When people think of speed traps, they usually associate the term with police officers hiding in a particular area trying to catch drivers speeding.

The classic example of the way the average person understands a speed trap involves a situation where the speed limit is set at 55 miles per hour, for example, but 80% of drivers travel at 70 miles per hour.

The California Vehicle Code defines “speed trap” in two ways. According to CVC 40802, a speed trap is either of the following:

  • A particular section of a highway that is measured as to distance with boundaries designated, marked, or otherwise determined in such as way that the speed of a vehicle may be calculated by securing the time that it takes a vehicle to travel the known distance; or
  • A particular section of a highway with a prima facie speed limit that has been provided by the CVC or by another local ordinance or under four CVC sections, if that prima facie speed limit is not justified by an engineering or other electronic device that measures the speed of moving objects.

Some of the busiest speed traps in the San Francisco Bay Area include:

  • Fulton Street near Park Presidio
  • Golden Gate Bridge near Highway 101
  • Interstate 80 near Fairfield
  • Market street near Embarcadero
  • The San Mateo Bridge
  • Interstate 280 near lower Crystal Spring