accelerating, coasting or braking. The speedometer will register the correct speed the vehicle is traveling because it is communicating with the transmission and/or the rotation of the wheels. I do know a lot of floks who have been nabbed on our bridge who wished that defense worked, but it doesn't. I'm glad your speed trap was clear this weekend...ours was in full force.