In addition to active road surveillance with cameras, drones and helicopters, the DGT agency, led by Pere Navarro, has a network of more than 2,000 types of radar: fixed, mobile and section distributed throughout Spain that allow it to Control speeding. But there are also some that are in constant movement and that have precisely that function: to hunt down those who exceed the established limits.
Patrol cars know our speed
At first glance, we would say that radars take a photograph of us and that through photography, they are able to find out the speed at which we move. But there are those who go a step further.
And it is that, the radars, to know the speed of the vehicles, do it through radio waves. By sending out an electromagnetic wave, it collides with moving vehicles, and they bounce until they return to the speed radar itself. Based on the sound of this return wave, radars are able to find out the speed at which a vehicle is traveling. This phenomenon is what is known as the Doppler effect.
For their part, we know that there are several and of different types, among them those who are in the Civil Guard patrol cars , the same ones who know, at all times, the speed we are driving.
What should we know about them?
Because, since the reform of the Traffic Law was introduced in 2022, the DGT body has always been of the idea that the increase in fatal accidents is mainly due to speeding , so it has since sought to reinforce its surveillance on express roads with mobile radars .
These are shipped in labeled and camouflaged vehicles belonging to the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard, so it is increasingly common to find this type of device on the road. It is true that before it was easier to recognize them, however, they are becoming more sophisticated and hidden, which makes the task of identifying them more difficult.
In the first lines, we will say that these moving radars or kinemometers are speed control systems that are mounted on moving vehicles, so they calculate the speed of the offender indirectly, since the speed of the police vehicle must be taken into account. For its part, the police car circulates behind or in front of the offender, leaving the speed superimposed on the video recorded by the camera.
As such, these radars are connected inside the radar car, a car that will be equipped with a speed control that allows it to drive at a stable and constant speed. In this way, the radar calculates the difference in speed between the offending vehicle and the radar car, which is always the same.
The most current may be the Velolaser, which can be controlled from anywhere, since it has 4G technology for completely remote control. This device is undetectable since it uses a laser sensor with LIDAR technology to hunt down offenders, sending sanction notifications to hidden vehicles located at a considerable distance.
Not only can we be fined for speeding
Therefore, if we are driving on the highway and come across a Civil Guard patrol car, the best advice is to always go at the right speed. In any case, and although our first reaction is to brake, if these authority cars have these radars installed (they do not carry it in all cases), braking will be of no use , since the devices will have previously measured the speed at which that we are circulating
However, we should also keep in mind that a traffic officer can fine us for many other reasons… and not just for speeding. In fact, if we carry out any sudden maneuver, such as braking, swerving or overtaking very quickly, then we can also be fined for reckless driving, punishable by a fine of 200 euros.
For his part, if the agent considers that we are putting other road users at direct risk, the fine could go up to 500 euros and 6 points on the card. It should also be remembered that since the traffic agent is an agent of the authority, he enjoys a presumption of certainty. Or what is the same; that he will be the one who has everything to win.