Received citation Friday for 85 in 70. Saw the trooper aim laser gun and my laser detector went off. Looked at speedo at that exact instant and it said 79. I have calibrated my sppedo with a stopwatch and 79 indicated is 75-76 avtual so no way was I going 85. I was also just "going with the flow" of all the traffic.

My question is this. In TN we have no front plate and trooper was in front of us. I understand that laser is aimed at front plate OR headight. My question is this. With our sloping hood and headlight design is it possible to get an accurate laser reading w/o a front plate? Do I have a chance to fight this on that basis? Any reference material on the subject that anyone is aware of? I'd sure like to save the $156 and having it on my record and I DEFINITELY was not going 85.

 

I'm no expert but I thought when that when there is a lot of traffic it's easy for them to point at the wrong car. Therefore, since you indicate there was a decent amount of traffic, maybe he got someone elses speed and pinned it on you?

 

I would think that the A/C receiver is a perfect shiny target. From my experiences I don

 

I would echo cdelena's comments. I don't think you will have much luck fighting this charge on the basis you described. I would advise you to try to find some way to get the charges reduced to a non-moving violation (hire an attorney). You will spend more money this way upfront but save a LOT on your insurance.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

 

Cdelena you are probably right but I should point out that I have a black grill so the A/C receiver could not be a target for the laser.

 

Laser definitely pinpoints a vehicle. However, if you have the free time, it cant hurt to show up to court, plead not guilty and tell your story.

I have had several tickets reduced to less than 15 over the speed limit by the prosecutor before my case even came up. Supposedly less than 15 mph over does not put any points on your license. Also, I have gotten out of a ticket before because the policeman didnt show up.

The fact that he gave you exactly 15 over the speed limit is probably not a coincidence.

 

I would definitly show up and argue the fact... I have been the speeder and watched the cop pull over the wrong person a few times. Also I have friends who were cops and they have always told me to deny what the officer says. Usually the first thing they will ask is " Do you know how fast you were going? There are looking for an admission of guilt. Say " Yes, the speed limit, I thought you were going to pull over the other guy who was speeding." Or something like that. Second, aiming at the license plate I beleive is false. All the laser or radar needs is some sort of reflection so that it can count the time between pulses and get your speed. Third, and only use this if you really want to make an officer angry, ask him for the papers / documentation that shows the gun has been calibrated within the last year, so that you can be sure of it's accuracy.

Hopefully that helps you.

 

I suppose some of you guys have gotten lucky getting lawyers, but I can tell you that here in Boston getting a lwyer to bother with traffic tickets is like getting a Heidi Fliece (sp?) hooker for $10...impossible. After leaving messages on several answering services with no replies, I got smart and finally asked to speak with a lawyer about a criminal matter.

He kindly informed me that most won't bother with tickets, but he did give some advice for free (<GASP> free?!).

1) Contest the ticket. Officer doesn't show, you win. Officer shows, you plead your case to the magistrate, they almost always lower the infraction.
2) If you didn't win round one (officer showed), appeal the decision. Again, if officer doesn't show, you win. If he shows, you plead your case again, they may lower it even more, but most likely they'll stick with the original magistrate's lowering. Either way, you're not doing any worse, and there's the chance to get out of it completely.
3) On the second round, ask for traffic school if it doesn't look like things are going your way. You pay more, but ticket is off of your record.

 

Hire a traffic attorney and fight this ticket. Your lawyer can handle this without any issue. Do not bow over on this one. Fight, Fight, Fight. I've been pulled over 100+ times in my life and I do every thing possible to protect my CLEAN record. There is no reason why you can't beat this ticket with a minimum of effort. Get a lawyer, it will only cost you $200-400. Between the cost of the ticket, and a hike in your insurance rates its money well spent. This citation sounds very beatable. Just do it.

 

The difference in fines from 79-86 is a lot less then the attoneys fees. As for calibrating it with a stop watch.......what was your stop watch calibrated to? Was it analog or digital? Both types have flaws (i.e. wind up tension vs power of battery). I get out of calibration notices monthly on even the best available digital stop watches. A stop watch is a good measurement unto itself (i.e. lap vs. lap). It is a poor measurer of actual time unless connected to a trigger mechanism such as a laser. Don't get me wrong I'm sorry about your ticket! I know standard radar uses tuning forks to calibrate on site....any one out there know how they calibrate laser? This should be the focus of any contest.....justified or otherwise.