Speeding ticket

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by IDBGOD

All I was getting at is detectors aren't really worth it IMHO. For one, they are pretty pricey for a good one ($400+) and they don't really protect you from getting speeding tickets. You just think they are because you're also driving slower from the constant false alarms

You're right, if the LEO uses laser or hasn't fired the radar recently you are sunk.

Usually, they will be firing the radar at others so you'll have a shot at detecting it

[Vortex Radar]

Does the ticket say if you were clocked by radar or laser?

If it was radar, a radar detector would have helped, assuming he was sitting on the side of the road with the gun turned on which is very common. You'd get plenty of advanced warning and know not to gun it right into the speed trap.

If he was trying to avoid alerting radar detector users ahead of time, he could use a technique called instant on where he sits with his gun turned off and when he sees someone he wants to clock, only then does he turn on his gun. The trick to that is making sure there's someone up ahead to draw fire and trigger his radar gun, as well as to choose a sensitive detector that does a good job of picking up those temporary shots of radar way up ahead at a distance.

If he was using laser, something that's also very common, you'd need a laser jammer. They're installed in the grill of your vehicle and fire back at his laser gun when he shoots at you, preventing him from being able to acquire your speed. You don't get advanced warning with a laser jammer the way you do with a radar detector, but it's still effective. Alarms will go off in your car while you're being targeted, you slow down to the speed limit, and quickly kill your jammers, allowing him to get your speed. The trick with jammers is making sure you choose a good one that supports all the guns out on the road and to install it properly so that your installation doesn't compromise the effectiveness of the jammers.

Another tool is to run Waze on your phone and you'll get alerted to when officers up ahead. People report where officers are located on the side of the road and you'll get notified of that. Very handy tool.

There's no foolproof way of making yourself immune from speeding tickets, but you can definitely take advantage of different tools to help lean the odds in your favor.

If you need help with picking out the best radar detector and laser jammer, setting them up to maximize their performance and reduce false alerts, or anything else, just let me know and I'm happy to help. I cover that sort of stuff in detail on my website and on my YouTube channel as well if you'd like to avoid getting into this situation again.

[dreventador]

Originally Posted by Vortex Radar

Does the ticket say if you were clocked by radar or laser?

If it was radar, a radar detector would have helped, assuming he was sitting on the side of the road with the gun turned on which is very common. You'd get plenty of advanced warning and know not to gun it right into the speed trap.

If he was trying to avoid alerting radar detector users ahead of time, he could use a technique called instant on where he sits with his gun turned off and when he sees someone he wants to clock, only then does he turn on his gun. The trick to that is making sure there's someone up ahead to draw fire and trigger his radar gun, as well as to choose a sensitive detector that does a good job of picking up those temporary shots of radar way up ahead at a distance.

If he was using laser, something that's also very common, you'd need a laser jammer. They're installed in the grill of your vehicle and fire back at his laser gun when he shoots at you, preventing him from being able to acquire your speed. You don't get advanced warning with a laser jammer the way you do with a radar detector, but it's still effective. Alarms will go off in your car while you're being targeted, you slow down to the speed limit, and quickly kill your jammers, allowing him to get your speed. The trick with jammers is making sure you choose a good one that supports all the guns out on the road and to install it properly so that your installation doesn't compromise the effectiveness of the jammers.

Another tool is to run Waze on your phone and you'll get alerted to when officers up ahead. People report where officers are located on the side of the road and you'll get notified of that. Very handy tool.

There's no foolproof way of making yourself immune from speeding tickets, but you can definitely take advantage of different tools to help lean the odds in your favor.

If you need help with picking out the best radar detector and laser jammer, setting them up to maximize their performance and reduce false alerts, or anything else, just let me know and I'm happy to help. I cover that sort of stuff in detail on my website and on my YouTube channel as well if you'd like to avoid getting into this situation again.

It was a laser. The brand of the laser was "Stalker Dual".

[LAKERS333]

Originally Posted by Howard_R

Not worth taking a crap shoot on whether the cop will show up or not, even if you did reschedule it. If you can afford an M3, just lawyer up. Well worth the money.

