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No radar used speeding ticket

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meandcootie

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? In
We got a speeding ticket in Indiana, there was a trooper pulling onto the highway ( e was driving onto the on ramp)-NOT stopped)that my husband went past. He pulled us over and said he was doing 84. We know he wasnt using radar as radar detector never went off and when we asked to see the radar- as we told him we were using cruise control- he said he didnt have it, he could "tell we were going 84" Pretty funny that he can tell exactly what we were doing with no radar?? Think we got the ticket cause we had out of state plates....What are chances we can beat this??
 


racer72

Senior Member
What are chances we can beat this??
50:50 more or less. If the officer used pacing instead of radar to determine your speed, your chances are slim and none and slim is on the way out of town.
 

I_Got_Banned

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? In
We got a speeding ticket in Indiana, there was a trooper pulling onto the highway ( e was driving onto the on ramp)-NOT stopped)that my husband went past.
He doesn't have to be stopped to use Radar. The Radar system takes into account the officer's vehicle speed when calculating the speed reading received off of your vehicle.

He could have paced you depending on how much time went on between his getting on the highway and the time he stopped you. Additionally, officers are usually trained to "visually estimate speeds", after that, Radar or a "Pace" is used as a confirmation of that estimate.

We know he wasnt using radar as radar detector never went off
Do you know what Radar frequency bands your Radar detector is set to read/is capable of reading? And do you know what frequency band the officer's Radar uses to measure speed.
Even with yours and his being the same frequency, some Radar detectors don't detect a signal from any and all angles.

as we told him we were using cruise control-
Do you know that your vehicle's speedometer and cruise control system are accurate? My guess is that you've never had either checked or calibrated. I'm not suggesting any guilt on your part. I'm only stating the fact that the officer's speedometer And Radar system are calibrated and tested on a regular basis whereas your speedometer isn't.

when we asked to see the radar- ... - he said he didnt have it
Even if he DID have it, he is not obligated to show it to you.

Think we got the ticket cause we had out of state plates....
:eek:

I suggest the ACLU might wanna hear about this... :D

Just kidding!
What are chances we can beat this??
Well, youandcootie would have to establish what method the officer was using to measure your speed. Once you do that, you might be able to decide whether it is feasible to proceed with a defense. It is an involved and time consuming process...

Good luck...
 

LSCAP

Member
You didn’t say how fast you believed you were going.

Assuming your speedometer was accurate, usually give or take three miles an hour. (I test my cars with the radar things they put on the side of the road, and more recently by GPS.)
The cruise control usually gains about two miles an hour down hill.
So I think, the speedometer is the thing that has to be accurate, not the cruise control.

In the old days, before movable radar, you “eyeballed” the speed of the passing car. Then started rolling onto the road and ran a quick pace check of the vehicle‘s speed.

If he didn’t actually have radar- his speedometer had to be calibrated regularly. I have known some cops who would deny having one to the driver. and yes, nowadays the cops are usually supposed to be tested for their ability to gauge the speed by eye.

The officer might have used radar or lasar before you even saw him.
 
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meandcootie

Junior Member
Well our car is less than 30 days old so , not sure...we had cruise control set to 72...we know he didnt use radar because he said so...and as far as pacing he pulled us over right away, as soon as he got on the highway..
 

Hey There

Member
Information to get

For Informationon contesting a speeding ticket
Google
Speeding Tickets FAQ (& click on websites)
and
Speeding Ticket -Fighting or Plea Bargaining
(Click on page of websites)
and
Contesting a speeding ticket in Indiana

A local library may have a book published by NOLO
on contesting traffic tickets.
Some lawyers will give a one time consultation for no fee
or for a modest one and can be found in the yellow pages or on a website.

Best Regards,
Hey There
 

I_Got_Banned

Senior Member
we had cruise control set to 72...
You never mentioned what the speed limit is. Assuming you were on a highway where the limit is 65 then 72 in 65 is STILL speeding! Although that is not what you were charged with AND some states allow some leeway before a citation is issued.

and as far as pacing he pulled us over right away, as soon as he got on the highway..
He pulled you over right away, as soon as he got on the highway BUT after he had to catch up to you (its not like you slowed down to his speed)!!!

Again, having to catch up to you gave him the opportunity to do two things:
1. Visually estimate your speed. And...
2. Confirm that estimate with a pace...
 

LSCAP

Member
Some cops have a complex about radar detectors. Ie he sees the gadget and gives you a ticket.
If he had radar/laser and lied, he will lie in court and deny having said anything about the device.
If he didn’t have radar/laser, he will lie and say he paced you.
He may have also felt that, you have a new car, you are from out of town, you can afford the ticket, and won’t fight it.
You’ve just discovered that some cops are…I can’t use those words on this site.

If the ticket affects you so much, I would seriously look for a local lawyer who can say something better than, let’s make a deal with the court.
But that will cost you too.

If all else fails, write a polite letter to the local mayor. Describe the ticket, and then say that you had intended to move there, and set up a business there, ( Think of the economy) but because of the false ticket, you are now thinking of bringing your business ($$$) elsewhere.
It won’t help with the ticket, but….I think that’s called vengeance.

I believe that If law enforcement worked by the rules, OJ would be in jail for murdering two people.
 

Maestro64

Member
If he did pace you, he has to do so a minimum distance, most states require a minimum of 3/10 of mile. Check and see what IN requires

If he did do this, then his police cruiser it required to have the speedometer calibrated, also the car had to be properly maintain like making sure the correct tires are placed on the cars and the air pressure is correct. Towns get cheap and put on the lease expensive tires they can find and many time not the right size, his rolling speed is dependent on the diameter of the tire. It is not one size fits all these days.

