PA speeding ticket: Should I fight?

[keystone1]

Can police officers track you while they are driving ahead of you? I got a speeding ticket and the officer said I was doing 78.6 at 55 mile zone. I asked him how he got me me he said he timed me. I asked him how he can time me as he was ahead me. He said he used his rear view mirror and he has been a police more than 10 years with experience. However, he said he was not giving me any points and put 5 over the speed limit on the ticket with a $152 fine. On the citation, he put 'TRACKER' as timing device. Ticket indicates that his device was tested on 11/19/18 etc. Miles timed 0.047 and second timed 2.15. My questions:
1- Can police officers use trackers when driving ahead and use their rear view mirrors to check your speed?
2- It feels bad to get the ticket. Since he did not put any points, does this affect anything on my driving records? Given that judges always take the officers' side, I am not sure I can get anything if I go to the court?
3- If I go to the court, what should be my defense?
many thanks for your time and help.

 

[FlyingRon]

1. All it takes is the ability to measure your speed between two landmarks. It can be done out the front window, out the back, through the mirrors, from an airplane, or standing on the sie of the road.
2. Feeling bad doesn't have anything to do with things. Many people who commit crimes feel bad when they are caught. Five or less over will not affect anything (proivided you pay the fine). Judges do not "take the officer's side." It's just that the officer's testimony is almost always more persuasive than a defendant just stating "I didn't do it."
3. What indication do you have that the 78 mile speed isn't accurate?

 

[NeilTheCop]

You were driving 20 over the limit and the officer cut you a break and put 5 over the speed limit on the ticket.
Pay the ticket.

 

[not2cleverRed]

...And what state is this?

 

[Just Blue]

...And what state is this?

PA per the thread header.

 

[keystone1]

Many thanks for your time guys. It is PA (south-east). I was just going to work so I don't speed on the way to work unless I need to get away from people who are on their phones with their vehicles all over the road or someone slow on the left lane blocking smooth driving. It is the end of the month/year and I think officers are fund raising around here. Unlike what I see on TV, my experience, and hear from people, the officer was extremely polite and he stated that everything was recorded at the beginning. 1% of our wages goes to the municipality and I wish they don't need to resort speed traps to raise money.
Based on your advise, I will pay the fine if it is not going to affect my driving records. It feels bad because you are not guilty (if I was really speeding, I would not have felt bad).

 

[HighwayMan]

I was just going to work so I don't speed on the way to work...

You do realize that what you said here sounds ridiculous, don't you? Everyone who gets caught says things like that and it's just not credible. No judge would even consider that as a defense or justification.

It is the end of the month/year and I think officers are fund raising around here.

And that's yet another ridiculous statement that would get you nowhere fast.

I wish they don't need to resort speed traps to raise money.

That was hardly a speed trap.

I will pay the fine if it is not going to affect my driving records.

It's still a speeding conviction. Points generally only mean something to the DMV. Your insurance company may still see the speeding conviction on your record.

I don't understand why people think that police officers cannot see what's going on behind them while they're driving. It boggles my mind sometimes.

 

[FlyingRon]

unless I need to get away from people who are on their phones with their vehicles all over the road or someone slow on the left lane blocking smooth driving.

Neither of which is excusable.
]

 

[adjusterjack]

I don't speed on the way to work unless I need to get away from people who are on their phones with their vehicles all over the road or someone slow on the left lane blocking smooth driving.

That's not the way to avoid accidents. You pick a lane and you stay in it at the speed limit. If anybody hits you, they pay. If you speed up to avoid people and you hit somebody then you pay big with citations and increased insurance rates.

 

[keystone1]

Wonderful.

 

[TigerD]

You are going to pay regardless. Either you will pay by writing a check, or you will pay from the lost work time to show up for court appearances. The question is which will cost you more and if you have a strong likelihood of winning if you take it to court.

TD

 

[chatomairi]

Can police officers track you while they are driving ahead of you? I got a speeding ticket and the officer said I was doing 78.6 at 55 mile zone. I asked him how he got me me he said he timed me. I asked him how he can time me as he was ahead me. He said he used his rear view mirror and he has been a police more than 10 years with experience. However, he said he was not giving me any points and put 5 over the speed limit on the ticket with a $152 fine. On the citation, he put 'TRACKER' as timing device. Ticket indicates that his device was tested on 11/19/18 etc. Miles timed 0.047 and second timed 2.15. My questions:
1- Can police officers use trackers when driving ahead and use their rear view mirrors to check your speed?
2- It feels bad to get the ticket. Since he did not put any points, does this affect anything on my driving records? Given that judges always take the officers' side, I am not sure I can get anything if I go to the court?
3- If I go to the court, what should be my defense?
many thanks for your time and help.

Since this seems like a very cut throat forum. I'll give you my opinion. From my understanding, cops can track your speed several ways. One way would be to match your speed while driving or in this case, see how close you're following to his speed. Is it accurate? They'll claim it is but I'm sure he only dropped it down to 5 miles to give himself some leeway. I rather have a ticket with no points since those follow you pretty much forever.

The point system is pretty much used to keep violations on your record as long as possible. To reduce points, you'll have to take those defensive driving classes. I believe you can only remove 4 points per year.

As for a defense, he doesn't have anything exact. It's his word against yours. There's no radar to validate his claim. if you weren't close to his vehicle, then he really doesn't conrete proof that he did track you probably. Rear view mirrors make objects closer than they actually are. He could have easily assumed wrong.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Since this seems like a very cut throat forum. I'll give you my opinion. From my understanding, cops can track your speed several ways. One way would be to match your speed while driving or in this case, see how close you're following to his speed. Is it accurate? They'll claim it is but I'm sure he only dropped it down to 5 miles to give himself some leeway. I rather have a ticket with no points since those follow you pretty much forever.

The point system is pretty much used to keep violations on your record as long as possible. To reduce points, you'll have to take those defensive driving classes. I believe you can only remove 4 points per year.

As for a defense, he doesn't have anything exact. It's his word against yours. There's no radar to validate his claim. if you weren't close to his vehicle, then he really doesn't conrete proof that he did track you probably. Rear view mirrors make objects closer than they actually are. He could have easily assumed wrong.

I believe PA removes 3 points per year.

It doesn't matter if the rearview mirror makes things appear larger, smaller or a different color if the officer had the car in about the same position in the mirror he was matching speed.

 

[chatomairi]

I believe PA removes 3 points per year.

It doesn't matter if the rearview mirror makes things appear larger, smaller or a different color if the officer had the car in about the same position in the mirror he was matching speed.

People are here for ideas and your far fetched notion of defending the officers at all cost is pointless. You know all mirrors distort images. Are you saying that's not factual when it's imprinted right on your side mirror?

Really now. As far as for points, the state will reduce or remove points after a few years but they'll stay on the insruance company's for a lot longer.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

People are here for ideas and your far fetched notion of defending the officers at all cost is pointless. You know all mirrors distort images. Are you saying that's not factual when it's imprinted right on your side mirror?

Really now. As far as for points, the state will reduce or remove points after a few years but they'll stay on the insruance company's for a lot longer.

Insurance companies could not give a rat's rear end about points. They see the violations as they happen and to my knowledge, there is no reason they should forget about them when the state removes points. And the police or traffic court of a state could not care less about what an insurance company does with a person's rates when they give a ticket.

Sure mirrors distort. They reverse everything if nothing else. This doesn't change the fact that if a car is in the same place in a mirror and not getting smaller or larger the officer driving the car can tell that they have matched the speed of the target car.

My post wasn't to defend an officer. It was to defend readers from your incorrect statements.