Overview of Approved Speed Measurement Devices in the State of Florida

Over five million speeding tickets are given in the state of Florida each year; of those, it is estimated that nearly 80% of the people who receive a speeding ticket in Florida will simply pay the ticket and move on. Unfortunately, paying your speeding ticket can have a number of unintended consequences. You will have points added to your driving record, which could conceivable result in the loss of your license should you accrue enough points. Your automobile insurance will likely go up to the point it could even become unaffordable. In order to fight your Florida speeding ticket you need an experienced Florida traffic attorney by your side and you need to know what method was used by the police officer to determine your speed. Florida has specific approved speed measurement devices—just as all states do—and the ticketing officer must have used one of these approved devices in an approved manner.

Rule Chapter 15B-2 of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles covers all issues related to Florida speed measuring devices and contains the following information:

  1. Approval Requirements: All speed measuring devices used by law enforcement personnel in the state of Florida must be approved by DHSMV. Evidence of speed obtained through a laser or radar speed measuring device is inadmissible unless the operator has completed the required training and has made an independent visual determination that the vehicle was exceeding the speed limit. If a radar device was used, it must have no audio alarms and no automatic speed locks, and must have an audio Doppler engaged.
  1. Requirements for Speed Device Acceptance: The manufacturers of radar will submit an FCC acceptance certificate for the device and the device shall appear on the current IACP consumer products list. Manufacturers of Average Speed Calculators will submit a report by an independent testing lab which certifies each model meets certain criteria, including the following:
  • Determines the speed of a vehicle between two points on a highway
  • Displays the speed in digital characters at least 0.4 inches in height
  • Inputs distance and measures time in increments for speed computation
  • Is accurate to plus or minus two miles over a range of 25-100 mph at temperatures of 20-100 degrees.
  • Has a distance storage capacity of at least one mile and a time storage capacity of at least five minutes
  • Can be used in a variety of makes and models of police vehicles.
  1. Minimum Design Criteria for Radar Units: All radar units used by law enforcement in Florida must operate in one or both of the following frequency ranges: 24.050-24.250 GHz for K-Band or 33.400-36.000 GHz for Ka-Band. Some of the other radar unit requirements include: The radar must have a Doppler Audio. All radar units with outside antennas must be weather resistant. Radars may not incorporate a speed lock function. Each radar unit shall have a range of acquiring and displaying speeds between 300 and 3,000 feet. When an Average Speed Calculator is installed, it must be certified separately.
  1. 15B-2.013 discusses approved radar speed measuring devices in the state of Florida, which include: Stalker, Stalker Dual, Stalker Dual SL, Stalker Dual DSR, Stalker Basic, four more Stalker units, one Broderick Unit, nine Decatur Electronics models, thirty-eight Kustom Electronics models (Eagle, Talon, Falcon and Golden Eagle brands), Two McCoy’s LAWLINE models, twelve M.P.H. Industries models and two Tribar Industries models.
  1. The Average Speed Calculator models allowed are the Federal Sign and Signal Corporation Vascar II, the Tracker for Kustom Electronics and the Vascar Plus from Traffic Safety Systems, Inc. All mechanical or electronic motor vehicle speedometers which have certified calibration system in place are approved for use in the state of Florida. The Casio HS-10W, Timex Quartz Timer, Heuer 1000, Heuer 1010, Seiko S022-5009, Accusplit 620-CT, Minerva Manual Timer, Seiko 87-0019G, Aristo Apollo, Lorus W903 and the Marshall Browning International Robic Acutrac SC-800 are all approved stopwatch devices for the state of Florida.
  2. Laser speed measuring devices approved in the state of Florida include:
    1. Kustom Electronics: Prolaser II, Prolaser II, Pro-Lite Plus and Prolaser IV
    2. Laser Technology: Marksman/LTI 20-20, Ultralyte LTI 20/20 Lidar, Ultralyte 100LR and 200LR, Ultralyte LRB, LTI 20/20 TruSpeed, LTI 20/20 and TruSpeed S
    3. Applied Concepts: Stalker Lidar, Stalker LR
    4. Laser Atlanta Optics: Speed Laser, Speed Laser B, Speed Laser R, Speed Laser S
    5. DragonEye Technology-Laser Ally

