John Madeja

So it finally happened, got my first ticket...the problem is that he wrote me up for 89mph but I had my cruise set at a much lower speed???

I was set to cruise at 79-80mph which was following the flow of traffic - not that it counts but just saying it's not like i was blowing by anyone (yes i know still speeding)

to set the scene it was 5 o'clock rush hour traffic on a three lane freeway with heavy traffic, the cop was on the opposite side of the freeway and never really had a good view of me because I couldn't really even see him till I had even passed him that's how busy traffic was.

He hit me for 89mph with a laser 432 feet away.

I guess my question is, how accurate would that laser reading be at that distance, through three lanes of heavy traffic?

p.s. this is in michigan and i was in my daily not my vette, but i trust everyones opinions here so i figured i'd post

Thanks for any help

AC1074

To answer your question, the laser is pin point accurate at that distance....even further. If you got hit with the laser save yourself the court costs and just take the defensive driving.

If you don't know how the laser works basically its a scope with a red dot. When the officer looks though the scope and puts the dot on your car, he pulls the trigger and it tells him the speed of your car. Not anyone else's speed, only yours. You could be in five lanes of traffic and it would deliver the office an accurate result of your speed. I have even seen lasers that record your vehicle on video with your speed. Good luck.

John Madeja

That still doesnt answer then how i had my cruise set and he clocked me for 10mph more?

But thanks for the response

AllFlash

Well actually... I was confused on which defense you were going for as you used both the cruise and lack of clear view in your story. The laser is calibrated each and every time it is turned on. It is dead on accurate and your car is not. A laser takes 1/10th of a second to get you and, in that time, several speed returns of your vehicle are received. Unlike the radar which relies on a cigar shaped beam(hence multi-vehicle speed mistake), the laser is much like that of a laser pointer. To say it may have been another vehicle and not you, you would need to prove operator inattention which is pretty unlikely.

Good luck.

2FAS4UU

Sorry to hear this John. My suggestion would be to take your DD to a business that can evaluate/verify if your cruise control is working correctly, if not, then you 'might' get a pass on the speeder. Here in Calif. you have to go to court and have the issuing officer give proof of current calibration on his gun, but being that it was done by laser gun and not Radar, it might not fly. Also, GOOGLE time, try and find any weak links to this situation (Laser Guns) online with a sh/t load of questions.

John Madeja

I understand my car being off by maybe 1 or 2 but can it really be off by 9-10 lol plus with cruise on i was flowing with traffic pretty well

KeepRightPassLeft

At 432 feet, the laser beam is between 13-17 inches in diameter. The accuracy of the laser is excellent. The only error you can have if the optical sight is not aligned with the laser beam. On most LIDAR guns the optical sight is not directly connected to the laser optics. According to all of the LIDAR user manuals the police officer is to test the alignment of the optical sight by aiming the LIDAR gun at a target that is placed at a known distance and gradually pan off and on the object to see the change of distance. This is supposed to be done before each shift. It is very common for the optical sight to become out of alignment. Also the LIDAR gun is to be certified by an accredited lab yearly.
Your best bet to get out of the ticket, is to get a lawyer.

John Madeja

Thank you honestly i wasnt going 89 so thats why im confused...im going to call the court tomorrow when they open and see about getting charges dropped to at least a lesser nonpoint incurring charge...pay the fine maybe take the driver course and be done with this but if they wont then im looking at fighting it obviously....

The only bright thing in my future is that the cop is from flint michigan which for those that dont know is the murder capital of the country lol so i might get lucky and he wont show because he'll be to busy elsewhere and it happens about half the time

2FAS4UU

It's a hefty fine if you can't prove anything. You might go in with that explanation about traveling with the 'flow', but 'if' you plead that along with verification that your cruise control was not working properly, ummm maybe ! Don't really know how the codes work in your state, but either way you should be offered options. It sucks !! If you were here I'd buy you beer after court !! LOL

John Madeja

Michigan doesnt charge court fees or anything to my understanding unless you no show to a hearing....its almost more expensive for them to fight back so im hoping they will just take the smaller fine for 5 over considering to my knowledge and my cruises i was only doing 10 over on a freeway with equally flowing traffic

AllFlash

Sorry that won't work. Your best option is to go to court, hope the cop doesnt show which he most likely will, and then apologize to the prosecutor asking what they can do for you. The court system doesnt care if it costs more to run the case than you will pay.

