Loudoun County Speed Traps

Speed traps are a common occurrence on Loudoun County roads and highways. Law enforcement officers use them to monitor speeding, and they are usually set up in places where accidents or speeding are common, or areas where speeding is strictly prohibited. These could be school zones, highways, the bottom of hills, or other locations where speed can change frequently. If you have been caught in a speed trap, speaking with a Loudoun County speeding ticket attorney will help you to determine the best course of action in dealing with the ticket.

Definition of Speed Traps

Speed traps are areas on highways or roads that police officers monitor heavily for  speeders. When people are talking about speed traps, they’re usually referring negatively to an area of the road that tends to have hidden officers catching a lot of people speeding. For example, in places where the speed is changing suddenly, often there is an officer right there waiting after the second speed limit change sign to catch speeders.

Different Types of Speed Traps

There are many different types of locations where speed traps are common. There is the type where the speed changes and then a police officer waits after the speed change in anticipation of drivers who haven’t adjusted their speed yet. There are also speed traps during rush hour, because people tend to be anxious to get home. There are often traps on long straight stretches of highway because it is really easy to speed there. There are also speed traps at the bottom of hills because often drivers stop paying attention and their vehicles speed up. There are also speed traps when people exit the highway, because drivers are used to the high speed of the highway and don’t always readily adjust.

Once you see a speed limit sign, you should begin slowing down at that point because the speed change is official at the posted sign. Even if you slow down immediately after you pass the sign, it is possible that you can be issued a Loudoun County speeding infraction .

Purpose of Speed Traps in Loudoun County

The purpose of speed traps in Loudoun County depends on where the trap is located. If it’s located at an area where the speed drops suddenly and the officer doesn’t seem to give drivers much of a chance to adjust their speed, then it is easy to see why someone would argue that it is to extract revenue. However, sometimes speed traps are based in areas where there have been a lot of accidents, to prevent future accidents from occurring. In situations like that, it is more understandable that speed traps are actually for safety reasons.

Important Facts About Loudoun County Speed Traps

Everyone should know that speed traps in Loudoun are all over the place. They are prevalent all throughout the Commonwealth, especially during high volume days. They’re prevalent in the Hampton Roads area particularly, because the area attracts a lot of tourists, especially around certain holidays. Around the 4^th of July and in the summer months there are even more speed traps than usual. They should also know that being caught in a speed trap doesn’t have anything to do with whether they’ll get out of their speeding ticket.

Legality of Speed Traps

In Loudoun, speed traps are legal. Many other states have outlawed speed traps completely and a lot of times out-of-state drivers are surprised to see multiple cars pulled over at once in a speed trap when they drive through Loudoun. Despite this fact, it does not have an impact on a speeding case, nor improve your defense. Judges do not take the fact that speed traps are illegal in other jurisdictions into consideration.