The minimum design criteria for laser speed measurement devices according to 15B-2.014 include the following:

  1. Manufacturers of laser speed devices will submit a report which certifies each model meets minimum design criteria.
  2. The device will measure transmitted and received light, known as radar.
  3. The device will determine the speed of vehicles by the pulse-echo method.
  4. The device will use solid state digital techniques.
  5. The device will be certified as a Class I eye safe device.
  6. The device will only transmit light pulses when a finger-operated trigger is pressed.
  7. The device can measure speeds ranging from 5-100 mph.
  8. The device will measure speeds with an accuracy of plus or minus one mph and a distance accuracy of plus or minus one foot between 50 and 1,000 feet.
  9. Distances shall be displayed in feet.
  10. The device will be weather resistant and will have a self-test mode.
  11. The device will be capable of measuring approching and receding vehicles.

There are a number of other design requirements for laser units used in the state of Florida, and a specific set of checks to determine speed and distance accuracy of laser speed measuring devices which must be performed prior to being used by the officer just coming onto his or her shift. Written logs of the speed and distance accuracy checks must be kept and the laser speed detecting devices must have periodic tests by a Florida registered professional engineer or electronic Technician at intervals not to exceed six months. The above is an overview of the approved speed measurement devices as set forth by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The rules may be read in their entirety at the DHSMV website.

Getting Help With Your Speeding Ticket From a Florida Traffic Ticket Lawyer

If you have made the decision to fight your speeding ticket in FL, it is essential that you have an experienced traffic ticket attorney from speeding ticket defense law firm s by your side. Our attorneys have been assisting clients like you for many, many years, and have a solid record of positive outcomes. Our attorneys know what questions to ask the officer who issued your speeding ticket and can challenge the actual device used to measure your speed. In order to protect your rights and your future, contact a skilled speeding ticket defense lawyer today.

 

Below is a comprehensive list of all approved speed measurement devices int he state of Florida:

15B-2.013 Approved Speed Measuring Devices.

The following speed measuring devices have been approved for use in this State by the Department pursuant to this rule chapter.

(1) Radar units acquired for use in this State after August 1, 1982, are listed below. Additional radar units will be approved by the Department based on conformance to these rules. Evidence of approval of additional units shall be by a Certificate of Approval Form HSMV 60013 (Rev. 7/03) (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-01722), which is available by contacting the Florida Highway Patrol, Neil Kirkman Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0500, or by disseminating the listing of additional units on the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC) computer system, or by listing on the Division of Florida Highway Patrol website.

(a) Applied Concepts, Inc., formerly known as Applied Concepts Marketing

  1. Model STALKER;
  2. Model STALKER DUAL;
  3. Model STALKER DUAL SL;
  4. Model STALKER DUAL DSR;
  5. Model STALKER BASIC – stationary and moving;
  6. Model DSR2X;
  7. Model STALKER II MDR; and
  8. Model STALKER II SDR.
  9. Stalker Patrol

(b) Broderick Enforcement Electronic – Model BEE-36;

(c) Decatur Electronics, Inc. –

  1. Model MVF 724;
  2. Model KF-1;
  3. Model Genesis I;
  4. Model Genesis II;
  5. Genesis Handheld;
  6. Model Genesis VP;
  7. Model Genesis VP Directional;
  8. Genesis GHD (Handheld Directional);
  9. Genesis II – Select; and
  10. Genesis II – Directional.
  11. Scout

(d) Kustom Electronics, Inc., or Kustom Signals, Inc.