Laywering up will not guarantee you anything either, just had a reputable lawyer show up for a ticket and all he did was reduce the fine. Depends on the cop also if he wants to agree to anything and the judge as well.

But getting a lawyer does help to some degree.

[Vortex Radar]

Originally Posted by dreventador

It was a laser. The brand of the laser was "Stalker Dual".

Stalker does make laser guns, but the Stalker Dual is a radar gun.



Against the Stalker Dual, a radar detector is your tool of choice.

[dreventador]

Wow, just read it again. Says "RADAR" on my summons

[Vortex Radar]

Originally Posted by dreventador

Wow, just read it again. Says "RADAR" on my summons

Yes sir. I see that you're in NYC. Stalkers are super common up there. The best detector for up there is the Uniden R3. Trees, curves, and hills make radar detection difficult so in challenging situations you're gonna want all the sensitivity you can get and that guy is a beast at picking up radar at a distance. In town you've got GPS to filter out all the false alerts from automatic door openers, plus alert you to redlight cameras and speedcams around you. They use laser as well in NY, but a radar detector is something that you'll be using a lot...

[M-Pilot]

My last two speeding tickets didn't involve a radar gun or a laser device. In both instances, the officer basically claimed that he had to go close to 90mph to catch up to me, which doesn't prove anything. I can do 70mph or 120mph to catch up the car that is 0.5 mile ahead of me (obviously I would catch up quicker while doing 120mph). What is important is he was doing just over 70mph when he caught up to me (which was my speed in both instances). For both instances, I got a ticket for 75 in 65 zone based on the officer's "estimation". Hired a good traffic lawyer even though I could do traffic school for one of the tickets and hoping to get both dismissed. I'll see how it turns out.

[Vortex Radar]

Originally Posted by cntzl

My last two speeding tickets didn't involve a radar gun or a laser device. In both instances, the officer basically claimed that he had to go close to 90mph to catch up to me, which doesn't prove anything. I can do 70mph or 120mph to catch up the car that is 0.5 mile ahead of me (obviously I would catch up quicker while doing 120mph). What is important is he was doing just over 70mph when he caught up to me (which was my speed in both instances). For both instances, I got a ticket for 75 in 65 zone based on the officer's "estimation". Hired a good traffic lawyer even though I could do traffic school for one of the tickets and hoping to get both dismissed. I'll see how it turns out.

Yeah visual estimation and pacing. Officers are trained to accurately estimate the speed of a vehicle within a few mph and that is something they can use in court. Radar and laser guns are supposed to be used to verify the visual estimation, but sometimes officers will just sit back and let the technology do the work for them.

Either way, they can still get your speed without those tools. He can look at his speedometer as well and assuming it's calibrated, match your speed and give you a ticket based on what his speedo reads. This is called pacing. If you saw him and slowed down before he was able to pace you then yeah, he's just having to estimate.

Good luck to you in court!

[M-Pilot]

Originally Posted by Vortex Radar

Yeah visual estimation and pacing. Officers are trained to accurately estimate the speed of a vehicle within a few mph and that is something they can use in court. Radar and laser guns are supposed to be used to verify the visual estimation, but sometimes officers will just sit back and let the technology do the work for them.

Either way, they can still get your speed without those tools. He can look at his speedometer as well and assuming it's calibrated, match your speed and give you a ticket based on what his speedo reads. This is called pacing. If you saw him and slowed down before he was able to pace you then yeah, he's just having to estimate.

Good luck to you in court!

Thanks! I know the pacing method but I didn't even lift my foot off the gas as I was doing well below 80mph in both cases. Anyways...

