got pulled over today... citation. doing 79 in a 65. i was in a ford explorer. now I accdently had it doing 79 about 1 mile b4 the location. the location? coming over a hill where I-94 crosses a county road. from where I can see the U turn area from the high sport ute. there is about 700 ft. (I went back and verified the location) he said "when you were approaching the top of the hill you were doing 77, I let you see me to see if you slowed down and you were doing 79" the thing is you can't see the location untill your already over the hill. he also said that he was aiming for my licence plate ok isnt that 1.5' - 2' off the ground on a sport ute now... here is where I need some help. I'm fighting this hard core but i need to know if anyone has access to old car and driver articles? about 5 yrs ago they proved that laser guns arn't accurate and they measure changes in distance not speed. hence if he were aiming at the hill in front of him and quickly aimed up at me there would be a distance change (or a diffrence in the car infont of me) someone in a court room made the gun say that the wall was moving at 8 mph or so. thanks nate
Nate, Are you saying you were not going 79 mph? Did the cop write it up for 79 in a 65 zone? I know the feeling, I hate getting caught doing something I shouldn't have been doing. If we didn't have "enforced" speed limits, we would be dangerous. All of the tickets that I have been issued were for speeding Unless this is your first ticket, I would just let it go, especially if the cop wrote it up for less than 79 mph.
at this point where clocked i would have been 75 or less. but 79.. no flippen way... 70 on the explorer speedo is perfectly horz and it was just past that. 85 is where it maxes out and is about 40 degrees past that... (easy to see your hawling.) no he wrote 79 (14 over) ticket cost is $181 and 4 points. (I'm not on a points system in IL though i wonder how this goes onto getting a WI drivers licence if i move here).. this would be my first ever speeding ticket.. I have had 2 warnings 95 in a 65 and some other one and a u turn ticket and squealing of tires ticket. though I dont think it goes on insurance. (its in wi.) Im registered in IL and he asked where I live it was confusing. it was taken with a laser gun and I dont think WI has taken Judical notice of laser guns like they have of radar guns as evidence. also im 90% sure his pass window (he was shoothing thru was up (you can't shoot a radar gun thru a windshield) the weird thing he said i was doing 77 and sped up to 79 over the top of the hill is bs... You can't see anything past the hill and hey im an out of work engineer.... I need something to do to waste an afternoon. its the $$$ thats kiling me i had been up to 80 about 2 miles before the incident though....
Nate, The whole LASER system is very skewed in my opinion. Most law enforcement officers using this system are shocked to find out that they are emitting three beams not one. This provides for a wider field to capture a moving object. This really comes into play when you imagine shooting a laser pointer at a moving object. Very tough to capture. Also consider that these laser systems are a hand held unit. I think that you should ask the officer, while under oath this: Have you ever used your service side arm in any type of range practice? How often do you get to practice? Do you keep records of these practices? What distance do you normally use? How would you rate your target shooting abilities? (give a rating system 1-10) By this time he will see where you are going. You can continue with some reasonable conclusions. Target practice has less distractions, he is not there while waiting for a domestic violence call. Hence the ability of ANY officer to hit you with one sole beam while on patrol is improbable, if not impossible. Therefore the manufacturer's have used a fail safe of three beams, and have elected to keep it from most officer's knowledge. Gather the info and you should do ok. Or you could find an attorney that takes a flat fee and pretty much guarantee's a win, o No:
I find out today that for recalibration for the laser scope in the wisconsin area... the place to get your laser gun recalibrated by milwaukee's finest police officers themself. so much for a independent 3rd party. Nate.
You may also ask the cop in court when the last time the laser device was calabrated? If he can't tell you right there you could argue to the judge that the gun is out of calabration and not a reliable tool.
Ticket woes I myself know the feeling of tickets in WI, the first was on I-43 just South of BayShore Mall, 72 in a 55. Was definitely guilty. The only thing to do is get a lawyer, best is a friend of the family, go to court and get the points dropped. it may cost a bit more up front, but the insurance mainly looks at points in WI. Either way, unless there was a major conflict in stories or documentation it'll be tough to get it dropped. My second ticket was on the was to school at platteville. HWY 151 is mostly two lanes but with hills there is the third lane and I got impatient, passed a lincoln in my 90 Skylark, got tagged at 84 in a 55. Luckily it was only 160 and 4 points. got it reduced to 140 and 3 points for just showing up. If it was in Milwaukee county it'll be a bitch to get any leniancy. Just remember, good behavior and cooperation during the stop makes everything go a lot smoother in court if the cop shows up. Just my .02 Either way its a bummer.:gt: Robert
Nate, I'd be interested to see the outcome of this, but with as much "legal experience" that I have, I'm afraid the odds are against you, my friend. First of all, according to the quote above, you "admit" to doing "79" (even "accidentally", as you say, you still say you DID it). If the SPEED LIMIT, is "65", then, TECHNICALLY (and LEGALLY), YOU WERE SPEEDING, if you were DOING (MORE THAN "65")!o No: Believe me, I TOTALLY understand YOUR point, as I have been there MANY times, myself! (TOO Many!) However, according to the law, you can TRY to fight the "miscalibrations" for the Radar, or the Speedometer, but they still find that "SPEEDING is SPEEDING!", with NO EXCUSE! (unless maybe you happen to be a "blue eyed blonde, wearing a short skirt" to court that day!:shock: Hey, I've seen it happen before! Some people call it "discrimination". Others call it a "bribe". ).o No: Good luck with how it turns out! I hope it's a "minimum" fine, and maybe you could ask for "COURT SUPERVISION" (the ticket won't go on your record, IF you can go for "so long" without getting ANOTHER ticket!) Check on that, and see if that's an option!:Smarty:
scott. I havent admitted anything to the offcer other than I wasnt going that fast and I'll see you in court. i know that cops are a bitch and have eachothers hands in a cookie jar. and there is no way he woulda saw me doing 79 at the earlier location. so that is a null point the other weird thing is that this ticket is in WI. I have IL plates and an IL drivers licence. it makes it kinda confusing in what will happen with insurance. also this is my first speeding "ticket" so it is a bit intresting what happens between borders. Nate
speeding u will have almost no chance of beating a ticket if the laser gun was used to nail u . in canada , the old radar guns had to be calibrated daily , i think , (with a tuning fork) & a certificate also had to be issued by the ministry of transportation on a regular basis . in court u could ask to see that certificate . no certificate - no conviction . i have not heard of a single speeding ticket resulting from a laser gun being tossed out of court , in my area . if i were u i would plead not guilty to the 79 mph , but admit to a lower speed . fewer points & lower fine . as for your ticket being recorded in wisconsin , it all depends whether or not reciprocity exists between illinois & wisconsin . that is each state sends conviction data to each other . most states do not .
