I have heard that two thirds of all speeding tickets are dismissed if you go to court because the police officers often do not show up. Do you think I should try this? Also, what happens if the police officer DOES show up? Will I be expected to pay the fine immediately?

I was traveling on the 395 in California the other day, and I was pulled over by a CHP officer. He claims I was traveling at 85 mph. On the ticket, it says he used radar, but the speed is marked at 80+. This seems contradictory. My question is if he was using radar, shouldn’t he have to provide a specific speed? And could I send a written statement to the court notifying them of this? Would it get me out of the ticket?

Also, he never showed me the actual radar. I’ve heard that police officers are supposed to show you the radar if they use it to get your speed.
#1 If he was sitting there using radar, it wouldnt have given him multiple speeds. My dad is a police officer and he was saying that when he marks radar, at his department he can’t put down an ambiguous number like that.

#2 On the ticket, he marked that he used radar, not that he paced me. If he really used the radar, then he should have an exact speed.

#3 As much as I love whining, the town is 6 hours away, I can’t go to court to fight it, I wanted to send in some kind of written statement with the bail. The back of the ticket says something about being able to do that.

There are several PARTS to this question. Some background… I live in Long Beach, CA and got a speeding ticket (40 in a 25 zone) back in November. In talking with people in the past I’ve heard that if I go to court and the police officer doesn’t show then the ticket will be dismissed. I’ve also heard that the officers rarely show considering how many tickets they pass out.
1) Is the statement above true?
2) If I go to court rather than paying or doing traffic school immediately, is there a harsher penalty if I LOSE in court? OR, if the officer DOES show, would there be a harsher punishment for me to still try to fight the ticket? (For instance, a higher fine or the inability to take traffic school so it doesn’t show on my record.)
3) Would I need to show evidence to contradict or fight my ticket or would my mere presence (and the lack of a presence of the officer) be enough to have the judge drop my ticket?
4) Would the ticket/traffic point be removed entirely from my record if the ticket was dropped in court?

Thanks for the help! Any advice from people who’ve been to court for a speeding ticket (and won and/or lost) as well as police officers or judges, would be greatly appreciated!!

Trying to find out why police officers in marked cruisers are constantly breaking traffic laws without their sirens or flashers on. Speeding, seat belts, hov restrictions and signals being a few of the things I notice. Is there a reason other than power corrupts?

There are several PARTS to this question. Some background… I live in Long Beach, CA and got a speeding ticket (40 in a 25 zone) back in November. In talking with people in the past I’ve heard that if I go to court and the police officer doesn’t show then the ticket will be dismissed. I’ve also heard that the officers rarely show considering how many tickets they pass out.
1) Is the statement above true?
2) If I go to court rather than paying or doing traffic school immediately, is there a harsher penalty if I LOSE in court? OR, if the officer DOES show, would there be a harsher punishment for me to still try to fight the ticket? (For instance, a higher fine or the inability to take traffic school so it doesn’t show on my record.)
3) Would I need to show evidence to contradict or fight my ticket or would my mere presence (and the lack of a presence of the officer) be enough to have the judge drop my ticket?
4) Would the ticket/traffic point be removed entirely from my record if the ticket was dropped in court?

Thanks for the help! Any advice from people who’ve been to court for a speeding ticket (and won and/or lost) as well as police officers or judges, would be greatly appreciated!!

There are several PARTS to this question. Some background… I live in Long Beach, CA and got a speeding ticket (40 in a 25 zone) back in November. In talking with people in the past I’ve heard that if I go to court and the police officer doesn’t show then the ticket will be dismissed. I’ve also heard that the officers rarely show considering how many tickets they pass out.
1) Is the statement above true?
2) If I go to court rather than paying or doing traffic school immediately, is there a harsher penalty if I LOSE in court? OR, if the officer DOES show, would there be a harsher punishment for me to still try to fight the ticket? (For instance, a higher fine or the inability to take traffic school so it doesn’t show on my record.)
3) Would I need to show evidence to contradict or fight my ticket or would my mere presence (and the lack of a presence of the officer) be enough to have the judge drop my ticket?
4) Would the ticket/traffic point be removed entirely from my record if the ticket was dropped in court?

