What Is the Difference Between Radar and Lidar in Speeding Cases?
In Arizona, motor vehicle drivers have a legal obligation to operate at speeds that are reasonable based on the circumstances. Police officers rely on radar and lidar guns to check drivers’ speeds and enforce speeding laws, as necessary. It may be possible to dispute this type of evidence during a case in Arizona with help from our experienced Arizona criminal speeding attorneys.
How Radar and Lidar Guns Work
Radar and lidar are both common technologies used by law enforcement officers in Arizona to measure the speed of moving motor vehicles. Radar guns use radio waves to determine the speed of a vehicle using the Doppler effect. A radar gun sends radio waves at a target vehicle, which then get bounced back to the radar device. The change in frequency of the waves upon their return is used to calculate the vehicle’s speed.
Lidar uses laser beams or infrared light to reflect off a vehicle instead of radio waves. Lidar technology is newer than radar, which has been used since the 1950s. Lidar speed guns measure the time that it takes for the beam of infrared light to return to the device. Both types of devices have distinct pros, cons and limitations.
Radar vs. Lidar Devices: Pros and Cons
Lidar guns are extremely precise and are generally viewed as being more accurate in determining a vehicle’s speed than radar. Since the beam of light is narrow, lidar can also allow an officer to target a specific vehicle, even in heavy traffic. However, lidar only works if the officer is stationary and can be affected by bad weather conditions.
Radar guns, on the other hand, can be used in all types of weather, including rain and fog. Radar offers a broader coverage range and can track the speeds of multiple vehicles across multiple lanes at the same time. Yet the broad beam also reduces the radar gun’s precision and may detect the speed of a different vehicle than the officer intended.
Can I Challenge a Radar or Lidar Gun Speeding Ticket?
The results of both types of speed detection devices can be challenged during a speeding case in Arizona. Neither one is foolproof or always 100 percent accurate. The device or the officer using the gun could make mistakes that lead to inaccurate speed calculations. For this reason, it is often possible for drivers in Arizona to challenge speeding charges.
You or your defense attorney may be able to argue that the radar or lidar gun was improperly calibrated or had not been recently calibrated, resulting in an inaccurate speed reading. Your lawyer may also be able to base your defense on inadequate officer training, meaning the officer did not know how to properly use the radar or lidar device to gauge your speed accurately.
How a Lawyer Can Help With Speeding Charges in Arizona
Whether or not it is in your best interests to challenge a radar or lidar traffic ticket in Arizona depends on the circumstances. If you simply pay a speeding ticket, you could be facing an expensive fine, increased insurance rates and driver’s license suspension (if you have accrued too many points against your license). You could face more serious penalties if you are being charged with criminal speeding in Arizona.
In these situations, it will benefit you to hire our skilled criminal defense attorneys in Arizona to help you refute radar or lidar gun evidence. A lawyer can investigate the alleged speeding infraction to search for ways to poke holes in the prosecutor’s case, including undermining the accuracy of the radar or lidar results. You can count on Corso Law Group to build the strongest defense possible so that you are protected from an expensive ticket or criminal consequences associated with speeding. Contact Corso Law Group today.
