Speeding ticket?

Question

A friend of mine got a ticket for speeding
(90 mph in a 70 mph zone). The police officer did not have proof of the speed, he wasn't even sure whether my friend was speeding or not; he said that another officer in a helicopter had clocked our speed and told him to stop us and give us a ticket. How is this possible? I know that using doppler technology they can measure the speed of a vehicle, but how can they know which vehicle it is?Don't they need to see the license plate for that? Is this enough to go to court to avoid the ticket? Thank you in advance for all the helpful responses. :-)

Thank you all for your answers. I understand how speed can be measured, etc. What I don't know is how they can point out which car it was. There could be 100 cars on the road the same make/color as the car we were driving. To me just having the speed is not proof enough, it could have been any other car, even the police officer said he was not sure if we were speeding or not. We were driving on an interstate highway (the day after thanksgiving ;( ) and my friend was speeding but not so much, it was momentary to get away because there were like 5 huge trucks surrounding us and she always gets a bad feeling about that. If anyone knows how that works I would appreciate your expertise. :-)

Answer 1

Speed measurement by aircraft has been around for years. Basically, a spotter in the chopper or plane targets a vehicle and there is a time distance formula they use. Then the call the vehicle in to ground units and have them cited.

Its your right to go to court. But, the spotter will be there as well as the officer that issued the ticket. The spotters have certifications and training and will present a case that is 99 % solid.

When you lose, you will be responsible for the fine, points as well as court cost.

Answer 2

First, it is easy for a helicopter to spot a specific car, time it over a specific distance, and report the speed. Rate*time=distance, so distance/time=rate of speed.

In New Jersey, where I come from, some highways have horizontal stripes. The space between the stripes and the speed limit is known, so it's simple math for the helicopter and the police to know your speed.

If I were your friend, and if your friend has an otherwise good driving record, I would show up in court, acknowledge the speed, state that this was an aberration, and apologize. Many times, a judge will be sympathetic and reduce either the fine or the points for an otherwise good driver. It's not guaranteed, but it's possible.

Oh, if you know a lawyer who knows the judge overseeing your case, that doesn't hurt either.:)

Good luck.

Answer 3

don't fight it- you'll lose
Easy to continuously visualize a car from in a helicopter
In certain States since the early 1990's clocking speed from the air has been in force .
lines are painted on the street- a car can be timed on how fast it reaches the next painted line and speed calculated

ask to go in front of a Magistrate before the court date to plead case
You will have to pay the fees BUT no points will be added to your driving record -thus can insurance will not increase in price

Doing 90 could be considered reckless driving, excessive show of speed..etc to the judge

Pay it, and be done with it

Answer 4

Math is very hard to disprove in court. The only chance your friend has in "beating" this is if the officer who was in the helicopter doesn't appear in court. If only the officer who cited you shows up, the evidence to your speed, based on what you say here, is hearsay and not admissible.

The only other way to beat this would be to prove that the officer in the helicopter didn't make an accurate reading on his time peice. Or got your friend's car mixed up with another one (Particularly if a car similar to your friend's passed him or her.)

And, no, they don't need a license plate to identify the car; if your friend was the only one in a blue pickup on the road......

Answer 5

sure....you could also contest a radar or laser cost ticket. although, your probabilities of battling it are slender. no matter if it really is you vs the cop, the choose will bypass on the idea the cop has no reason to lie yet you do. you pick to get out of the cost ticket, no longer pay the high quality and by no ability get the criteria. in case you base your protection on the cop telling a lie for some unknown reason, your probabilities of triumphing are about 0. you could might want to strive against it on the idea the cop made an blunders in calculating the speed. because you're asking about non-radar/laser techniques, sure there are different techniques that would want to correctly be used. If the cop pulled up in the back of you on your blind spot and then matched your %, interpreting his qualified speedometer, and sees that you've been over the reduce (in various of circumstances it must be a particular quantity, which includes 5 mph to allow for blunders on your uncertified speedometer) he can provide you with cost ticket depending upon tracked and talked about % over the reduce. you could might want to provide functional doubt as to the accuracy of ways he did it. IE: Springtime and they purely switched to summer season tires from their iciness tires. Did they recertify his speedometer? additionally they can use a timer gadget in some parts. The cop can initiate one provide up watch as you bypass a particular mark, then even as he crosses a similar mark, he starts a 2d provide up watch. Then once you bypass yet another mark, he stops the first one, or perhaps as he crosses a similar 2d mark, he stops the 2d. a computing device then suits both provide up watches and the gap traveled and springs up with a % on your motor vehicle. They even enable in some parts the cop to mark out 1 / 4 mile and he then sits with a provide up watch and "clocks' you (it truly is the position the time period got here from) as you commute the quarter mile. If the speed reduce is 60 mph, he's conscious of to bypass one mile might want to take you better than a million minute, and to bypass 1 / 4 mile, it really is going to take you better than 15 seconds. in case you do it in 10 seconds, he's conscious of you've been rushing and again can provide you with a cost ticket. Pay the cost ticket and watch your %.

Answer 6

You got a VASCAR ticket they are very common in Pennsylvania and some other states so watch out.

Just so you know your defense for the case is very weak I suggest you hire a traffic lawyer

Here is a site that explains VASCAR(which is how you were caught)
http://guysoflidar.com/faq.html#15

Answer 7

the only downside to fighting this in court is.. IF your friend loses the case, not only will he/she have to pay the ticket but there will be court fees and crap added on.

Answer 8

Don't fight it. They got your friend. They can bring the evidence to court and they'll win. You ain't got a snowball's chance in hell.

Answer 9

You should take it to court, it should have been the helicopter that should have pulled you over. But either way, take it to court, the burden of proof is on the cops.

Answer 10

it's there word agianst yours... i mean you could try to fight it at the courts and try to not get the points.. but regaurdless your going to have to at least pay the ticket!
if it is your first time you may get away with it!!
I would fight it! it's worth a shot!