JR-01

There are a thousand reasons why the cop might have been speeding. There even could have been a Vette with a flat tire 20 miles down the road. Sometimes cops have to be someplace in a hurry. You really don't have a clue where the cop was going. Following a speeding cop is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.

Corvette_Ed

Police officers are allowed to exceed the posted speed limit if circumstances warrant it. An example of such circumstances would be in response to a call for backup in a non-emergency situation, for example, a traffic stop made by another officer.

troyguitar

So what could possibly be important enough to speed for, but not important enough to actually get there in any hurry?

It takes longer to get somewhere if you stop and pull over a guy than it would if you just go the speed limit and don't stop. By definition this "important" event must have been less important than a guy going 80 in a straight line, which is not important at all. OP was in no danger and putting no one else in danger.

What event could possibly necessitate speeding and yet be less important than a guy doing something that is not dangerous at all?

JR-01

He may have been trying to catch up to another speeder and decided to get the joker behind him instead. Or he was just responding to a car along side the road a few miles up the road. There are plenty of non emergencies cops have to respond to.
Sounds like you are more pissed off that you can't go 80 in a straight line whenever you want to.

I think if he goes to court the Judge is going to laugh at him.

Leo23

Speed limit is 65. You were going 80. You lose.

nutseynut7

just ok to do 80mph read http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loca...-82509797.html

troyguitar

Yeah, that's apples to apples alright:

Accelerating to 80 in a presumably 55 or less zone going across a double yellow into oncoming traffic is the same as traveling at a constant 80 in the left lane of a divided 65 mph highway with what was effectively a police escort clearing the way?

Wake up, dude. Those 2 scenarios have nothing in common except for 80 mph.

Lee DeRaud

That's really not the same as going 80 on the I5. Yes, speed was a factor in that accident, but not nearly as important as the fact that he crossed a double-yellow line into oncoming traffic. I don't know offhand what the speed limit is there, but I suspect a head-on even at legal speeds would have ruined the day for everyone involved.

66dts-v

Cops in general, but especially traffic cops get lied to ALL DAY LONG. I've lied to them (How fast do you think you were going?), all my friends have lied to them at one point or another (I've only had maybe 2 beers), just about EVERYONE has looked a cop square in the face and lied at one point or another. Or at least bent the truth to the point of near breakage.


I never thought to pursue a job in LE because of the fact it would bring out the a$$hole in me. If you think that wouldn't make you at least a little jaded, or a little distrusting of the public in general, you are the exception, not the rule.

Corvette_Ed

No, not by definition and there is no way to measure the importance. The officer could easily have called for someone else to respond to the call he was going to because he ran into a more immediate issue: someone exceeding the speed limit by a significant amount. Speeding is always considered as dangerous, and statistics prove this. That's why we have posted speed limits and not our own versions of the autobahn.


Exceeding the speed limit is considered dangerous, especially at 15 mph over the posted limit.

JR-01

So true. If you are an a-hole to a cop you better expect the same from him. I have found that being truthful and polite works best for me when dealing with a cop.

troyguitar

So the cop was driving dangerously? Why is that OK?

nutseynut7

Bottom line he was speeding and dumb enough to do it behind a cop he should get a ticket if for nothing else stupidity

bobeast

dude....wait.....what??? Kid was going 80 and crashed, therefore 80 = bad. I know of people crashing gong 50. Should we ban 50 too? Seems like a logic-disconnect to me.

C5Txfan

When I see a cop driving above the speed limit I sure don't try and tail him at the same speed - now I might let him get a mile or so up the road and then speed up a little but not right behind him !
I will pass a city cop or state trooper if they're going well under the spped limit ... I know I've seen people line up behind a cop in ALL lanes and are afraid to pass him when he's going 5 - 10 MPH under the posted speed limit !!

RC000E

I've successfully defended many tickets, as our local police forces tend to be very corrupt and operate far outside the boundaries of the law. I'll be the first to say fight, and that stands for any citation...NEVER pay without contesting a ticket...that's simply foolishness.

In this case, I will tell you, you don't have much of a case, based upon what you've stated here.

Questions I'd have are:

What did the officer say when he stopped you specifically?
Did he say at which point he paced you, indicating there was a distance/time?


In the end, this is a tough ticket to beat. You could certainly scrutinize his speedometer calibration to ensure accuracy, you could take a look at the speed limit sign locations, etc. It also comes down to what you admitted to doing at the time of the stop...did you admit you were speeding? Did the officer say, "do you know why I stopped you?"

There are means to beat these guys, but you need to understand fully what is at stake, watch your words, record all his mentally (or literally) and be very aware of your surroundings.

In this case, you were simply foolish speeding in the vacinity of an officer...that's essentially asking for it. Follow simple rules: If you see a cop, drive by the book...assume they are watching you. Secondly, all police are above the law...if they do it, that doesn't mean you can. Third, NEVER admit guilt of any kind...play dumb ALWAYS. Next, ask as many questions at the time of the stop as you can (when did you start following me, where were you sitting, how fast were you going, etc).

Your mistake is not fighting the prior tickets because on this one...your options are limited. I'd still plead not guilty though...don't get me wrong. Some states (va for example) you can get away with going to have your speedometer checked/calibrated and state that its accuracy was in error and you were merely following the flow of traffic (the officer) and felt for certain he must've been abiding by the law. You could say, that not believing the accuracy of the officer, you found your speedo had error and it has been resolved. That's one tactic...to save yourself in the face of guilt anyway.

Lee DeRaud

15MPH faster than the prevailing flow, yes.
15MPH over the posted limit, not so much...especially on an Interstate where the speed limit is determined mostly by non-safety considerations, as codified in federal law.

FWIW, on that stretch of I5 in non-congested conditions, "prevailing flow" is 70-75, and getting a straight-up speeding ticket for anything under 75 is almost unheard of.

Corvette_Ed

Police are specially trained in high speed driving and have rules and laws that govern when and how they are allowed to exceed posted speeds.

Corvette_Ed

He was exceeding both the posted speed limit and the prevailing flow, thus was driving dangerously. There's nothing to argue about the fact that he broke the law in both the literal and figurative sense.

Corvette_Ed

Police drive slower than the speed limit purposely to find out who is scared to pass them. They'll then make an effort to find out why. I never tail behind a police car going slower than the speed limit.