The Truth About Speed Traps: Deterrent Or Just A Revenue Stream?

For the half-century since radar guns first started picking off lead-footed drivers on America's highways, the speed trap has been an unseemly topic. To the busted, it's what it sounds like — a dirty kind of ambush, often employing a sudden drop in the legal speed limit to set the trap, and a traffic officer's sniperlike trigger pull to seal the deal.

To municipalities and law enforcement agencies, it's not a trap but a necessary evil, and a crucial deterrent to keep rampant, potentially dangerous speeders in constant fear for their licenses. The fact that it rakes in cash for the city, county or state just makes it a win-win for the good guys.


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