Running into a speed trap is a gut-wrenching feeling. Regardless of whether you are going two or 20 mph over the limit, you always have to glance in your mirror to make sure Johnny Law isn't on your tail. In that spirit, a Lakeway, Texas resident is fed up with the traps in his town and has decided to fight back against them all by his lonesome. Lance Mitchell, co-founder of the website SpeedTrapAhead.org, is taking to the streets and warning other motorists about nearby speed traps.
If he's out on the road and spots a police officer in a speed trap, Mitchell will backtrack to a spot ahead of the trap, then don a bright orange "Speed Trap Ahead" t-shirt in order to alert other motorists of the waiting radar run around the bend. While the Austin American-Statesman notes that it's illegal to warn others of an enforcement action, it is not illegal to warn others when the enforcement pertains to matters of the traffic code. In fact, Mitchell believes he is doing the same work as the officers initiating the speed traps but also saving everyone money in the process. People slow down when they see him thus avoiding a ticket and a raise in insurance premiums.
Needless to say, the Lakeway Police Department doesn't exactly agree with Lance Mitchell's methods. It's fined him, jailed him and eventually the two went to court. Mitchell won and then turned around and sued the town and a few of its police officers. A confidential settlement was reached and the unemployed Mitchell can now breathe easy for a few months thanks to the cash infusion. We're guessing that it also gives him some more free time to wear his orange t-shirt...
[Source: Austin American-Statesman | Image: Corbis]
If he's out on the road and spots a police officer in a speed trap, Mitchell will backtrack to a spot ahead of the trap, then don a bright orange "Speed Trap Ahead" t-shirt in order to alert other motorists of the waiting radar run around the bend. While the Austin American-Statesman notes that it's illegal to warn others of an enforcement action, it is not illegal to warn others when the enforcement pertains to matters of the traffic code. In fact, Mitchell believes he is doing the same work as the officers initiating the speed traps but also saving everyone money in the process. People slow down when they see him thus avoiding a ticket and a raise in insurance premiums.
Needless to say, the Lakeway Police Department doesn't exactly agree with Lance Mitchell's methods. It's fined him, jailed him and eventually the two went to court. Mitchell won and then turned around and sued the town and a few of its police officers. A confidential settlement was reached and the unemployed Mitchell can now breathe easy for a few months thanks to the cash infusion. We're guessing that it also gives him some more free time to wear his orange t-shirt...
[Source: Austin American-Statesman | Image: Corbis]
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