hoho

about a month ago i got a bull **** ticket near my house......the speed limit is 25 and i never went over 30 on that road......at first there were no cars behind me but after a while, a cop was behind me......i stopped at a stop sign and started going.....i never went over 30mph.....but the stupid cop followed me and pulled me over....then he said he was "pacing" me and that i was going 40mph at a 25mpg zone......i asked him for proof and he was like....sir i'm not here to argue with u and jus gave me a bs ticket.....is there any way i can get this ticket dismissed in court?? i don't believe in that pacing crap cuz it's never accurate....all he did was catch up to me, ride my bumper for like 10 sec then pulled me over

RyzRocket02

I've heard about pacing. I don't see how it could really be legal. Perhaps you could ask for the video from the camera in the police car. It should have the cruiser's speed recorded on it. If it were me, I would have argued with the cop.

CivicXLR8ion

i would fight it in court. im sure pacing is legal but i dont think that i can be acurate because there is no proof like with radar or lazer.

Ras

yeah sounds like he just needed to stick someone with a ticket and you were a good catch.

civicstyle82

iTrader: (1)

cops don't **** with me here, i have BC plates on my car and i live in alberta, so if i get a speeding ticket it basically means nothing, my insurance doesn't go up or anything like that

hoho

is there an actual law for pacing?? i dunno how i would argue about this in court......i was jus gonna plead not guilty and say something like....."he had no proof of me speeding and claimed he was pacing me when all he did was catch up to me and ride my bumper for 10 secs then pulled me over....my license is on probation and knew he was behind me y would i speed?" u think that would work?

AZ2K1Civic

iTrader: (3)

First things first...if you were going 30 in a 25 then you were speeding. Second, your speedometer may be off if you never had it calibrated since you bought your car. Third, I know for a fact that police cars speedometers are calibrated all the time.

Go ahead and ask for the calibration records...they should be able to provide those. They should have all those kinds of records for any radar device they use also.

Generally you dont wanna argue with a police officer because he could look a little closer at your car and issue tickets for more stuff (ie. cracked windshield, bald tires, etc...)

hoho

well first of all...i wasn't GOING 30.....i was going between 25-30.....and usually cops don't pull u over for going 5 miles over the limit.....but that's not the point...my point is that he said iwas going FORTY mph when i wasn't even close......do i have to go to court b4 the trial to ask for the calibration records?? fix it tickets like cracked windshield doesn't bother me much cuz they don't add points....but this ticket will get my license suspended if i don't fight and win it....

AZ2K1Civic

iTrader: (3)

If you do anything over 25 you can technically get pulled over for speeding, its up the discretion of gthe officer.

You wont go right to trial. You have to appear at an initial appearence (I/A) first and they may ask you to plead guilty, not guilty, or no contest. The only way you go to trial is if you plead not guilty. Ask any questions you have at your I/A

Hows you're driving record? Clean or messy? Because your lic shouldnt be taken away if this all you have on it.

hoho

record is messy.....dmv said if i get even 1 ticket, they're gonna suspend it.....but this is the thing....pacing is not accurate....he caught up to me as soon as he pulled out......how u gonna pace someone when all u did was catch up to the other person and ride their bumper??? if you're riding someone's bumper, it means u r going faster than that person.....that doesn't make sense......and i knew he was behind me so i wasn't really speeding.....this sux ***......is there any website with laws so i can look up and see if there's a law about pacing??? can the cops on this forum answer this??? thanx

kyle4583

you can pace. up here its called imprudent speed. your word against his, if you contest, you'll probably lose.

AZ2K1Civic

iTrader: (3)

Link

See what you can find here...look at the stickys on the top of the forum for more reference

hoho

i've been to both sites on the stickys.....but i couldn't find anything on pacing......and the code on the ticket is like.....13-293a.....couldn't find that anywhere.....

AZ2K1Civic

iTrader: (3)

That code is the exact statute you were charged with...shouldnt be hard to find with that

streetglower

iTrader: (13)

I got one of those BS tickets before. Here is what you do. When you go to court the first time, plead not guilty. They then will set it for trial at a later date. Dont bother with a lawyer, you wont need one. This is easy stuff. At the trial, when it is your turn to cross examine the officer, first ask him questions like how long he has been a officer, and how much training he has had with calibration. Then ask him when the last time his cars speedometer was calibrated. If he says he doesnt know or he gives a time, ask him to provide to the court documentation of the time his speedpmeter on his car was calibrated. Most likely he wont even bother to bring this to court. He probably has no idea where these records are kept. Then ask him when the last time he had his tires changed, rotated, balanced. Ask him for documentation. Ask him when the last time he had his oil changed. Ask for documentation. After all of this, turn to the judge and say "your honor, I request that this case be dismissed based on the fact that the officer can not prove that his speedometer was ever calibrated, and that he cant provide documentation that his car is in good working condition, and based on what he said, all we know is that he used his judgement. Most likely the judge will agree. I was told this information from a baliff at court after the trial when I didnt have knowledge of this info. And it also came from a form on the internet about beating speeding tickets. In the united states, cop cars are the only cars that have more inaccuracys and more problems than any other car. Have you seen the way cops drive? cop cars go threw more tires than anything. they are always in automotive shops being repaired, and I guaruntee you there speedometer is off.

