Speeding ticket help!?

Lastdue

Like Betty said you could go for a continuance or depending on how this ticket was written you may be able to get it thrown out or beat it.
If you admitted to the officer that who issued the citation that you were speeding then you have just testifed against yourself and there is really no need to continue. A lot of people do this thinking that they may be get a break. Instead they just do the officers work for him.
If the officer who issued the citation also clocked you speeding you may have a problem, not likely since they issued the ticket based on the aircraft readings.
If the officer who clocked you in the aircraft actually landed and issued you the citation then you may have a problem. Otherwise you stand a great chance of getting this dismissed on the basis of hearsay evidence and/or reasonable doubt that your vehicle was the one clocked speeding.

In this scenario an officer in the aircraft clocks cars on the highway and radios a description and or tag number to ground units ahead who actually stop the cars and issue the citation. This is usually done with a stopwatch or some sort of clocking device using lines painted in the road that designate a certain distance. As speed dectection goes it's usually pretty accurate.

It does have its weaknesses and you should know what they are. I'm surprised that answer hasn't been given but the old "the cop won't show up for court" gambit goes double here. You have the right to confront your accuser and this is actually the officer in the aircraft not the officer who issued the citation. If one of the two, especially the officer in aircraft doesn't show then the state will have no witnesses against you. If the issuing officer wants to testify none of the information provided by the aircraft officer should be allowed because it's hearsay evidence.(You'll have to point this out) It's pretty unlikely that this will happen but just in case it does you know now.

Aircraft altitude is regulated by the FAA and there are minimum altitudes that aircraft must fly. I don't have the regs in front of me but if memory serves me correctly it's 500 feet in a rural area 1000 urban. These may be higher now. The reason that I bring this up is because it begs the question, How did the officer id you as a speeder. Keep in mind the officer most likely has not been any closer that 500 and more likely 1500-2000 feet or even further from the target vechicle when it was id'ed. Did he read the tag number or did he just radio the description of the target vehicle as "a white four door, 80 in the number two lane". Not reading the tag number in pretty standard during lidar operations where clocking officer are less that 1000 feet from the clocked vehicles. I imagine you tag number was not known to the officers until you were pulled over.
This means that unless the aircraft officer never took his eyes off of the target until it was pulled over, there is reasonable doubt that you were the car that was clocked. You'll need to know how heavy the traffic was that day and how many similar colored cars like yours are on the road. Also what was the time interval from when you were clocked until pulled over, you may have just gotten on the road, or changed drivers in the interim, been passed by a dozen cars that match the same general descripton as yours etc.

I'm not sure if Fl allows jury trails for traffic but if they do, set one up and make sure you supeana both officers and the pilot. If the officer who clocked you was also the pilot you should have not any problem proving he did not keep the target vehicle in sight since he had to fly the aircraft. If he wasn't you'll want to ask the pilot about visibility that day as well as the altitude they were flying and distance to the target vehicles.

Good luck, hope this helps and remember, you work hard for your money, make them work hard for it too.

John

why do you try to get out of trouble? that is the problem today. there are no repercussions for wrong doing. If you are forced to either walk or ride a bus for a while you will quit speeding.
grow up, accept your consequences and slow down.

Julie E

Your best bet is to contact the courts and ask them these questions. They are the ones who will process your ticket and will know all the laws and regulation. You should also ask the courts if you are allowed to take a driving school class. This will prevent your insurance from going up and points from being placed on your license. Just make sure you get the courts permission before doing so. If you donâ€™t the courts will reject your driving school certificate. Good luck!

Nancy B

Tell them you need a continuance to obtain a lawyer. They will allow that. Then, get a lawyer. You need one.

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