Chesterfield Reckless Driving: Speed Traps
A speed trap or a speed zone is an area where the speed limit drops, or an area of the road where excessive speeding is common. Officers or state troopers will routinely position themselves in these areas to catch violators. In many of these instances, it’s a downhill section or an area where the speed limit drops. The officers will position themselves where the drop occurs or at the base of a hill with the idea of getting violators of the law. These are legal in Virginia. It’s just a matter of maintaining your speed and being aware of where the speed traps are located. Speak with a Chesterfield reckless driving lawyer if you have more questions about how the role of speed traps in such a case.
Types of Speed Traps in Chesterfield
There are different variations of speed traps or speed zones. For instance, on 95 outside of Chesterfield, there’s a speed zone where the speed limit drops from 70 to 60 miles an hour, and there are usually troopers there. There are also speed zones or speed traps in and around the schools in Chesterfield County looking for drivers who violate school speed zone.
When approaching a speed trap, you should slow down immediately after you see a posted speed limit change. The speed limit change is usually posted before the actual change goes into effect, so you’re given notice of it. The minute you see a sign for a reduction of speed, you have to act immediately.
Purpose of Speed Traps
The purpose of speed traps or speed zones is often to deter speeding in areas where it’s a safety concern due to a high volume of traffic. For instance, schools or residential areas, where there are just naturally a large amount of people. Plus, Chesterfield police officers want to enforce curb compliance of the law in an area where high speed is routine. If someone were to jump a curb due to their excessive speed, there is the possibility that person could be putting innocent bystanders at risk. Some argue that speed traps are used as a source of revenue; however, public safety concerns are a much bigger source of concern for Chesterfield law enforcement officers.
Impact of Speed Traps on a Chesterfield Reckless Driving Case
Speed traps or speed zones are legal in Virginia. It does not have an effect on the outcome of your Chesterfield reckless driving case if you claim that you were caught in a speed zone. It is the responsibility of the driver to know what the speed limit is. Claiming ignorance would not be a defense.
The main thing to know about speed traps in Chesterfield County is that there is a lot of enforcement in this area, particularly in residential areas and along Interstate 95. It is your responsibility to be aware of reductions in speed or changes in the speed zone. You must pay attention to the speed limits in which you’re driving and they can change without much notice.
