NC RADAR State Exam with complete solutions

How many hours are required by the state for radar training's Operator Course - Answer- 30 Hours over 4 Weeks What is the basic goal of all police work? - Answer- To protect the lives and property of the public. 65% of all fatal crashes occur in a speed zone of? - Answer- 55 MPH or more NHTSA - Answer- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency dedicated to achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety Radar is only a ___. - Answer- Tool The overall course goal is? - Answer- to improve the effectiveness of speed enforcement through the proper and efficient use of speed measuring instruments. This course seeks to improve speed enforcement because ____ - Answer- we know that better enforcement is needed to improve Traffic Safety. Strict enforcement of speed limits saves lives. LESL - Answer- Law Enforcement Standards Laboratory NIST - Answer- National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and it includes an Information Technology Laboratory (ITL). Formerly the National Bureau of Standards What has been the target in almost all successful challenges to RADAR - Answer- Human error RADAR - Answer- RAdio Detection And Ranging, a system that uses reflected radio waves to determine the velocity and location of objects Brazier v. City of Philadelphia (1906) - Answer- Affirmed a conviction under a city ordinance for speeding over 7 mph - "It is only necessary to resort to the most cursory observation to find the evidence that many drivers of automobiles in their desire to put their novel and rapid machines to a test of their capacity, drive such vehicles through the streets with a reckless disregard of the rights of others." Increased speeds affect the 3 Elements of Driving, which are: - Answer- 1. The Operator - increased speeds serve to tax the basic capabilities of the driver, such as his reaction time (the time required to respond to a situation) as well as amplifying any existing physical deficiencies, such as vision 2. The Vehicle - increased speeds tax the automobile equipment, the brakes, steering, etc. 3. The Road Surface - increased speeds amplify the potential hazards of any deficiencies in the road surface (potholes, construction, etc.) or situational conditions resulting from weather, ice, snow, or rain At a speed of 20 MPH, what is the stopping distance? - Answer- Reaction Time Distance = 22ft Braking distance = 20 ft. Stopping distance = 22ft + 20ft = 42 ft At a speed of 40 MPH, what is the stopping distance? - Answer- Reaction Time Distance = 44 ft Braking distance = 81 ft Stopping distance = 44ft + 81 ft = 125 ft *Note* the braking distance is 4 times that of 20 mph At a speed of 80 MPH, what is the stopping distance? - Answer- Reaction Time distance = 88ft Braking distance = 410 ft Stopping distance = 88 ft + 410 ft = 498 ft *Note* the braking distance is more than 16 times that of 20 mph According to Joseph Nathan's "Famous First" the very first traffic law in America was? - Answer- Passed on June 12, 1652 by New Amsterdam (now New York). It prohibited the riding of horses at a gallop, or driving a horse-drawn vehicle at a galloping speed, within the city limits. The first automobile speed regulation was? - Answer- enacted in 1901 by Hartford, Connecticut. It limited automobile speeds to 12 mph in the country and 8 mph within the city limits What is known as the "Basic Speed Law"? - Answer- No person should drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the existing conditions. Ours is N.C.G.S. 20-141(A) Prima Facie and Absolute Speed Limit Prima Facie - Answer- "At First Sight/Glance" - based on the first impression; accepted as correct until proved otherwise Absolute Speed Limit - Answer- the maximum or minimum posted speed at which one may drive under normal conditions Does North Carolina have a prima facie speed law? - Answer- There is no prima facie speed law in NC What are the Elements of a Speed Offense? - Answer- Driver ID, Location, Speed & Conditions Elements of a Speed Offense: Driver Identification - Answer- Upon observing a violation, the officer should make an immediate visual identification of the driver. After this, during the "citing" portion, the officer should note more detailed identifiers (scars, birth marks, hair color, etc.) Elements of a Speed Offense: Location - Answer- Establishing where the defendant's vehicle was being operated at the time of the infraction. Elements of a Speed Offense: Speed - Answer- Measurements of speed obtained by RADAR are corroborative only in establishing the element. It is incumbent upon the officer to produce more detailed information to show the courts that the defendant's speed was unreasonable or imprudent Elements of a Speed Offense: Conditions - Answer- The officer must gather information to show that the speed should be considered unreasonable in light of existing conditions (weather, roadway characteristics, vehicle conditions) The 1973 Oil Embargo led to what? - Answer- the 1974 passage of the national 55mph maximum speed 55 mph was chosen because it is the Median Energy Efficiency Speed As a result of the 55mph national speed limit, traffic fatalities decreased by - Answer- 16.8% The 55mph speed limit law remained in effect until - Answer- April 2, 1987 The probability of a fatality in a crash roughly doubles as traveling speed increases from ___ to ___ mph , and doubles again as speeds go to ____ - Answer- 45mph to 60 mph, 70mph The projected 9% fatality increase translates into what? - Answer- 3500 Lives What is one possible explanation as to why motorists speed? - Answer- A motorist on the highways sees everyone else exceeding the speed limit, and getting away with it, and figures "why shouldn't I?" A key to voluntary cooperation to speed limits lies with who? - Answer- Law Enforcement. Motorists must be reminded that the laws are there and will be enforced National Highway Safety Systems Designation Act - Answer- Signed into law by Congress on November 28, 1995. This Act, among other things, established the National Highway Systems and eliminated the Federal mandate for the National Maximum Speed Limit. In doing so, ended a period of more than 20 years of Federal involvement in the states establishment of speed limits and ended the requirements for states submission of speed compliance data to the Federal Highway Administration In NC, speeding remains a major factor in highway deaths and serious injuries. In 2009, the National Highway Safety Administration Traffic Safety Facts (TSF) illustrated what? - Answer- That speed attributed to 39% of all highway deaths. We find in the TSF for 2014 in NC that 38.7% of all highway deaths were attributed to speed. On a national level, the TSF also indicates that for the full year of 2013, 42% of speeding drivers in fatal crashes also had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher It was known that radio waves could be reflected from solid objects as long ago as 1886, but what brought about serious research and development of RADAR? - Answer- The threat of war in Europe in the late 1930s Range information can be expressed in what? - Answer- Yards or feet The antenna of the RADAR unit does what? - Answer- Shap