I know I am being forthright but Ide rather have someone tell me it from the heart than BS or let me think of all kind of theories that wont assist whatsoever.

John Madeja

Thank you...but there is still a good chance he wont show because of the city he works in its worse then detroit so chances could be good at him not showing up....my chances are better in this city then a small white boy town like mine lol

2FAS4UU

Good Luck with this matter and and hope it works out for you. Things are definitely done a little differently there than here.

jjaaam

Plead insanity...

Seriously though...I went in to try and fight a ticket a few years ago. Cop in Swartz Creek said I ran a red light. I can tell you for SURE it was yellow and never went red. Problem was that there were two other people in front of me that had the same ticket at the same intersection from the same cop who - of course - showed up to court.

The other two ended up getting off for "obstructing traffic". Fine but no points. By the time it got around to my turn I didn't even bother taking out the pictures and documentation I had because I knew it wasn't going to get me anywhere.

I took the fine to avoid getting the points. You're pretty much at their mercy. Someone else here said to get a lawyer...I think we all know that would end up costing you a ton more.

John Madeja

Yeah i figured a lawyer would and swartz creek where do you live im in lapeer?

Bill Vett

I don't know what your driving record is but if you have prior moving violations it may not go well for you. Now if your record is clean and you have no points you may be offered a plea, take it. Most departments today have the officer schedule court on a duty day so they don't miss the hearings and it doesn't involve OT. Good luck...... Remember even at a local court it's still court, dress nice, no jeans, tennis shoes, show respect for the court you may be rewarded.

jjaaam

Gaines. Most people have never heard of it so it's a lot easier to say I live "near Flint". Most everyone has heard of the murder capital of the world.

roadbike56

If you want the best advice hire an attorney that specializes in traffic court. If you're looking for the least expensive way out, try pleading with the court, but that usually doesn't work.

AC1074

Listen guys, I understand the OP is frustrated for getting stopped and given a ticket for speeding. Was it his cruise control or the officer that caused the discrepancy of his speed? We don't know since we weren't there.

Either way, what frustrates me is how often we do something wrong but yet we don't want to except the consequences of our actions. I have been pulled over for speeding but I KNEW I was speeding. Some people get pulled over for speeding but yet they want to find some extreme technical loop hole to put the blame on law enforcement and get out of the ticket. It just kind of bothers me when we try to put the blame on something else.

So we know the OP was doing at least 80 mph but what was the speed limit? What kind of fine are you looking at? Some states you are charged a flat fine for whatever the mph over the speed limit is. Others you are charged a certain fine for 1-10 mph over the limit plus X amount of dollars for each mph over. It just depends where you are. In my opinion, you don't need a lawyer to settle your ticket. You end up paying for the lawyer plus your ticket which is way more than just either paying the fine or taking defensive driving.

Pounder

John this is my 2 cents worth, it's my understanding that if you are with the flow of traffic they don't normally ticket you unless you are in and out of lanes. I once got a ticket for following too close(to a cop) in Traverse City,i lived in Grand Rapids (300 miles) Iwas working in a front end shop and one of my bosses best friend was a lawyer and he said they cannot give you that ticket unless you hit someone in the rear,he said he could get that thrown out in a second, but being 300 away one way he would have to charge $600.00 for a two way trip (100 an hour back then) I just paid it, than my insurance went way up ,bottom line they said I couldn't get that ticket unless I hit someone. Sorry for the long rant but what I am saying sometimes it's worth it to fight it. Also I would like to think you could tell a 10 mph difference, and also use that to plead your case ???????