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Physicist Uses Math to Beat Traffic Ticket

physicscentral.com

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Re: Physicist Uses Math to Beat Traffic Ticket

#31

Post by joshu »

excuse-me wrote: post #13
drucken wrote: post #5

Haha, nice way to beat the system. But I doubt the symmetry of those two graphs. Surely, there is no (ordinary) retail car on the planet which can accelerate as fast as it decelerates?

A modern hatchback (VW Golf) with good tires on a perfect road can decelerate at 1g with a pro driver. In tests regular drivers posted between 0.9 - 0.6g in a range of cars from Ferrari to Honda civic. To do 1g in acceleration you would need to do 0-60 in 2.75s that MIGHT be possible for a $1M supercar (or a bike ;-)

I think a GT-R can do that. It's certainly close.

Re: Physicist Uses Math to Beat Traffic Ticket

#33

Post by rdl »

joshmlewis wrote: post #16

Yeah, that took some dedication, and because we aren't all as dedicated or physicist here are some practical tips I've learned: 1. When an officer asks how fast you were going, never say anything over the speed limit or that's automatic guilt. Just decline to know or tell. A lot of people say within a +5-10mph range over the speed limit because they think that is "ok", but in fact anything over the speed limit is spe…

The #1 thing I do when stopped is go out of my way to 1) prioritize officer safety and 2) avoid generating probable cause for a vehicle search.

i.e. pull over in a place which is safe for both vehicles and for the officer on foot, keep hands visible all the time, turn on dome light, put keys on dashboard, and be polite. Also I tend to announce any moves, like "my wallet is in my back pocket, reaching for it with my left hand", which is overly cautious, but subtly communicates to the officer that you are familiar with police procedures and concerns. You can usually see him visibly relax, at which point it's likely the interaction will be more pleasant. Don't volunteer more information than necessary, but answer questions politely and clearly. (usually, it's just "license and registration." and then "do you know why I stopped you" "no officer"...)

I've gotten >120mph written at 80mph in a 70mph by doing this, several times (I-5 + V8 + empty road...), which can be traffic-schooled. I don't care about a $150 ticket, I care about potentially getting the car impounded for reckless driving, or a vehicle search, or points.

Re: Physicist Uses Math to Beat Traffic Ticket

#34

Post by rdl »

joshu wrote: post #31
excuse-me wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A modern hatchback (VW Golf) with good tires on a perfect road can decelerate at 1g with a pro driver. In tests regular drivers posted between 0.9 - 0.6g in a range of cars from Ferrari to Honda civic. To do 1g in acceleration you would need to do 0-60 in 2.75s that MIGHT be possible for a $1M supercar (or a bike ;-)

I think a GT-R can do that. It's certainly close.

GT-R is a $1mm supercar that happens to be underpriced at $80k.

Re: Physicist Uses Math to Beat Traffic Ticket

#35

Post by kelnos »

0bs1di4n wrote: post #10
dmd wrote: post #6

> or maybe he was simply impressed by the sheer dedication Krioukov put into avoiding this ticket. This seems more likely. I beat a speeding ticket with GPS data once - except the judge didn't even ask to see the data. I just said I had it. (Yes, the officer was there in court too.) The judge said he'd take my word for it.

My friend always appears in court after getting speeding tickets because it is apparently more costly for the court to pay for the session and the officer's time than what they will get from a ticket, so they usually dismiss it to save money. Sometimes the officers don't even show up. He has told me it works every time.

If you lose in court, though, aren't you required to pay the cost of the session? (I have no idea, never done it before, just curious.)

Re: Physicist Uses Math to Beat Traffic Ticket

#37

Post by codezero »

m_for_monkey wrote: post #36
codezero wrote: post #32

Gets more love when it's a churched up article than when you just post directly to the PDF :( http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3830019

I give you a point, because that's what you really want, not "love" for the paper, right?

yes, of course.

Re: Physicist Uses Math to Beat Traffic Ticket

#38

Post by vacri »

joshmlewis wrote: post #16

Yeah, that took some dedication, and because we aren't all as dedicated or physicist here are some practical tips I've learned: 1. When an officer asks how fast you were going, never say anything over the speed limit or that's automatic guilt. Just decline to know or tell. A lot of people say within a +5-10mph range over the speed limit because they think that is "ok", but in fact anything over the speed limit is spe…

It may not always be a good idea, but for me, when I get pulled over, I get out of the car immediately. In my 20s I was pulled over so many times for 'random' car checks that were really about bored policemen passing time, that I started to get out of the car first to upset the dynamic.

It helps that I'm really tall, but it's worth it for the look on their face when it turns from 'bored paternalism' to 'we might have to watch what's going on here'; it takes some of the initiative from them. It's a subtle way to change the power dynamic, especially if you're tall - you can no longer be talked down to, plus you're free to move. Being free to move isn't about posing a physical threat, but being able to control your end of the conversation better, plus you can watch what they're doing. Of course you should always, always remain polite, but screw being in the entirely submissive position of being locked into your seat.

Incidentally, the 'random' checks have stopped in the past 5 years that I've had a newer car... and curiously my mother has never been 'randomly' stopped.

Re: Physicist Uses Math to Beat Traffic Ticket

#39

Post by vacri »

grannyg00se wrote: post #25
0bs1di4n wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My friend always appears in court after getting speeding tickets because it is apparently more costly for the court to pay for the session and the officer's time than what they will get from a ticket, so they usually dismiss it to save money. Sometimes the officers don't even show up. He has told me it works every time.

If everybody would choose to appear in court like your friend does, perhaps this law that most people don't follow would actually get changed. Instead most people just pay the ticket and continue to allow the law to "work" as it is.

If that happened, rest assured that legislators would find a way to streamline the process.

Re: Physicist Uses Math to Beat Traffic Ticket

#40

Post by nopassrecover »

vacri wrote: post #38
joshmlewis wrote: post #16

Yeah, that took some dedication, and because we aren't all as dedicated or physicist here are some practical tips I've learned: 1. When an officer asks how fast you were going, never say anything over the speed limit or that's automatic guilt. Just decline to know or tell. A lot of people say within a +5-10mph range over the speed limit because they think that is "ok", but in fact anything over the speed limit is spe…

It may not always be a good idea, but for me, when I get pulled over, I get out of the car immediately. In my 20s I was pulled over so many times for 'random' car checks that were really about bored policemen passing time, that I started to get out of the car first to upset the dynamic. It helps that I'm really tall, but it's worth it for the look on their face when it turns from 'bored paternalism' to 'we might have…

Absolute worst idea. This counts as an act of escalation (it counts as a threat to police safety) and is likely to end up with a definite ticket and potentially a handcuffed trip to the station if you don't get back in your car fast when ordered.

Particularly if you're physically imposing you run the risk of a panicked officer pulling their weapon..

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