Excessive cloud cover rain wind or fog can negatively impact a laser s reading.
Laser speed detector accuracy.
Unlike police radar which directly determines a vehicle s speed by measuring its doppler speed induced frequency shift police lidar calculates speed by observing the changing amount of time is takes to see a series of reflected pulses of.
Built to look and act like a hand held radar gun a laser detector uses a low powered beam of laser light that bounces off the targeted vehicle and returns to a receiver in the unit.
Laser detectors are the most recent addition to the traffic officer s arsenal of speed measuring devices.
Police laser gun overview.
Contesting the accuracy of a speed measuring device.
That being said laser guns are not infallible.
Speeds measured by radar lidar and vascar devices are generally more accurate than an officer s visual estimation of speed.
Unlike police radar guns which send a big blast of radar waves down the road that anyone running a radar detector can easily pick up on ahead of time police laser or lidar guns send a pinpoint beam of light that s specifically aimed at just one vehicle at a time.
Police laser is very accurate and can often determine you speed to the 10th of miles per hour.
Incorrect calibration or lack of maintenance.
However speed measuring devices aren t infallible and a driver can make various challenges to their accuracy.