Speeding ticket through school zone?

Question

I drove past the middle school where I don't recall seeing flashing lights for the school zone...about 10-20 feet after the opposite facing school zone sign a cop comming in the opposite direction I was going made a uturn and pulled me over. He asked if I knew there was a school zone there and I answered yes because I put three children through the school. When I looked back the lights weren't on...so he went back wrote the ticket up saying I was 5 miles over the 25 flashing speed limit...and then said I was really going 45 which I thought possibly I was going 46 or 47 and that's why he pulled me over...then I asked him if there was times posted he said no and said the lights were flashing and pointed at the non-flashing lights...and he said "well they are out now". So I contacted the state police who sent me a fax saying that the time for the lights to come on was 7am and the time for the lights/speed limit stopped at 7:35am. My ticket says the incident occured at 7:43am...not guilty?

Answer 1

hello , you have answered your own question , if the imposing limit finished at 0735 and your ticket states 0743 your in the clear only if you were not exceeding the original speed limit and remember they may sometime record the conversation you have with them . . . cheers hope i helped

Answer 2

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RE:
Speeding ticket through school zone?
I drove past the middle school where I don't recall seeing flashing lights for the school zone...about 10-20 feet after the opposite facing school zone sign a cop comming in the opposite direction I was going made a uturn and pulled me over. He asked if I knew there was a school zone there and...

Answer 3

Probably not guilty. If the lights are authorized to be on between certain set times then that is when the speed limit is in effect. Even if the lights were flashing after that time the speed limit is controlled by the law. The lights are just a reminder. If you got your speeding ticket after the end of the reduced speed limit then you should be free and clear and the cop was in error in writing the ticket.

The same applies to stop signs. Not all stop signs are legal. For a stop sign to be erected there has to be an ordinance or law authorizing it. If you run an illegal stop sign you cannot be found guilty of running a stop sign. Places where this might happen are in shopping center parking lots where the owners might put of stop signs on their own without local ordinance to authorize it.

Answer 4

What is the posted speed limit for when it isn't a school zone? If you were 10 over that (for instance if it's 35), then you were still speeding and the cop will mention that in court. However, if it's 45, I'd go ahead and try my chances in traffic court and just take to the judge the facts that you mentioned above.

Answer 5

Go to the court house before the date of your hearing on the ticket. Take a copy of the fax with you. Ask to see the clerk, show her the copy of the fax and explain the speed limit ended at 7:35, well before the time on the ticket. The clerk may see the judge and get it dismissed before you ever have to appear.

If not, appear and present the fax as evidence of the actual times of the speed limit for the school zone.

Answer 6

Your lucky he didnt write you up for 45 in a 25, they can take you to jail for going 20 mph over the posted speed limit, its called wreckless driving. You really need to slow down around a school , no matter what time it is. Check that fax are you sure it didnt say 7:35 pm.

Answer 7

Wait a minute. You acknowledge going perhaps 46 or 47 and thus were speeding [over the non-school, regular speed limit]?

Seems to me you were speeding and the ticket was simply mis-stated. Pay the fine and be more observant, I'd say.

Answer 8

Pay it.
You don't say, but I have a feeling that the regular limit was less than 45. You will lose if you get too picky in court. If there are no times posted, the fax doesn't matter. You wind up with a "he said / she said" situation. And he's a sworn officer of the court.

Answer 9

yea def. fight that one...sounds like you just got an a**hole cop. There are plenty of those where i live too. Pull you over for anything but fight it because when i went to court for a ticket one time another girl that was there had somthing like that and the judge threw it out. I would go to court...don't just pay the ticket. Go talk to the judge about how you called the state police and everything.

Answer 10

if they have proof then you are guilty unless he wrote ticket up in 3 or less minutes, then you can say that he never was in an area where he saw the lights nor knew when they turned off and just kept pulling people over, even when he showed you the lights were off. i would try and contest it.