Thanks for the help! Any advice from people who’ve been to court for a speeding ticket (and won and/or lost) as well as police officers or judges, would be greatly appreciated!!

I got a speeding ticket in Atlanta about a month ago. I called the automated number on the back of the ticket and it said that my ticket is not on record. I called again to speak to a person and they told me to check back later because it wasn’t on record. Do police officers sometimes not submit tickets they have handed out? And if so will the ticket not go on my record? Thanks

Yesterday as I lawfully drove down the road I witnessed 4 police officers conducting a speed/seat belt "shakedown?"

They were holding a large pistol handled device up and looking through it? Sort of looked like a spot light?
My radar detector didn’t go off and I was wondering what this was?
It is a high end unit and I have the x-band turned off since most in my area operat on ka and laser.
KCv- oh they are worth every penny, especially when your not a cop and you don’t have a badge to flip out to get you off.
Normally I know ur comin 2 miles b4 u get there. Or at least if u r in area.
My radar detector picks up 4 seperate x-bad,4 ka band, 2 ku? and laser all at once.
Not one single beep or buzz.
Even intermittent signals-on/off
It is usually DEAD ON, I’m wondering if there is a new radar system or if it was some sort of camera?

hey I need some accurate advise. so i was riding my streetbike yesterday trailing behind some harley. When he saw me in his mirrior he accelerated quickly to show off his bike. keep in mind that the speed limit is 40mph. anyways he was going around 55mph and i stayed in the speed limit give or take 2 mph. so after going down this road we come to a red light at an intersection. it turns green and i carry on in my travel. THEN red and blue lights appear we both get pulled over. I have never been pulled over in my life i am not an aggressive driver. the cop lets the harley go and gives me a ticket. he said he radared me at 55 mph when im sure he actually radared the harley. I WAS NOT SPEEDING AT ALL> I AM A RESPONSIBLE 4.0 SO DONT TELL ME TO TRUST A NEWBY POLICE OFFICERS JUDGMENT. The officer immediatly proceeded to write me a ticket. there is no arguement i can make even though he was wrong. its my word against his. i was unjustly written a speeding ticket. HOWEVER…. he radared my at 55 and wrote me a ticket for 50 when the speed limit was 40. Is this grounds for cancelling the ticket since the radar speed and ticket speed were different?? or would i be digging myself into a deeper hole? what are my options? Im 18 and i cant have a ticket on my record. I have no money to pay the ticket even though it was only 97$. What is the best resoloution? PLEASE HELP !!!!! THANKS

On my way to work I got pulled over. I was wondering if I have a good chance in fighting the ticket because of several reasons. The cop passed me going the opposite direction, there was a car in front of him and one behind him as well. The road I was on has a 50mph posted speed limit that leads into a 30mph curve. The cop and I passed one another as he can around the curse and i approached it. I saw him in my side view mirror slow down, pull off the road and flip around. At this point I knew he was coming for me. When he pulled me over he asked if I knew how fast I was going I said no. He said I was doing 72mph which I know I wasn’t going that fast since from the previous stop sign to the curve is just over one mile. When he came back with the ticket he said he was going to cite me for doing 60 in a 50. To me this made me think he really wasn’t for sure how fast I really was going.
In AZ you cant even get a photo radar ticket until you do 11mph or more over. Also I live in a rural area and wondering is reasonable and prudent speed would be a good defense??
Do you think I have a good chance?
They are not absolute. There is a difference between absolute speed limits and prima facie speed limits. Arizona has prima facie speed laws … so while you’re technically correct that a driver should not exceed the maximum limit, the prima facie laws are based on reasonable & prudent driving. As an example, if you are pulled over & cited for driving 70 MPH in a 65 MPH zone, you can appeal the ticket if it can be proven that you were reasonable & prudent. However, this is why most police officers will not issue citations unless the driver exceeded the limit by more than 10 MPH.

On my way to work today, I saw 3 police officers…in the median (on the yellow paint)….they were facing the oppposite direction I was driving in. The lead patrol car had his hood up (my guess was to disguise and hide his car and the other ones from view.) Plus, they had pulled over a line of about 8 cars, some of which were BLOCKING THE ROADWAY. Is this legal? And what are some laws regarding the speed traps?

