Advise for challenging a traffic citation.?

Question

We were 15 minutes into Reno, Nevada passing through the downtown area when my dear sister received a traffic citation for driving 30 in a 15mph zone. Only one car was ahead of her that separated me in the front. She was following me as a I was the lead car of two. I watch in the rear view mirror as she was being pulled over and cited from beginning to end.

Earlier we passed a motorcycle police officer that had pull over other driver. While my sister was being cited, we saw other driver pulled over this time by a squad car.

The officer was both austere and condensing towards my sister who had believe it or not never received a traffic ticket.

Questions arouse my mind as to how long does a radar gun need to obtain a speed reading. Do police just need a split second to read? Do police officers who use radar gun wait for the highest reading?

Also, we were out of state at the time and cannot appear personally to challenge so my sister is stuck paying ticket. Advise

Answer 1

Pay the ticket, save your time

The new radar type can take speed in seconds :-)

Now days, the cops like to play a game of Rescheduling on your court date they often call 15 minutes or so before they are late :-(

Answer 2

First things first - if youre guilty, then youre guilty.

If you beleive that youre not guilty, and cannot return for a trial, a trial by declaration can be performed. this is when you write a certified and sworn to letter explaining your side of the events.

Typically a radar gun should be checked for calibration after each and every use. 99 out of 100 officers do not do this, as most of the public is not aware of it. However, good luck proving it now that youre not standing on the side of the road questioning the offficer about it. Radar takes only seconds to make a reading - but it does not differentiate between vehicles - it will give a reading of the largest object in its field. If you were in a sports car and there was a semi behind you, youd have a case. Furthermore, the radar gun beam spreads 1 foot for every 4 feet away from the gun...so where did he "target" your sisters vehicle from? 100 yards away would mean the beam spread was about 400yrds, covering both the oncoming lanes and those going in the opposite direction....which might lead to an erroneous reading attributed to your sister...

Good luck. Might want to just pay the fine and go to traffic school so the point isnt on her record.....

Answer 3

You don't actually say whether she was, indeed, traveling 30 mph in that 15 zone (which, in NV, one can only assume is a school zone).

If she was - then fighting the ticket would be futile. She would have to return to NV, appear in court and wait and see if the officer didn't appear for some reason.

Radar guns are fairly (not completely) accurate, and are calibrated regularly. They only need a split second to get the speed of a vehicle. It would also depend on just what sort of radar gun it was.

Finally, your sister should call the court in Washoe (??) county, and ask about traffic school. This will allow the point to be removed from her license - thus negating the negative impact of the violation against her insurance. NV generally allows violators to attend a program in their home state and forward the completion notice on to the court of jurisdiction.

She will still have to pay the fine - which may be higher or even doubled in a school zone - but all else should be forgotten.

Take heed when traveling out of state, as those motorists often catch the eye of the local constabulary.

Answer 4

It is never smart to challenge a plain old traffic citation. You will never win. The radar gun only needs a second to clock the vehicle moving...squad cars also have both rear and front radar....yes police do wait for the highest speed you reach..that would be the whole point of writing a speeding ticket. Different speeds make a difference between the charges and amounts of a fine.

Answer 5

Radar units obtain a reading within just a second of being activated and give real time speed (ie: the officer knows you're slowing down or speeding up as you do it). Newer LASER guns are even faster. As far as the officers attitude, it was wrong of him to be rude and may warrant a complaint to his superior but it doesn't change the fact that your sister was speeding. She could challenge it in court but like you said, if you're not from the area it may cost more than just paying the ticket. Besides, unless she can prove the Radar unit was malfunctioning, the officer used it improperly or the speed limit for that road was posted improperly you'll lose anyway. A rude cop does not negate the offense.

Answer 6

Radar guns nowadays are capable of INSTANT FAST LOCK, meaning that the radar waves instantly lock in the speed of the fastest moving vehilce in a pack of cars, additionally, officers are trained to hear the radar, which emmits a sound similar to that of a passing jet liner (at a much lower volume) and the officer can tell which car was clocked......however, the first step to speed enforcement is observation, the officer has to first observe someone moving faster than a reasonable speed, and then he clocks and listens....(nowadays radar guns are not actually guns, but antennas on the front and rear decks, mounted on the inside of patrol cars, thus the officer need not even point it at you, additionally, they are able to clock you with their vehicles stationary, and moving in same, and opposite directions......also, lastly and what could have happened in your case, when i do my traffic stops, I leave my radar (stationary) just to see the trend of people passing me by, the guy currently on the traffic stop could have observed your sisters speed on his radar and advised his partner who then pulled your sister over, and just in case you're wondering, yes it is admissible in court because just like he could give someone a ticket with your sworn and written complaint, he can give someone a ticket on his fellow officer's word, the only thing is that they both have to sign the ticket and they both have to appear in court........you can easily call the court and advise them that you are from out of town and see if they can set up an alternative for you, maybe even deferred adjudication, if you don't get a ticket in their jurisdiction in six months, the sleight will be wiped clear....

Answer 7

radar guns turned on, will give the constant reading of the speed of the vechile with the most relextive material in the direction it is pointed. Cars or motorcycles are often eqiuped with front and rear radar units.

They do not wait for the fastest but do use the fastest reading they see normally. For example they will not just watch if you are speeding normally but they can allow you to keep traveling for miles before they stop you if they want to keep following you.

But yes just a 1/100 of a second and if her car is there , her speed will be read by the officer.

And yes if you don't want to appear to challage the ticket she is stuck paying it

Answer 8

It only takes a second and can be read from quite a distance, farther than you could see, if there is 10 cars in a line and the first one radars at 30 over and the last one radars at 30 over, every car in that line can be cited. If a cop is folllowing you and your speeding, he doesnt even need a radar reading. He is allowed to use his speedometer .

Answer 9

If you've been around cars for a while, you can probably tell when a car is doing over 15mph. If you and your sister were going over the speed limit, too bad for you and pay the ticket. That's why speed limits are posted, so if we choose to not obey them, then we pay the consequences. I'm not an angel on the road, I too go over the speed limit on a regular basis. If and when I get caught, I won't cry about it since I know I was doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing. Just pay the ticket and learn from it.

Answer 10

1. Don't fight a traffic ticket if you're guilty. That's dishonest.

2. No judge on the planet is going to believe that he cop's radar is not reliable. It's proven technology with a long track record.

3. It isn't the court's responsibility to make court convenient for law breakers. That's why you have to go to the court. The court doesn't come to you. It is nothing more than a convenience that you can mail in payment. Be thankful for that much.