My second ticket is actually more interesting in terms of the way I got it. I was cruising on the fast lane and in my rear view mirror I saw a huge ass truck (Dodge Ram) approaching me at a very high speed. Since I didn't want to be tailgated, I moved to the middle lane after passing the car next to me and also my exit was about 0.5mile away. As I move the middle lane, the truck follows me and starts tailgating. I can only see his headlights, I cannot even see anything below headlights so he is that close. I move to the slow lane, he follows me... I move to the exit lane to take the exit he follows me again and gets even closer. At this point, I thought I was being harrassed by one of those asshole truck drivers that wanted race me or tease me. I didn't feel comfortable being followed that close and wanted some gap between us so that if the traffic immediately slows down up front he won't rear end me. Anyways... As soon as I get on the gas (this is for about 1-2 sec max and my speed reaches 75-76mph max), the blue and red lights turn on. That enormous thing was a Sheriff's truck. Since it was dark I couldn't tell from my rearview mirror. When I was talking to the officer, I told him that I had thought I was being harassed by one of those truck drivers and I wanted to open the gap little bit because I was being tailgated. He said he understands and he didn't deny that he was tailgating. However, still gave me a ticket for 75 in 65 zone. Can't wait to see him at the court if my lawyer let's me go with him.

[Wharf Rat]

States treat speeding violations differently. I'm not familiar with NY, but here 20+ over posted speed is no longer a civil ticket; it's a criminal speeding ticket. That means there is no traffic school & you must meet with prosecutor & go to court (or agree to prosecutor's terms).
My last one was 85 in a 55, although the trooper wrote the ticket at 78. Met with prosecutor & negotiated down to 74 along with $400 and 2 points. But no misdemeanor conviction.

[gatorfast]

Dont cops have anything better to do than sit on the side of the road and try to catch someone speeding?

[dreventador]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Dont cops have anything better to do than sit on the side of the road and try to catch someone speeding?

Sometimes I wonder if this would've ever happened in my X5. I feel because my car is so bright and it's an M4, it's a magnet to cops.

[Paz1]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Dont cops have anything better to do than sit on the side of the road and try to catch someone speeding?

If his assignment is highway, then that’s his job and has nothing better to do

[backagain]

Originally Posted by cntzl

Thanks! I know the pacing method but I didn't even lift my foot off the gas as I was doing well below 80mph in both cases. Anyways...

My second ticket is actually more interesting in terms of the way I got it. I was cruising on the fast lane and in my rear view mirror I saw a huge ass truck (Dodge Ram) approaching me at a very high speed. Since I didn't want to be tailgated, I moved to the middle lane after passing the car next to me and also my exit was about 0.5mile away. As I move the middle lane, the truck follows me and starts tailgating. I can only see his headlights, I cannot even see anything below headlights so he is that close. I move to the slow lane, he follows me... I move to the exit lane to take the exit he follows me again and gets even closer. At this point, I thought I was being harrassed by one of those asshole truck drivers that wanted race me or tease me. I didn't feel comfortable being followed that close and wanted some gap between us so that if the traffic immediately slows down up front he won't rear end me. Anyways... As soon as I get on the gas (this is for about 1-2 sec max and my speed reaches 75-76mph max), the blue and red lights turn on. That enormous thing was a Sheriff's truck. Since it was dark I couldn't tell from my rearview mirror. When I was talking to the officer, I told him that I had thought I was being harassed by one of those truck drivers and I wanted to open the gap little bit because I was being tailgated. He said he understands and he didn't deny that he was tailgating. However, still gave me a ticket for 75 in 65 zone. Can't wait to see him at the court if my lawyer let's me go with him.

Speaking of tailgating, one time I was driving in the rain on I85, doing 78 over 65. As I was making lane changes (and passing other cars), I felt one of the cars flashed its light at me (later on I learned was a spot light from an unmarked). That car proceeded to tailgate me, really close. I moved over to the middle lane to let him pass, but he wouldn't pass but still glued to my butt. So I switched back to the left lane as I bumped up to the cars in front, he would follow me as well. By then I was doing probably 70. After a couple back and forth, he turned on his lights. When he asked me why I was speeding, I told him that I was trying to figure out why he was tailgating me. He was kind enough to let me off with only a warning saying he only pulled me over because it was dangerous doing this much over in the rain. Maybe the minivan I was driving helped with the case as well.

Sometimes it is just the luck of the draw. Good luck with your court date.

