“Tracking History”

In a lot of the posts regarding speeding, there is a great deal of mention about tracking history and observation. What exactly constitutes "tracking history"? Is there a procedure/guideline/timeline that needs to be followed? When an officer's notes read "...I observed a vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed...", what is the basis for the observation?

In other words, is it as simple as a car attracting attention (for pretty much any reason) being sufficient for an "observation"?

Tracking history is simply the requirement to ensure that the reading on the device matches what the operator observes. In short, making sure you have the right vehicle.

Typically the requirements for tracking history are spelled out in the operators guide for the various speed measuring devices. For instance, many radar units emit an audible tone where the pitch varies with the speed. Some radar manuals state that part of the tracking history is ensuring the audio tone matches the display/visual observation. This isnt a requirement for all radar units however and Ive seen requirements gets added and removed over time as manuals are revised.

Not sure what exactly you mean by your last question. For a speeding offence, the officer would have to articulate that the observation was sufficient to estimate the vehicles speed. So factors like distance, traffic, visibility would all come into play.