I find myself going faster than I really thing I am in the TCH.

 

I would agree...the TCH is deceptively fast because of the CVT...IMO.

 

[quote=Potato;116740]This is just a first-order approximation...

I think in metric, so just let me do a few conversions to start:
45 mph = 72.4 km/h = 20.1 m/s
70 feet = 21.3 m

The TCH goes 0 to 100 km/h [27.8 m/s] in 8.6 seconds; if we assume that's a constant acceleration, that gives us a = 3.23 m/s/s [source: Canadian Driver http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/07camryhy.htm]

Let's use the equation:

V[1]^2 = V[0]^2 +2*a*d
V[0] = 0 (starting from rest)
so V[1] = 11.7 m/s (or 26.1 mph or 42.1 km/h).


thats exactly what i am looking for. I think, I have to calculate the actual acelaration rate to prove the disctance travelled between my left turn and the location where the cop nailed me. I am palying with the following formula:
Acceleration: The distance covered while accelerating for T secs.:
D = Vo x T + 1/2 A x T xT where: Vo is the vehicle's speed when it starts accelerating ( 0 for a standing start) and A is the acceleration rate- for cars this is about 10 ft/sec/sec.
Example: Vo = 0, T = 2 sec. D = 1/2 x 10 x 2 x 2 = 20 ft.


Having said that, Potato would you please try to explain your formula in detail? Thanks in advance.

 

BMGOODMAN - Great advice, you beat me to it.

I say fight the ticket if you feel you were wronged. A couple of reasons:

- Officer may not show up = ticket thrown out
- The judge may reduce the charge to "waste of a finite resource" which has happened to me in AZ. ~$23 and no points.

The case went something like this...
Mr. Eskimonio, you are charged with doing 85 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone...how do you plead?
NOOOOT guilty, your honor.
Ok, how fast were you going?
Seventy-Three miles per hour, your honor.
Ok, waste of a finite resource, twenty three dollar fine and no points on your license.


I agree with previous posters in that you want pictures of the area which include both the stop sign you completely stopped at, and the area where you were said to be exceeding the speed limit. Pace off the distance to ensure your 60-70 foot estimate is accurate. Maybe even have your vehicle in the picture or use something else for 'scale' so the judge can see that 8 lengths of your vehicle = 70 feet, etc.. If your camera won't capture the whole area in one pic, try panorama or use multiple pictures printed out large size you can bring in.

I also agree in that the 'radar certification defense' is way old school. Municipalities have been caught with their shorts down on that one for years, and now most departments have standardized policies to ensure regular certification. Hey, it may not be a bad thing to throw out in questioning the officer, if you have other more pertinent questions to ask e.g. weather conditions, his take on the position of your vehicle, his estimation of the distance you were from the stop you had just made (ask this BEFORE you drop your pictures on him). For additional tips on questions to ask the officer, which is your right to do, google a bit and you'll have good questions pouring out your ears.

It's just too bad you didn't get pinched by one of those revenue-generation machines they call photo radar...I could tell you exactly what to do to get out of one of those.

Good luck, dress professionally, speak eloquently, and keep us posted!

EFF the man, I says!!

 

It's been a long time since I've had to explain physics, so I'll do my best....

Basically, the equation I gave is one of the basic equations of motion with constant acceleration formulas from kinematics, along with the one you have.

It basically relates initial speed (V[0]) and final speed (V[1]) -- actually, the squares of those -- along with the rate of acceleration and the distance travelled. You don't need time to solve for any of the other factors (so it's ideal for your situation, where you want to find speed based on acceleration and distance).

To derive it, start with the one you have:

d = v[0]*t + 0.5*a*t^2

Then use v[1] = v[0] + at
solve for t: t = (v[1] - v[0])/a
Then substitute the t in your equation:

d = v[0]*(v[1] - v[0])/a + 0.5*a*((v[1] - v[0])/a)^2

It'll simplify out to the other one.

 

I got a bogus ticket about 6 years ago. The cop claimed I made an illegal left hand turn over a double-solid yellow line (which was actually not solid). I made the turn, the cop made the turn, and three other cars made the exact same turn right behind him. I was really surprised he did not let me off with a warning. He never showed for the court case, so it was dropped. I used to donate to law enforcement organizations that raise money for needy kids. Not any more. I hated that fact that he got to waste so much of my time.

I wish you luck in fighting your ticket.

You may want to run some empirical tests to confirm that your car can't accelerate to that speed in that distance (with the same incline or flatness). Of course, do this in a safe area, and mark off the start/finish lines.

 

All of this provig your car can or cannot physically accerate to that speed in that distance is pointless. This is simple a your word vs. his word. There is no evidence that you were stopped exactly 1500 feet from the stop, so there is no way to prove how much distance you had to accelerate.

Just get an attorney, and let them fight it as best they can.

FACTS DON'T MATTER IN OUR LEGAL SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Going with retired cops, etc, probably won't work in most areas in the US as that would be unauthorized practice of law. That's a criminal offense in most, if not all, jurisdictions. Not for you, of course, but for those "retired cops."

The formula is great but you're going to have to lay proper foundation and present it with an expert witness. It wouldn't have to be some NASA engineer. Again, it depends on your jurisdiction, but some jurisdictions have a rather relaxed qualification requirement for expert witness. A high school physics teacher would most likely qualify in most places. But since that would involve direct examination and responding to a cross, that's a job best left for a lawyer.

A lawyer could be costly, but not always. You don't need some fancy silk socks high powered attorney for this. Virtually anyone you can look up in a phonebook can handle a basic negotiation with the prosecutor in this case, who could be a assistant solicitor or even a police officer. You could negotiate something on your own, but that's chancy. Based on jurisdiction and possibly location, you could even have it bound over to higher court with real attorney prosecutors and judges who care more about adhering to criminal procedures than generating funds.

Basically, if the ticket resolves in the municipal/city court (assuming the alleged offense occurred within the city limits), then the fines the ticket generates stays in that city. If the case is bound over to the higher court (not always possible) then the county will probably receive the fines. That's why if your attorney threatens to bind the case over, the prosecutor (either city-paid solicitor, or private practice attorney working part-time as solicitor, or police officer, all of whom eventually report to city administration who wants those fine money) will often agree to reduce the charge to non-moving violation or reduce the speed so it won't be reported to DMV or insurance company as long as fine remains.

I said "jurisdiction" alot in this post because traffic laws differ a lot. You shouldn't take any single person's advice (mine included) as gospel because of that.

 

I have been lucky enough to take up any of my tickets with the judge or DA. In NY it really depends on what county you are in. I have no clue what it is in your locale.

I have never been stuck with points/credits. I have one or two "stopped on pavement" violations with maybe a total of US $155 in fines. (I've been stopped 7 times -- 4 of which were just fishing and had no 'real' reason -- the other three resulted in 1 warning and 2 tickets.)

Good luck!

 

My theory is your TCH produced one of those infamous "lurches" the GM-backed auto magazine writer/reviewers seem to find so prevalent -- but TCH owners are so used to that we don't notice. The radar must have instantaneoulsy registered the rapid acceleration at mid-lurch which was well above the actual speed immediately before and after the event. Apparently, the lurch is so quick, our TCH speedometer never registers it. Good luck!