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by backagain

Speaking of tailgating, one time I was driving in the rain on I85, doing 78 over 65. As I was making lane changes (and passing other cars), I felt one of the cars flashed its light at me (later on I learned was a spot light from an unmarked). That car proceeded to tailgate me, really close. I moved over to the middle lane to let him pass, but he wouldn't pass but still glued to my butt. So I switched back to the left lane as I bumped up to the cars in front, he would follow me as well. By then I was doing probably 70. After a couple back and forth, he turned on his lights. When he asked me why I was speeding, I told him that I was trying to figure out why he was tailgating me. He was kind enough to let me off with only a warning saying he only pulled me over because it was dangerous doing this much over in the rain. Maybe the minivan I was driving helped with the case as well.

Sometimes it is just the luck of the draw. Good luck with your court date.

You should have brake checked him to see if he'd be able to stop in time. Seemed he was driving more dangerously than you.

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by cntzl

Thanks! I know the pacing method but I didn't even lift my foot off the gas as I was doing well below 80mph in both cases. Anyways...

My second ticket is actually more interesting in terms of the way I got it. I was cruising on the fast lane and in my rear view mirror I saw a huge ass truck (Dodge Ram) approaching me at a very high speed. Since I didn't want to be tailgated, I moved to the middle lane after passing the car next to me and also my exit was about 0.5mile away. As I move the middle lane, the truck follows me and starts tailgating. I can only see his headlights, I cannot even see anything below headlights so he is that close. I move to the slow lane, he follows me... I move to the exit lane to take the exit he follows me again and gets even closer. At this point, I thought I was being harrassed by one of those asshole truck drivers that wanted race me or tease me. I didn't feel comfortable being followed that close and wanted some gap between us so that if the traffic immediately slows down up front he won't rear end me. Anyways... As soon as I get on the gas (this is for about 1-2 sec max and my speed reaches 75-76mph max), the blue and red lights turn on. That enormous thing was a Sheriff's truck. Since it was dark I couldn't tell from my rearview mirror. When I was talking to the officer, I told him that I had thought I was being harassed by one of those truck drivers and I wanted to open the gap little bit because I was being tailgated. He said he understands and he didn't deny that he was tailgating. However, still gave me a ticket for 75 in 65 zone. Can't wait to see him at the court if my lawyer let's me go with him.

That's harassment and setting up a speed trap. Was it one of those new interceptor SUV's? Like a Ford Escape or something that the cops have now?

[M-Pilot]

Originally Posted by bimmer456

That's harassment and setting up a speed trap. Was it one of those new interceptor SUV's? Like a Ford Escape or something that the cops have now?

No it was literally a Dodge Ram. It was my first time seeing a Dodge truck as a police vehicle.

[BMWM5NYC]

Originally Posted by cntzl

No it was literally a Dodge Ram. It was my first time seeing a Dodge truck as a police vehicle.

Anytime I have headlights behind me in the night time that are tailgating me, I will change lanes , but I won't "gun it" cause I know from years of experience officers like to "goad" fast looking cars from time to time.

[M-Pilot]

Originally Posted by BMWM5NYC

Anytime I have headlights behind me in the night time that are tailgating me, I will change lanes , but I won't "gun it" cause I know from years of experience officers like to "goad" fast looking cars from time to time.

My frustration is that I didn't even "gun it". I was doing 60-65mph on the exit lane and accelerated in 6th gear up to ~75mph. It wasn't a 3rd gear hard pull by any means. But anyways, you are right about what you think. I think his mind was already set to give me some sort of trouble that day.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by bimmer456

You should have brake checked him to see if he'd be able to stop in time. Seemed he was driving more dangerously than you.

Yea that's the smart thing to do. Hit your brakes and hope you don't get rear ended.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by pgarbul1

If his assignment is highway, then that’s his job and has nothing better to do

Sounds like the department may be over staffed then if the sole task for the day is sitting out with a radar gun. In my experience, cops sitting on the highway with a radar gun usually just create traffic jams, especially during rush hour. Everyone just slams their brakes which creates a dangerous situation and severely hinders the flow of traffic.

I don't think LEOs are keeping anyone safer by catching speeders. The fact of the matter is the average person still speeds and getting the occasional citation generally does not change behavior. Perhaps a raise in the average speed limit most places is more warranted. Most highways around here have a 65mph limit which is pretty darn low for a straight, multi lane road with no traffic lights. Ok I'm done ranting now.