I don't know if this is the right place to post this, so it not, please move it moderators. So last night I was driving home from a friends house around 2:30am and on this particular road there is a hill and in the direction I am traveling the speed limit changes from 45 to 40 and then to 30 all within a mile. I am going down the hill at about 55 (I was very tired and not paying much attention to my speed as the road is relatively untraveled at that time of night) and halfway up the hill where the speed limit changes from 45 to 40 I pass a cop traveling in the other direction. I look in my rear view mirror and see hime brake, then drive a bit, then turn. I reached the top of the hill at this point and the cop is out of sight. About 30 seconds later I see his headlights coming over the top of the hill behind me. He flips on his lights and I promptly pull over. He takes my license and insurance and then gets in his car to write me a ticket. He told me that he clocked me at 62 slowing down to 58. He then wrote me a ticket for going 58 in a 40. What do you guys think about this? Is it possible that he lasered me that quickly? My thinking is that he just guessed my speed since he was traveling in the other direction and I was out of his view in 30 seconds or less. On the ticket, where the cop is supposed to put the method (radar, pace, laser, etc.) the police officer didn't check any of the boxes. Is anybody in law enforcement that could give me a definitive answer? The reason I'm asking is that I really don't want my already ridiculously high insurance rates to go up and I am going to go to court (even though I could pay the waiver) to see if I can get the ticket dismissed by the judge, (hopefully the cop doesn't show up to my court date.) Thanks in advance for any help.

 

He didnt laser you. He probably didnt radar you either. He probably just estimated your speed. Yes they can do that. To laser you, his car has to be stationary and he has the gun pointed at you. If he radared you, he probably would have turned around a lot quicker instead of taking his time. He estimated your speed when you pased him, proabably saw the massive wing and if you have an exhaust, he probably heard that. It sucks but it looks like you were profiled And you were speeding. No advice here but everyone who chimes in is gonna tell you to get a lawyer and you should have had a radar detector.

Oh, and when you saw him brake, did you brake at all??? <-- Thats important.
Good Luck!!

 

Another absurd thing they should be allowed to do.

 

I have a 360 degree 13 band radar detector that also detects laser and it didn't do anything as or after I passed him. I didn't brake after I passed him because it was night and I was sure he would see my brake lights and that would hurt me. Instead I downshifted to bring down my speed. He didn't specifically say that he radared or lasered me; he said he "clocked" me at 62, and for him to use such a specific number, I think he was implying he used one of those methods. I just makes me so angry because it seems impossible to me that he turned around and got my exact speed in less that a minute.

 

It sucks and thats what they do when your driving these things. Had you have been driving a corolla at the time, you wouldnt have started this thread. I have a VW jetta for a beater and have been stopped one time in that thing within 3 years. I was doing 73 in a 45 and he gave me a warning.

2 weeks after picking up my Evo, I got stopped for not having a registration sticker on my liscence plate. When he asked me what happened to that, I told him the car is two weeks old and they didnt give me one at the dealer. They switched over to the new windshield mount type. The guy comes back, gives me a $100 ticket for using my cellphone at a REDLIGHT for 20 seconds, takes a sniff in my window and says " Yup, still has that new car smell, Have a nice day." It got nullied though so I am not complaining.

 

And now for what worked for me in the past. Plead not guilty. Get a copy of your driving record. Assuming its clean, bring that in on your court date and explain to the prosecuter that you dont have any accidents, citations, or points on your record and you were within safe driving speeds for road conditions. Dont admit to going 55. Be sincere and polite and use your driving history to hide your guilt. You dont have to lie, just try to introduce doubt in the accuracy of the officers guestimation. Your the victim damnit. Because he guessed you were going 58 in a 40 at 2:30 am while travelling in the opposite direction, you, a perfect driver have to live with his mistake. Make him look like the badguy. Or if you got money, just hire a lawyer.

 

Cops have radar on the front and back of the car. They don't have to be stationary to use it, the computer just subtracts the speed of the cop car and thats your speed.

Sucks though you can try and fight it.

 

Just give it to one of those Ticket Clinics and they will make the damn ticket disappear. It doesn't make any sense to get all bent out of shape over this. Yes you were profiled, but the next time some cop calls your house to ask for money for the PBA just say "But I already gave last week when your guy pulled me over on an empty road for 58 in a 40." That will be your little bit of revenge and you can go back about your life.

 

Laser and radar are different. I said stationary to use laser. And not all cops have radar or laser in there cars. Lots of people dont even know that.

 

I got a ticket on my street for going "40 in a 30". Guy just completely made up the speed, he never clocked me. Awesome right.

 

idk about ohio...


but in fl... the cop has to write how he got you on the ticket.... laser, radar, following/guessing/being an ******* lol

 

At the bottom of my ticket it reads "the summons served personally on the defendant on" and then the cop is supposed to write in the date. Instead of writting 1/7/07, he put 1/7/06. I know lots of people have gotten tickets dismissed on minor technicalities; could this be one of them?

 

Trial by written declaration!!!

The Ohio Vehicle Code surely has some law related to safe driving conditions. Considering the number of vehicles on the road, the time and the weather conditions I'd say you have a pretty good case.

 

A lawyer will get you off this bro. If you want to pursue this, when you go to court plead not guilty and ask for a trial. It's basically your word against his.
Do some research online, http://www.ticketassassin.com/ is awesome.
It sounds like this case was prima facie, and you can fight for dismissal based on inaccuracies like the officer guessing your speed.
Fire off questions when you cross-examine him, asking what equipment, and when it was last calibrated.. etc.

 

bummer I would have taken a quick turn and parked after I saw him flip a u turn. If you park and walk away he can't prove it was you driving.