That's at least addressing the problem. Of all people, the enforcers of the Law should be the ones most closely abiding with it. We don't get much of that here in the US.
Radar can be accurate, and if deployed and used correctly can single out one car in a group. That this can happen doesn't mean that it always does happen. An example: Cop with radar on the roadside, aiming it at three lanes of approaching traffic in the distance. The shallow angle and the beamspread of the radar will not allow singling out one car of the three abreast. Now adjust that angle to be less shallow and more diagonal and then the radar will first have it's beam met by the furthest car, then the middle car, and then the nearest car. Now you can differentiate between those same cars. Cops here in my State are trained in this technique, and this was explained to me by a Cop I know. But there are many things which can cause radar to be inaccurate in measuring speeds. Most of the common things are also taught to the Cops here, but they will not make note of them in handing out a ticket even if they know the problems were present at the time. You have to know them and present them in Court yourself if you want to beat the ticket.
The old adage of "Speed Kills" is pure BS. Speed doesn't kill, crashes do. Speed can contribute to the likelihood of a crash and will definitely play a part in how severe a crash is if it happens, so speed is relevant, but not concise. No single speed limit can be right for every driver, vehicle, and situation and almost never is there an instance where a minor variance in speed makes a major difference in traffic safety. One or two over is almost never unsafe, but it can get you a ticket which is based on that premise. So we should see things like radar and speed cams for what they really are- revenue generators for the government, not safety enhancements for the populace. The good in speed limits is in that it tends to maintain an even flow of traffic which is indeed safer, and it also keeps those without an understanding of vehicle dynamics from exceeding the limits of themselves and their vehicles. But really, it is only major differences in speed that create unsafe situations and heavily contribute to crashes. Unaddressed is that the difference in speed also applies in the other direction- going too slowly for the situation. This is as equally unsafe as going too fast, for it disrupts smooth traffic flow, yet most of the time there are no limits on how slow you may legally drive. Minimum speeds are almost always found only on freeways/motorways where overtaking is generally easy to do safely, but are absent on two lane roads where overtaking safely may be impossible. Kind of backwards logic, don't you think?
What would be safest of all is to have a recommended speed limit with a requirement that all people stay within say ten percent of it as long as that is possible for them to do this. This allows for slow trucks and cars with small engines to deviate beyond those limits where they must and keeps all the traffic moving at close to the same safe speed. Allowances for slowing of the whole in rain or icy roads etc could be easily written in, with the deciding factor of a speed-related ticket being whether a person was staying within ten percent of the speed of traffic around them. This would of course require thinkling and some math on the part of the people and the enforcers of the Law, but it's not so hard to do and it is questiionable whether someone unable or unwilling to do that should be allowed out there in the capacity of a driver or as a Cop enforcing traffic laws. But we won't ever see this, and the reason is that it would result in less revenue for the Government and nobody intentionally lowers their income when they don't have to.
Almost all of us speed at times, sometimes unintentionally and some do it by choice. And since we have hard limits to contend with instead of smart limits, we have to learn how to avoid having a minor discrepancy in our speed causing us a problem. Like the OP's situation there are often warning signs of the possibility of strict enforcement if you know what to look for, and doing that also keeps you in practice of being observant of the world around you, which is the most important tool for achieving safety that we have. Drive safe within the speed limits and do avoid getting busted because you know that will happen eventually when you speed!
Phil