  1. Model KR-10SP-F, Model KR-10SP;
  2. Model FALCON-F, Model FALCON;
  3. Model TROOPER-F, Model TROOPER;
  4. Model HAWK;
  5. Model PRO-1000, Model PRO-1000DS;
  6. Model Eagle K-Band;
  7. Model Eagle KA-Band;
  8. Model Eagle Plus K-Band;
  9. Model Eagle Plus KA-Band;
  10. Model Silver Eagle K-Band;
  11. Model Silver Eagle KA-Band;
  12. Model Golden Eagle K-Band;
  13. Model Golden Eagle KA-Band;
  14. Model Golden Eagle Plus KA-Band;
  15. Model HR-12;
  16. Model Talon;
  17. Directional Golden Eagle KA-Band;
  18. Golden Eagle Plus;
  19. Eagle II Plus – DCM Antenna;
  20. Eagle II – DCM Antenna;
  21. Golden Eagle II – DCM Antenna;
  22. Directional Golden Eagle II – DCM Antenna;
  23. Talon II;
  24. Eagle II Plus Ka;
  25. Eagle II Ka;
  26. Golden Eagle II Ka;
  27. Falcon – HR – Stationary;
  28. Falcon – HR – Moving; and
  29. Talon – Directional.
  30. Raptor RP-1.

(e) McCoy’s LAWLINE Speed Trak Elite K, Ka and Elite KD (directional);

(f) M.P.H. Industries, Inc., or CMI/MPH or CMI/MPH Industries, Inc. –

  1. Model K-15K “1986 Model,” Model K-15, Model K-15 II;
  2. Model MPH Speedgun (K-BAND);
  3. Model K-55K; Model BEE-36;
  4. Model Bee III;
  5. Model Enforcer;
  6. Model Python;
  7. Model Z-15;
  8. Model Z-25;
  9. Model Z-35;
  10. Model Python III – Standard; and
  11. Model Python III – Fastest Speed, Same Direction.
  12. Ranger EZ

(g) Tribar Industries, Inc. –

  1. Model MDR-2; and
  2. Model K-GP.

(2) Average Speed Calculators (ASC):

(a) Federal Sign and Signal Corp. – VASCAR II;

(b) Kustom Electronics, Inc., or Kustom Signals, Inc. – Model Tracker; and

(c) Traffic Safety Systems, Inc. – VASCAR-Plus.

(3) Speedometers – All mechanical or electronic motor vehicle speedometers having certified calibration pursuant to these rules.

(4) Stopwatches – All stopwatches certified pursuant to subsection 15B-2.008(4) and Rule 15B-2.012, F.A.C. The following stopwatches are approved for use in this State when they have been tested according to this rule chapter. The absence on this list of other stopwatches used by other law enforcement agencies or the Florida Highway Patrol does not preclude their use when they have been properly tested.

Brand Name Model Number
(a) Casio HS-10W
(b) Timex Quartz Timer None
(c) Heuer 1000
(d) Heuer 1010
(e) Seiko S022-5009
(f) Accusplit 620-CT
(g) Minerva Manual Timer None
(h) Seiko 87-0019G
(i) Aristo Apollo
(j) Lorus W903
(k) Marshall Browning International Corp. Robic Acutrak SC-800

(5) Laser speed measuring devices (LSMD) – Evidence of approved LSMD shall be by a certificate or listing on the FCIC computer, or by a listing on the Division of Florida Highway Patrol website, as set forth in subsection (1) of this rule. In addition, the following LSMDs are approved for use in this State:

(a) Kustom Electronics, Inc., or Kustom Signals, Inc. – Model Prolaser II; Model Prolaser III; Pro-Lite Plus; Model Prolaser IV;

(b) Laser Technology, Inc. – Model Marksman/LTI 20-20, Model Ultralyte LTI 20/20 Lidar, Model Ultralyte 100LR and 200LR, Model Ultralyte LRB; Model LTI 20/20 TruSpeed; Model LTI 20/20 TruSpeed S;

(c) Applied Concepts, Inc. – Model Stalker Lidar; Stalker LR;

(d) Laser Atlanta Optics, Inc. or Laser Atlanta, LLC – Model Speed Laser, Model Speed Laser B Model Speed Laser R, Model Speed Laser S; and

(e) DragonEye Technology, LLC – Laser Ally.

Rulemaking Authority 316.1905 FS. Law Implemented 316.1905, 316.1906 FS. History–New 1-1-90, Amended 11-16-92, 10-18-94, 10-2-95, 5-23-04, 1-1-09, 6-6-10, 11-15-12.

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