Michigan Speeding Ticket Witness?
I was driving down a hill into a small town in Michigan a few weeks ago. There are signs which say 25 mph and hill braking required. There were 3 cars in front of me. I checked my speed and was braking at 25mph.
There was a police officer wayyyy down at the bottom of the hill in the opposite/oncoming lane before the main intersection.
I was pulled over on the second last day of the month and told I was going over 40 mph but the officer only gave me 5 over with no points.
My husband was driving the car in front of me, and he was braking at 28 mph. Had I been driving over 40 would I not have ended up with my bumper in his backseat?
I have scheduled an informal hearing. Do I have a snowball's chance in hell? 
0 is a lot of groceries.
Also the officer wrote the wrong address on my ticket. Is that significant?
July 3rd, 2009 - 12:20
I cannot speak for the officer or you because I did not witness the "violation," but you can attempt to use your husband’s testimony. Obviously, since he is not an expert with speed, his testimony would be limited when compared to a police officer’s testimony. Your husband’s testimony may lead to a reduced sentence as far as cost is concerned. However, I can tell you the incorrect date on the ticket will be corrected in court, so you cannot do anything with that error.
Good luck!
July 3rd, 2009 - 12:20
Bring your husband and tell the judge what happened. Oftentimes the police officers can’t show up for the hearing and you would win automatically then. Even if he does show up, you may be able to make a strong case. However, if the cop has a record of his radar readout (which I don’t know is even possible) then the judge may have a hard time letting you off. I say fight it. The odds are in your favor on this one.