While driving my TCH, I got stopped by a policeman who promptly issued me a speeding ticket. Well, I know I was NOT speeding. Here is the scenario:
I came to a complete stop at an intersection. I made a left turn, and, like most TCH owners, started to accelerate smoothly and gradually. (We all know that sudden acceleration kills MPG rating). After having driven only about 60 or 70 feet, I got a ticket for doing 45 mph in a 30 mph zone. I know that TCH is simply not capable of having that kind of acceleration; I know I was not speeding. Now I need to prove it in front of a judge , needless to say I intend to fight this ticket. Is anybody aware of speed calculators or formulas that would help me to prepare this case? Any other suggestions would be most helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

My suggestion to you would be to just pay the ticket. The police rarely (almost never) loses such cases. Do you have a camera in your car that recorded the entire event???(I guess your answer is no) If not, all the officer has to do is swear under oath that you are "GUILTY" and the Judge slams you with the "GUILTY" verdict.

Trust me on this one, I have tried it once too many times. They (a.k.a Police) need no evidence to prove you guilty.

Just consider it as a donation to your local police department and avoid wasting your time going to court (you could spend that time making money at work or doing something else more productive to your life).

 

I will not plead guilty to an offence I have not committed. I am hoping to use an accident reconstruction formulas, as it has been suggested to me via email, to prove that it was physically impossible for me to be going that fast. Now, I just have to find those formulas... help...

 

Lol! If that's what you chose to do, then go ahead and do so. Please post the outcome when your court case is done. I assure you, you will be thoroughly dissapointed.

 

Just take the judge for a test ride.

No, seriously, just pay the ticket and be done with it. Is your life really worth all the time it takes to find these "formulas" and go to court?

 

If you chose to fight the ticket in court, you should ask for the radar gun to be tested.
From my limited knowledge that comes from about 10 years ago when my uncle (LE Officer) told me that the radar guns needed to be certified and each time they are, the certification is logged along with test results. If the gun read fast by x% - I would think that this might get you off the hook.. Again - My info is old and it was with radar not laser.

You should be able to find the formula that would calculate how much horsepower it would take to accelerate 3800# from a dead stop to 45 MPH in 70 feet. Check on wikipedia and other places like Drag Racing forums etc..

Good luck - I believe in standing up for my values too...

 

You probably will not win, but right is right and you should stand up for the truth. That said, when I drive Rich's TCH I find myself going really fast and not realizing it, especially when I drive it like my conventional car. Seems to me though, if you are driving it for optimum miliage that you could not get to that speed that fast. Good luck, I hope you win. Laurie

 

There's also the matter, if your state/province uses this system, of losing a merit or getting a demerit on your license. I'd fight it, but where I live there's retired cops who are now "traffic ticket specialists," meaning they know how to play the system like a finely tuned fiddle, so for a fee (sometimes more than the potential fine), they'll go to bat for you, and 99% of the time they win.

I forgot to pay my license renewal a few years back, and got pulled over, and the dude got me off with a reprimand and no fine or demerits, so I was quite pleased. If merits are a concern for you, you might want to look into that.

If you do decide to plead it yourself, here's my one tip, passed on from a friend who's successfully appealed a couple of fines: shut up. That is to say, go in, state your case, and then stop talking. The judge will sit there and give you a withering stare (they're good at this), and will let you talk and talk and talk, and after you stop, they'll keep staring for a few, as if they and everyone else are waiting for something else. Most likely you'll then get an "are you serious, you little maggot?" type question, as if whatever you said is the most preposterous thing they've ever heard. Stand your ground.

There's also a chance that the cop won't bother showing up, in which case you win by default, if I recall correctly. Basically, you have nothing to lose by trying, save perhaps some time and a little bit of pride.

 

Good for you, stick it to the man! I'd rather pay the ticket and avoid wasting a day off to go to court but it's good that people like you are willing to fight injustice, no matter how trivial it is. For principle!

 

If you had a passenger with you who would testify for you under oath that at the exact time of the supposed violation you were discussing the speed and acceleration characteristics of the car and the witness personally observed the indicated speed never exceeded 30 mph you MIGHT stand a chance. Maybe you were demonstrating/discussing the "pulse and glide" technique?
Be default the preponderance of evidence is with the police officer and his radar device. If you can produce a passenger/witness who will testify then the preponderance is no longer with the officer and it becomes a "his word and the radar gun against you AND your witness" and its up to the judge at that point.
Oh, asking for the radar device to be tested is a waste. The officer will just testify it was tested within the previous xxx hours/days (which it probably was) and considered accurate. If you really want to tick off the judge as when the last time the police officer was certified. That doesn't work either.
Producing a passenger witness is really your only chance and then not much of one.