Trooper tailgated me until I began speeding

[Jim_bo]

And for your own good, you might want to avoid the "my car doesn't even go 90mph" defense. Judges tend to frown upon that stuff.

That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard!! If your car won't do 90mph and you are cited for exceeding 90mph, that is VERY relevant evidence as to the defendant's guilt.

[You Are Guilty]

That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard!! If your car won't do 90mph and you are cited for exceeding 90mph, that is VERY relevant evidence as to the defendant's guilt.

Hey Jim_bo, a 92 Colt's top speed is higher than 90mph. Judges take a dim view of defendants perjuring themselves (particularly when there are other legitimate grounds upon which to contest the ticket).

[Jim_bo]

Hey Jim_bo, a 92 Colt's top speed is higher than 90mph. Judges take a dim view of defendants perjuring themselves (particularly when there are other legitimate grounds upon which to contest the ticket).

Dude.... do you know what a 92 Colt is??? [url=http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1990-to-1992-dodge-colt.htm]1990-1992 Dodge Colt: Overview - Consumer Guide Automotive[/url]

That car would barely hit 90 when it was brand new. It's now 17 years old. I think the argument that it won't do 90 is not only plausible.... it is likely!! I wouldn't want to drive 90 in that car.

By the way.... you should really control yourself before you start name calling. That's why your post was edited.

[Maestro64]

Jim_bo is correct, there is now that cat hit 90, I did not think about that angle.

Here is a calculator which tell you the Horsepower need to move an car at a particular speed, I assume the car weight 2500 lb, it probably closer to 3000

[url=http://www.ajdesigner.com/phphorsepower/horsepower_equation_trap_speed_method_horsepower.php]Horsepower Design Equation Formula Calculator - Engine Horsepower Trap Speed Method[/url]

It said that you need 145 horsepower to go that fast, and colt top of line only had 118 new, it probably running below 100 today and the tires and suspend shot.

I would estimate that the top speed of this car was around 80 to 85 assuming it had the larger engine. Also, to rapidly accelerate away from 72 to 90 in a 100HP car is a total joke, if was in fact able to go that fast, it told minutes to do it.

[disneykid52]

I dont care WHO is tailgating me,,,,,I have and to this day still SLAM on my brakes,,,,,All I say is gee,,,a cat ran out in front of me,,,,They end up paying for damages.

[Jim_bo]

Jim_bo is correct, there is now that cat hit 90, I did not think about that angle.

Here is a calculator which tell you the Horsepower need to move an car at a particular speed, I assume the car weight 2500 lb, it probably closer to 3000

[url=http://www.ajdesigner.com/phphorsepower/horsepower_equation_trap_speed_method_horsepower.php]Horsepower Design Equation Formula Calculator - Engine Horsepower Trap Speed Method[/url]

It said that you need 145 horsepower to go that fast, and colt top of line only had 118 new, it probably running below 100 today and the tires and suspend shot.

I would estimate that the top speed of this car was around 80 to 85 assuming it had the larger engine. Also, to rapidly accelerate away from 72 to 90 in a 100HP car is a total joke, if was in fact able to go that fast, it told minutes to do it.

You are missing one thing... in the article I posted, the 92 colt had 81 horsepower!!!

[ColtDriver]

This is so helpful! Thank you for all this relevant information - I feel much better now about contesting the ticket. It's always useful to be able to point to concrete figures in order to back up what you know to be the truth, in the absence of any witnesses. I thought of getting a mechanic to assess my car and write something up about its inability to speed that fast - but JimBo and Maestro, your info was a much easier route.

By the way, I called the appropriate troop headquarters yesterday and left a message for the officer in charge of complaints. He called back today, listened to my story, and was extremely supportive. The trooper will have an official warning issued that will go into his file, and if he has (or receives in the future) any other complaints against his driving, he'll get sent to driver's education and/or counseling (no joke), with possible further disciplinary action. The Lieutenant to whom I spoke said that flow of traffic on the Mass Pike is normally 70, 75, even 80 mph, and going those speeds is not necessarily a ticket-worthy offense (which surprised me) - their instructions are to pull people over when they are zigzagging in and out of lanes in order to exceed the speed of the flow of traffic. He also encouraged me to contest the ticket, saying that the judge might well excuse it or at least reduce the amount. I sent in the ticket today requesting a hearing.

Thank you all for your comments - very very helpful. I'd encourage those of you who've had similar experiences to also report it. Otherwise, these troopers will continue to use intimidation tactics - and if you're driving a little old car, and they're in a fancy new vehicle with air bags, you're just not going to take the risk of going for the "cat" maneuver!

[You Are Guilty]

You are missing one thing... in the article I posted, the 92 colt had 81 horsepower!!!
...
That car would barely hit 90 when it was brand new. It's now 17 years old. I think the argument that it won't do 90 is not only plausible.... it is likely!! I wouldn't want to drive 90 in that car.

Ignoring the super rare turbo, a 92 Colt has a 1.5L, 92hp motor. 92hp in a 2500 pound car is more than enough to go 90mpg. (I had an 88hp Escort hit 105, and a 50hp Beetle, with a published top speed of 75mph, hit 80.) Whether you'd want to actually drive those speeds is irrelevant.

Perhaps more importantly, how exactly do you propose you get legally admissible evidence of the car's current top speed before the court? Hire an expert engineer and pay for testing? Yeah right. Do a top-speed run on your own? That's brilliant - admitting to speeding a second time to disprove you were speeding the first? Or maybe you can offer to take the judge on a test drive...

Of course, I really could not care less if anyone believes me, it's the judge that has to be convinced. So, feel free to make whatever argument you like, but don't say you haven't been warned

By the way.... you should really control yourself before you start name calling. That's why your post was edited. [/B][/U]

If you want to check all my posts and report me for typos, knock yourself out. I always wanted a personal secretary.

[LSCAP]

Write a letter of complaint.
Phone calls can be assumed that you are angry that you got a ticket. but taking the time to write is a lot different.

Next time, ease off the gas as you slow down looking for a chance to change lanes.
Don't go slow enough to get a ticket for retarding traffic.

[I_Got_Banned]

The Lieutenant to whom I spoke said that flow of traffic on the Mass Pike is normally 70, 75, even 80 mph, and going those speeds is not necessarily a ticket-worthy offense (which surprised me) -

You were cited for allegedly doing 90mph! That's 10mph higher than what the Lieutenant deems as unworthy of a ticket!

You also mentioned a couple of lane changes... To the officer, that might have justified the zigzagging mentioned by the lieutenant.