Carefull Nate, I doubt anyone here would do it, but I've heard of cops using internet postings as evidence in court. All it would take is someone forwarding your "admission" of speeding to the Michigan State Police and it could spell trouble. Just a heads-up.
You might beat it but it will definitely probably cost as much or more than the ticket to get it taken care of. Out of state tickets in Ky do not count points. Is it the same in your state? Let's all face it, traffic laws, especially speeding, are not enforced. If they were, the traffic would go that speed and no more. Instead, sacrafices are made to the gods of speed and motion to appease them. Speeding isn't a crime, it is a national passtime. Find me one soul that says they don't speed, ever, and I'll show you a lying SOB. I've seen blue-haired old ladies to freshly-minted new drivers pass me when I'm 5 over and everything in between. To add insult to injury, the cops sure don't obey the laws they enforce. I've personally seen a half dozen cops brazenly break traffic laws for no other reason than it was convenient. For instance, why would a cop drive the wrong way around a traffic circle just to cut 90 degrees off his turn? It was shift change and he was running behind. Why would he hit his lights to blow through an intersection only to turn into the Hardee's where two other cops were taking supper? I was in the drive up window, he went in and ordered. I once watched a convoy of marked and unmarked cars hold the left lane (illegal in KY) and cruise at 80mph for no apparent reason other than nothing could touch them. You may be able to tell I have little respect for the person a cop is and grew up with many that were street racers, drug users and worse, I partied with them first hand! Yet they must have lied something fierce to be issued a gun and a badge. I don't want their job but I sure wish they'd find the guy that vandalized a board members car instead of harassing otherwise law abiding citizens.
Re: speeding Gerry in researching this i find most of the court cases you find online where they got thrown out were in Canada with the laser gun tracking. only i can't use those cases in WI I've also riden with a cop in St.Louis who gave me a ride to napa he stoped at a red light then accelerated thru it must have done this about 5 times. later he took right on red (legal) then a u turn within 10' of the light (illegal) and another right on red. also using the floor it and brake hard routine. talk about gas guzzling. just stupid stuf. Nate
I agree with everything you've said but pulled out only part of your quote. Like I said b4 I'll fight it if I don't have a job and have nothing better to do with my time. every stupid parking ticket (3) i've gotten in milwaukee I put on the ticket "Find the guy who broke into my car and stole my stereo yet?" i've lost 2 stereos in milwaukee along with 2 windows :af: they don't even have the decency to offer a cop to come by your house for a vandalized car they have you fill out an automated report over the phone. talk about some horse shi.. dung. you can't even go down to the station to fill out a report either. nate
I've only gotten really pissed off at a cop once and it was this past summer. Driving to Cape Cod for a family vacation. I had the car packed full, mom, two little brothers, stepsister, her friend, and myself. For over a mile, I had a trooper tailgate me, and I mean tailgate, like riding my rear less than a foot behind. I don't know what the hell he was thinking/doing, but that really pissed me off big time. If for any reason I had to stop short, of even just brake a little hard, he probably would have rammed right into me.
That is funny! In a bad sort of way. I almost got a ticket for reporting a crime once way back before cell phones. Talk about retarded. I had the window broken out of my GN and the radar detector stolen. The cop did come out and as soon as I told him what was taken, you could see his eyes glaze over and he was useless. Some folks had a description of the car and the passengers. Didn't even care. Now, I don't lock the car unless the valuables exceed the cost of a window. That's also why I don't call 911, I use 1911, Colt that is.
Re: Carefull Nate, That's what I was TRYING to explain.:TU: I know that you didn't "admit" doing that speed, to the OFFICER, but you POSTED IT "HERE"!
Speeding 79 in a 65 It's a bitter pill to swallow! To ease the pain - try and remember all the times you could have got nailed 4 worse, and didn't. I know that doesn't help the $ & point situation but a 100 years from now it aint gonna matter!
radar detectors laser speed detectors work best when mounted on a tripod outside of the cruiser . also , guys , if u ever cross into ontario , canada , de-install your radar detectors - they are illegal here & will be seized by police . u will also be fined . the police here have radar detector detectors .
