LIDAR in Spotsylvania County Speeding Cases 

LIDAR is another way that a person can check the speed of a vehicle. LIDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. It measures the target range of a vehicle’s speed using a light reflection. It determines the speed and the distance from the time of the laser pulses. LIDAR is the same thing as laser speed measuring device. For more on LIDAR, contact a professional traffic attorney today.

Use of LIDAR Devices

LIDAR is used for measuring the speed of a specific vehicle. LIDAR is used frequently, especially by state police.

LIDAR works through light pulses that bounce off a moving vehicle to capture speed. The laser is sent out at various distances and periods of time. A wave is sent out and then another wave is sent out and then the speed at which they come back tells a person the speed of the object that they are trying to hit and also the distance.

The difference between radar and LIDAR is that radar is based on sound waves. It does not detect the light pulses, so it can pick up other objects. The works on sound waves while the other works on light waves.

Specificity of LIDAR Detection

LIDAR detection in Spotsylvania speeding cases is specific. It is going to get a person within a mile per hour difference between the two because the item is actually going as far as it is used correctly.

LIDAR has to be calibrated for accuracy and there are other things that can affect LIDAR as well. Is it operating correctly? Is the temperature right? Is there going to be range accuracy? Many times just turning off a LIDAR and turning it back on will calibrate it automatically. But the way that a person checks the calibration on a LIDAR is they test it on items, they test it on somebody’s speed, and then they file a certificate to that.

Establishing Speed

Officers establish whether the beams hit whatever object they are testing appropriately. They are going to establish baselines. They will shoot it a non-moving object and then the exact land post distance and height is decided and recorded. Then, they shoot the LIDAR at the object and see that the baseline measures up to a distance and then they do the same thing with speed. LIDAR in Spotsylvania speeding cases must be calibrated correctly to be valid readings.

Weight Given in Court

The reading themselves do not come into consideration. It is the officer’s testimony based on the LIDAR detection that matters the most. The officer will testify that they saw this reading on the LIDAR unit and that they recorded that correctly. They swear under oath that it was the correct measurement. The calibration of the LIDAR unit will come in as well and that will be the extent of the evidence based on LIDAR readings. It is dependent on the officer’s testimony. For more information regarding LIDAR in Spotsylvania speeding cases, contact a professional and experienced attorney today.