I’m in VA.
The patrol officers were directing them to pull over towards the median (the other side of the roadway had no shoulder.) They were running out of median, so where were the cars supposed to stop?

I know people shouldn’t speed, blah blah. But if it prevents a safety hazard..they had 3 officers for 8 vehicles that were pulled over, and one was doing the radar while the others were issuing tickets, so he was still pulling people over while they were writing, backing up traffic.
Understand the hood thing…

but what about allowing the cars they are pulling over to back up and have to stop in the middle of the roadway? Shouldn’t the officers have more of them there if they intend to stop that many cars? It just doesn’t seem right…they created a huge backup to stop the speeders due to this. Why not do this speed enforcement somewhere else along the roadway where they could pull over a large number of cars safely?

Ok, so first time traffic violation, wasnt paying attention to the speed at which i was going.

…so I was returning from spring break and might have been hustling to get home, I was going up a hill and passing a few tractortrailors(who are notoriously going really slow) in west virginia and was Radared at 83 in a 65mph zone(18mph over) So I did a little researching online and found a really interesting WV law as described below. I have to call the court tomorrow to plead and pick a court date. I am debating getting a traffic lawyer(exspensive) but think I might be better off road-tripping(5.5hr drive) and representing myself, word online is you can get it dramatically reduced, if not eliminated if you just show up in court and apologize and present your “scenario”. What do you think? It’s a 5point thing on my licenses and I don’t know what the fine is yet.

Ok, so my Municplie is Birch River(26601) populaion 1300. the county was Nicholas. Basicaly what the below is saying is that you can only be Radar’ed in a municiple that has a population greater than 2000. which myn did not.

I guess i am just curious if anybody has ever tried this? and do you think that it might work?

§17C-6-7. Prima facie evidence of speed by devices employing microwaves or reflected light; placing of signs relative to radar or laser.
The speed of a motor vehicle may be proved by evidence obtained by use of any device designed to measure and indicate or record the speed of a moving object by means of microwaves or reflected light, when such evidence is obtained by members of the department of public safety, by police officers of incorporated municipalities in classes one, two and three, as defined in chapter eight-a of this code, and by the sheriff and his deputies of the several counties of the state. The evidence so obtained shall be accepted as prima facie evidence of the speed of such vehicle.
In order to inform and educate the public generally that speed of motor vehicles operating within the state is being tested by radar or laser mechanisms, the division of highways shall locate and place suitable and informative stationary and movable signs at strategic points on and along highways in each county of the state giving notice to the public that such radar or laser mechanisms are in use.

Birch River 2000 Census Data.

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAF…

West Virginia Code 3 8-1-3. Classification of municipal corporations.
Pursuant to the mandate of the "Municipal Home Rule Amendment" to the constitution of this state, all municipal corporations are hereby classified by population into four classes, as follows:
(1) Every municipal corporation with a population in excess of fifty thousand shall be a Class I city;
(2) Every municipal corporation with a population in excess of ten thousand but not in excess of fifty thousand shall be a Class II city;
(3) Every municipal corporation with a population in excess of two thousand but not in excess of ten thousand shall be a Class III city; and
(4) Every municipal corporation with a population of two thousand or less shall be a Class IV town or village.
Transition from one to another class shall occur automatically when the requisite population qualification has been met, effective as of the effective date of the census, as specified in section four of this article.
The Legislature hereby declares its interpretation of the said "Municipal Home Rule Amendment" to be that a single classification by population of municipal corporations in this state is required which shall exclude any other classification of municipal corporations by population for any purpose. It is, therefore, the intention of the Legislature that the classification established in this section shall give effect to the constitutional mandate and shall be the only classification by population applying to municipal corporations in this state. It is the further intention of the Legislature that subsequent legislation affecting municipal corporations in this state shall treat municipal corporations differently upon the basis of population, only in accordance with the general classification established in this section.
Are "State Troopers" the deputies of the Sheriff?

