Speeding tickets, conviction on a the word of a cop.

Yep, just got one. First one in about 15 years which really sucks. I admit I was chatting away with a nephew I hadn't seen in a while and I was in an unfamiliar car that apparently goes faster than it feels like it is. Being the informed and annoying citizen I like to be I disputed the officer's reading of my speed and asked if I could view and take a picture of the radar gun. He told me, of course, no, that the gun didn't lock in the speed and that I could dispute it in court if I wanted to. How exactly do you dispute something there is no hard evidence for? My word against his, that's how. I'll take bets on who you think is going to win that fight. Why don't we have radar guns that preserve the evidence? I was following two cars that were going at least as fast as I was but I guess I won the prize because I was the one stupid enough to pull over when the lights started.

My wife and my insurance company are going to kill me.

/rant off

If the cop doesn't show up, they will throw out the ticket.

They usually miss that deadline. Probably still get stuck with court costs though which are like $85. My wife's last ticket was a $20 fine with an $85 court charge. My last ticket 15 years ago, court charges were like $10.

You still have to pay the price, but it saves on the insurance part.

Really? You disputed the radar gun reading?! You obviously don't get stopped often.

Next time admit you were speeding, but don't apologize, and make up a charming excuse. Then you might just get off with a warning.

But asking to have the radar gun photographed?
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Pay the ticket.

And yes the speed he quoted me I was apparently going was actually 5 mph more than what he eventually wrote on the ticket. I never disputed I was speeding only by how much and I asked to see the evidence. Why shouldn't it be my right to view evidence against me?

If what he says is different from what's on the ticket, ask the judge to dismiss the charge.

car pulled out of his spot.

Conversation was sorta thus: "Do you know how fast you were driving?" "Yes, 45. I looked at my speedometer when you pulled out."

"Do you know what the speed limit is?" "Yes, 30."

"Do you know you are required to wear seat belts?" "Yes, and I always do when I have grandchildren in the truck to set a good example."

"Why were you going so fast?" "I was listening to the Gators beat up on Fla A&M and got excited."

"OK. I'm gonna give you a ticket for no seat belt. You can protest it if you want to." "No need. Have a good day and be safe."

edited to correct spelling of a two letter word. Pesky keyboard.

If the calibration date has expired they can't prosecute.

That will solve your ticket and your insurance problem. If they will do that, you'll have to pay some fee or fine, but you won't have a conviction, and your insurance rates won't go up.

Then take up your cause through political avenues. You will lose going the direction you are headed.

I don't believe you said that you were not exceeding the speed limit by 15 mph, so your objection is to form (of evidence), not substance.

Might as well make an idealistic stand while I have the chance.

You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They're out of order!

See what happens, it could be fun. ;-)

I've always wanted to do that BTW.

I do a pretty good Pacino if I do say so myself.

But he originally told me 75 and wrote down 70 so maybe he thought he was being merciful but I'm sure I wasn't all the way to 70. I just, naively I guess, assumed the radar gun was used as evidence of the charge and I like to pursue any legal avenue I might have even if it's a long shot.

He has to have a record of some sort to submit.

I think I'll do some research on it to see if it indeed has an auditing function on it.

Get a lawyer for any traffic ticket... always.

A coworker of mine got one zipping along the highway outside Albany by an NY State Trooper. His ticket had a printout from the radar scanned right on it.

I guess every district and even post has different equipment. You are right, when it comes down to your word vs: the cop the court usually believes the cop. Especially if you told him you weren't sure how fast you were going, that comment went right in his book the second he sat back down. If you go in to dispute it the States lawyer will probably offer you a reduced fine/ticket to keep you away from the judge.

Unless you were flying, your insurance company probably won't bitch too much, especially if you haven't been tapped in 15 years. They'd rather keep your business. If they start to make noise start shopping around.

Right off the 81 exit and it turns to 55 off the ramp. I got a printout but it just looks like something he typed up, no "screenshot" or anything like that.

deserves life in prison, as far as I'm concerned.

Did you know that the same part of your brain that you use for driving is the one that you use while talking? Surprise?

Dangerous stuff. You're lucky you only got a ticket and weren't cited for reckless driving.

I didn't see him say he was on the phone, but I'll leave that to him if he wants to bother responding.

Conclusion jumping is not a safe sport. Eventually it's gonna nap you.

Wow, was that sloppy, and you are dead right on!

Shame on me. I got a picture in my head when I read the word "chatting", and the rest just flowed.

And I was wrong.

Thank you for the good catch, and my apologies to the driver.

My nephew was in the car. Some of us do still have person to person conversations you know.

Someone beat you to it, and set me straight.

My mistake, and my apologies.

People on phones while driving are so dangerous, I tend to jump on my high horse even when the horse is somewhere else, having lunch.

My big sloppy fault, and good luck with your ticket.

They never pull any of them over, seat belts are still a real big catch here though. Because those people are endangering so many other people by not wearing one. :eyes:

Or, when I was court watching one time, I saw an instance of a cop testifying to 53 MPH (in a 35 MPH zone), whereas he had entered 50 MPH on the ticket. The judge dismissed it because the testimony deviated from the citation. Of course, if going to court costs a lot, it might not be worth it to you (time and court costs, and so on). But if you go to court, there could be a chance.

or get the ticket reduced. I've been to traffic court three times and haven't paid a dime yet. Twice the cop didn't show up, case dimissed. The one occasion when the cop did show up the ticket was for running a red light and I had a passenger in my car. I was more than halfway through the intersection before the yellow went red which constitues a legal turn. Witness testified to this. Case dismissed.

Even if you do get pinched for the ticket, take a defensive driving course to get rid of the knock on your insurance. Still better to go to court as (at least in my experience) the judges in traffic court will reduce the ticket to a non-moving violation (like failure to obey a posted sign, or something like that).

In traffic court you're presumed guilty. The Judge and police always see each other as the police station is usually located in the same building or in close proximity to the Court.

This was State Police and the "court" is essentially set up in a firehouse nearby. Nearest State Police annex is like 15 miles away.

it won't help you a bit. Take if from the voice of experience.

You were speeding and caught speeding, and now you're trying to talk your way out of the ticket. Good luck, but I have a feeling the ACLU isn't going to take up your case.

That the speed at which I was allegedly going is only supported by the testimony of the officer who go to to view the radar gun? Shouldn't my conviction be based on verifiable evidence?

If you really thought he was lying, that's different. But to oppose having it be your word against the police officer's word? Nah. How do you think they did it before radar guns? I guess as a society, we want police to be able to enforce traffic laws, even if as individuals we don't like to have them enforced on us.

Testimony from witnesses has been the basis of trials for as long as there have been trials. It's true that the court gives a police officer's testimony more credibilty than a lay person's.

Take a breath. Most of us have gotten tickets, most of us think it somehow wasn't fair even if we know it was. Sometimes we fight them. But if you want to put your passion into improving society, there are better ways of doing it than taking on this ticket. Just decide how you're going to deal with it based on what works for you, either pay or go to court and see what happens, and then don't let it take up more of your thinking.