I like when police say, hey I had to go this fast to catch up to you as some sort of justification of you speed. All the statement shows is their lack of understand of the laws of nature and physics.

Simply put, two object traveling at 60MPH in the same direction will never get closer to one another, if the object behind the first object want to catch up they are required to go faster, how much faster depend on the distance between the two objects and the amount of time you want to close the distance.

It is always interesting to see the stupid look on people faces when you explain, of course you have to go so faster to catch me it is law of physics however, it does not prove how fast you were going. Do not allow the officer to use this as justification of speed, it is not factual and does not prove a thing, it just means his car is following the laws of physics and thank him for ensuring the court his car adheres to those laws

Yes the officer can say you were going so fast, and he paced you, if he makes those statements then he is required to uphold those states with additional evidences like cal cert for the speedometer and maintenance records for the cruiser. But he will not if you do not require him to back his claims up. Word alone carry so much weight and credibility, physical evidence carries much more weight and the lack of that evidence where required or when asked for helps destroyed the credibility of the words.

Also, all radar detectors will detect every radar unit in service today. Not sure why people and police some times think the police are using some sort of top secret radar equipment that can not be detected. I had police tell me that his radar is new and no detector on the market can detect it. The only question is how effective a detector is, some are better than others, and on short distance they all pick up, the better ones pickup more than a mile away the cheap one do not.

Also, radar guns operate on a very narrow band of frequencies, and detectors receive over a wide band and they look for existence of any frequency in a very wide range that all radars operate in.

Yes some detectors are only good in the forward facing directions, however, even if the source is behind the receiving antenna, at close distance when the radar signal hits an object and returns the detector will detect the return signal. Grant it, at that point it is too late, but you would still know radar was used.

So if the officer claims in court he used radar and it some new device that no detector can see, you know he has no clue, and you follow up and ask for the supporting evidence that he used radar, like the log book for the radar unit he used to show he in fact had one in his possession that day, also, the cal and maintenance records for that unit. Also whether he has been trained and do he have copies of those training records.

Again statement of fact without some sort of physical evidence to back them up are just statements at that point which no weight should be given to them.

So stop focusing on whether your car was doing what you think it was, but focus on whether the officer did what he is required to do. Does not matter if you speedometer was wrong, it does matter if the officer speedometer was working since he used it as probable cause to stop you he was not using your so it was irrelevant at that point.
 
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I_Got_Banned

Senior Member
Also, all radar detectors will detect every radar unit in service today. Not sure why people and police some times think the police are using some sort of top secret radar equipment that can not be detected.
It is not a matter of the police using some sort of top secret radar equipment that is capable of producing an unreadable frequency... Most Radar detectors available these days will allow the user to reduce sensitivity or even turn off detection for a particular frequency so as to eliminate numerous false alarms caused by either automatic door sensors and/or motion detector that are part of some security systems that you might be driving by.

... And hence my suggestion to the OP to find out the capabilities of her Radar detector as to each frequency it can detect as well as to find out which frequency is used by police in the area where her husband was cited!

Yes some detectors are only good in the forward facing directions, however, even if the source is behind the receiving antenna, at close distance when the radar signal hits an object and returns the detector will detect the return signal. Grant it, at that point it is too late, but you would still know radar was used.
And some detectors... Even one of the top rated ones, particularly one that has the ability to detect a signal from 360 degrees -all around you- will warn you that detector placement can affect signal reception. (See page 6 of this instruction manual -Link: https://www.escortradar.com/pdf/8500manl.pdf ).

It says:
For optimum detection performance, we recommend the following:
• Using the Windshield Mount, mount your Passport level, and high enough on your front windshield to provide a clear view of the road from the front and rear.
• Mount Passport away from windshield wipers, other solid objects, and heavily tinted areas that might obstruct the radar antenna or laser lens.


Additionally, and on page 24 of the same referenced manual, it adds the following:
• Determine if your vehicle has an Instaclear®, ElectriClear® or solar reflective windshield which may deflect radar or laser signals.
 

LSCAP

Member
Cruise control

The op says he wasn’t speeding.
In my state, the troopers “generally” allow up to nine miles over the limit. (Not always)
If traffic is moving at ten or more over the limit, I usually set my cruise control at about eight over. (unless everybody else is doing only the limit)
Still, it is easy to gently press on the gas to pass a slower moving car and suddenly realize that you are ten or more over.
Also, Some times cops park near a place where- well, say the road was bumpy, then suddenly it is smooth. Without realizing it, you could have been pushing on the gas through the bumpy part and now are speeding through the smooth spot. Or because it was suddenly smooth, it seems as if you are going slower and instinctively press down on the gas. Cruise control doesn’t stop you from accelerating.
An example; I had just passed a bumpy stretch of road and overcame the urge to push down on the gas pedal in a smooth spot, and my wife asked me why I was slowing down. I pointed to the officer, who I hadn’t seen pacing me, and was now passing me, and at my speedometer. I was still doing the limit. ( I hadn’t seen him because we’d been talking.)
(And he gave me a dirty look as he passed me. He went off the next exit and turned in the direction of going back.}

Sadly it’s not a trap, it’s about trying to always be aware of your vehicle and not trusting a mechanical gadget.
And since I drive over a hundred and fifty miles a day, in mixed country and city driving, I never play the radio when I have passengers (I don’t want too many distractions) and constantly check my speed.

I hope I explained that so it could be understood.
 

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