streetglower

iTrader: (13)

If you dont feel comfortable with this, you can get a lawyer, or just pay the fine. Go to any book store, barnes and noble, borders, whatever, and go to a section that talks about laws and about driving. Find some books on how to beat traffic tickets and read about pacing, it will basically tell you the same thing.

hoho

hmm....ok thanx.....but around here....usually if i plead not guilty i have a trial right then and there....well that's how it was for the tickets i've gotten b4........so i'm gonna need the cop's calibration records b4 hand and gonna try to get mine checked too b4 i go......the court date is 1/12 btw.....

streetglower

iTrader: (13)

Dont get the cops records of the cars calibration, when it is time for trial, if they dont have that documentation in court, that is there fault. Dont remind them or anything before court, otherwise you will set yourself up to lose. Cop cars are calibrated, and yes they have records, but in your case, if they have your trial the same day, most likely the officer wont bring that info to court, he probably thinks you will just plead guilty, and he just screwed himself over. If you really want to win this ticket, fight these people, make them prove that the cops car is working at full throttle.

streetglower

iTrader: (13)

btw, you dont need your speedometer calibrated, the hole point of you pleading not guilty is for the cop to prove you were going the speed he said you were, and when it comes to pacing, it is a matter of what you say. Like I said, make the officer show you records, if he cant provide them, ask the judge to dismiss the case. Also, while in the middle of trial, sometimes the prosecuter will ask the judge to reset the case in order for the documentation to be produced. DONT LET THAT HAPPEN. Tell the judge you object to that because it is the prosecuters responsibility and the officers responsiblilty to bring any info to court, if they dont, that is their own fault. What ever you do, dont ever admit that you were speeding or even going 1 mile over the speed limit. The judge will automatically find you guilty because you admited to speeding. They arent trying to prove you were going how ever many miles over the speed limit, they are trying to prove you were speeding. Hope this info helps you.

streetglower

iTrader: (13)

Sorry I messed up at the begginning about them trying to prove you were going how ever many miles over the speed limit, they are proving speed.

zachgeyer

iTrader: (3)

u cant i know

hoho

i was jus gonna get mine checked to show the judge that my speedometer is accurate....but i guess that's not a good idea

hoho

thanx for all the info streetglower!!!

seijin_av

legally, you are innocent until proven guilty so i think that street glower's idea may work. if he can't prove that his car was in any shape to give accurate pace readings then he can't say you were wrong.
don't get your car calibrated because you don't have to prove that. you very well may have been going 40 mph but the officer has to prove that the tool he used to measure your speed (his car) was reading accurately.

avenger

#1 Pacing is perfectly legal. In a court of law when it just comes down to an officer's word against yours, you lose.

#2 Asking "how long he has been a cop" doesn't mean ****, newbie cops have the same, if not more, training as old cops.

#3 We don't "train with calibration" because we don't calibrate the cars... the agency does, and the records are always on file, and EVERY TIME i have went to court i have brought my cruisers record packet.

#4 Our cars are calibrated monthly with a +/- 2mph difference at the end of the month... thus the judge may reduce his 40 in a 25 to a 38 in a 25, but he is still speeding in a residential zone.

#5 dont bother getting yours checked, with your record (1 more and youre suspended???) you're going to easily lose a word against word battle.

avenger

dbl post, cant delete, hooray

hondaciv01

pacing is bullsh*t....cops have tried to pull that on me a couple times, it never worked, got outta both

Vtech03ex

i was caught in the same exact situation and i tried to contest it, only he claimed i was doing over 45 in a 35, when in reality i was doing about 37. The "judge" explained to me that as long as i was going one mph over 35 then i was speeding, and am justified in receiving a ticket. I do think that this pacing crap is a bunch of BS and a very innacurate means of speed determination, but as far as contesting it in court your chances are slim to none, your word against his.

WhiteCastle

iTrader: (1)

A cop is an expert wittness in court your f@ck basically sorry bro. Just pay up. I am fighting a ticket right now. However I do have a chance of winning since he wrote me up for the wrong section code, hense sighted me for the wrong violation that was performed.

AZ2K1Civic

iTrader: (3)

Thats a big thing that most people dont realize...most police will give a driver a bumper of 5-10 mph depending on the situation