I passed a 60 MPH speed sign at 74 MPH and another speed sign just a hundred yards away of 55 MPH at 70 MPH. I pulled over immediately and got two SEPARATE speeding tickets. There are two different speed limit signs (60MPH-55MPH) within very close proximity of each other. One ticket shows 74 MPH at 60 MPH speed limit. The other at 70 MPH at 55 speed limit. Wouldn’t that be double jeopardy – multiple punishment for the same speeding offense? I’m willing to plead no contest and pay one without a trial but I don’t think it’s fair I should pay for two speeding tickets. I was ticketed only for speeding – not like I evaded anything. If this is legal, those who flee from police officers and pass 20 different speed limit signs in and out of the city – are they ticketed for each speed limit violation?

I don’t think so but then again I’m no attorney. An answer to my particular case is what I’m seeking.

Thanks to anyone who can give me some insight on this case.

A coworker of mine rides with me to and from work. I drive down a divided highway and there is a certain spot that they always set up speed traps. I find it hilarious that people still get caught speeding there because they have this little operation going on about 5 times out of the month when I’m on my way to work. I noticed that they only do it in the morning.

They usually have a car parked on the inner shoulder on the northbound side of the highway (our side) as the spotter and the pursuit cars on the on ramp on the southbound side. Today, the spotter car was a totally unmarked vehicle. Generally, the unmarked cars are still the same style of the rest of the force’s cars and have the special plates and lights inside of their car. Today, it was a mid 90s short blazer with no lights anywhere and civilian plates. As we drove past, we looked in the car and, sure enough, there was a police officer in uniform inside of the vehicle. At this point, my passenger was saying that they couldn’t do that. I told him it didn’t matter anyway because the people are still speeding and are therefor breaking the law. If they didn’t want to get pulled over, they should be driving the speed limit. It’s a chance they take. Then he said it was entrapment. I was under the understanding that entrapment is only if the police somehow coax you into breaking the law. I told him that having the blazer parked there didn’t press everyone’s gas pedal farther down, but he was having none of it. I’m sure there are some police officers that will be reading this. Please help me convince my coworker that what they did was not wrong, just tricky.

Thank you!

Also, another quick question for you police officers. Why do they only do this in the morning? Do they do it because people are more likely to speed in the morning because they’re running late for work? Or maybe to inconvenience people to MAKE them late to work? If you get a ticket as well as get in trouble at work, it might make someone less likely to speed again in the future.

I am one of those people who high beam others to warn them of a speed trap. Typically the traps are at the bottom of a hill, or where the speed limit changes from 60 to 50.

I understand that these fines go to the city, but it’s still to me an underhanded way to catch speeders. But sometimes those I high beam still don’t get it, and get caught in the trap anyways.

So what’s your opinion? Especially police officers. Now, I have alot of respect for officers, in fact I work with police officers. But high beam warnings was taught to me by my driving instructor, my dad, basically anyone who had any hand in my learning to drive.

I was on Bastanchury road (after making a right turn at St. College road) when going home from Brea mall, and there was a speed meter that shows how fast you're going. I saw it many times before, but thought it was there so police officers can catch people speeding from far away. The speed limit is 50 I belive over there and the meter read 57 (it was a hill going down and I wasn't even accelerating and although I could've braked, I didn't) when I went past it and I THINK I saw a FLASH. There is a speed meter at another street and cars always go over the speed limit there, but the meter never takes pictures, so I'm not sure if I've imagined a flash on Bastanchury or if there really was a flash. I had no idea that there is such a thing as a photo radar that takes pictures of speeding cars. Should I be worried? How much would the fine be? Would I have to go sit in a classroom on my first speed ticket? How long will it take for them to mail the ticket to me?
BTW, I've never been in an accident or received a ticket before. Basically, a perfect driving record…

Nearly 100% of drivers, unfortunately, jeopardize safety by breaking the law and speeding. Why don't police officers enforce this better? Speeders endanger others and risk killing themselves and others, which is why there is a speed limit law.

I live in of IL and I'm not sure if it varies by state, but I know that police officers have to be a certain feet from the speed limit sign to legally issue a speeding ticket. If you have a website that I can reference that would be helpful too. Thanks in advance.