I GOT A TICKET!! HELP!!!?!?!

[jacquelyne]

I have had a few fines for speeding and they have always been sent to my house but im in Australia it might be different there.One time i got caught speeding by a camera in a friends car and the fine got sent to him but i paid for it and told them it was coming i seen the flash.Damn those radars lol.

[Cannabis.com]

It appears your speed was determined with VASCAR - note box 52 is blank; your speed wasn't determined from merely following; am pretty sure PA requires 1/4 mile, but this is a mute issue since VASCAR appears to have been used...

VASCAR done visually with aid of a computer (a glorified calculator quite really) to calculate the speed. The officer timed how long it took your vehicle to travel from one point to another - in Pennsylvania, those two points will most typically be two white lines painted across the road ...

In the case of your ticket, it appears those two points (likely white lines across the road) were approx 125 feet apart; roughly 0.024 mile (box 53) - your vehicle traversed the two points in 1.79 seconds (box 54) - the officer presses a button to start and again to stop - the computer than simply takes the 2 numbers (distance and time) to calculate your speed; the speed shown on your ticket appears correct based on the figures given in box 53 and 54.

In PA, there's a 10 mph leeway for VASCAR - so for practical purposes, an officer in PA using VASCAR (local police in PA aren't permitted to use radar, lidar, etc; this may change soon though) won't bother with any vehicle traveling within 15 miles of the speed limit - reason is that the timing aspect is manual; at 15+ over, even if the officer's reflexes is terrible, the ticket will stand; in your situation, even if the officer was off by around a half-second (very unlikely), your speed would still be calculated at over 35 (25 mph + 10 mph leeway).

Your options are limited ... you could drive to the location where it happened and measure the distance between the two white lines - likely it's going to be accurate so it's a longshot ... a more realistic thing to check is was there a speed limit sign near by and was it clear visable ... if the speed limit sign wasn't nearby and/or obscured, then you've got something to work with - unposted speed limits under 55 mph are unenforceable; an officer can still issue a ticket though (ie. driving too fast for conditions, etc) - rare, and mostly only if the driver admits speeding.

If the sign appears to be near the white lines (I'm assuming that's what was used - if not, you'll need to inquire what two points were used, such as landmarks, trees, etc) and is clearly visable (and in good condition; if not, you may have something), then your next step is to check whether the street is owned by the munipality or the state - most likely it's not owned by the state, but if it is, then it's likely the sign was posted without the proper studies, etc.

It's late ... but I'm sure others here may have some ideas of things to check on ...

It may be worth fighting the ticket anyways if you have a good feeling the officer (appears from the ticket to be the police chief; I really hate one full-timer police depts since they often tend to just to run speedtraps and do little else) won't show up; protest to waste the police chief's time.

Here's a link that may be of interest regarding the police chief, assuming it's the same person:

"...Heather Burnsworth told council Monday she may file a written complaint with the borough against Michael Garlowich, police chief, because she feels he was 'confrontational' in the way he handled an ATV violation against her son on April 23..."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dail.../s_335089.html

Finally, I've attached what I think is picture of the police chief - does he look familiar LOL!

http://www.iplayoutside.com/images/v...3/pic-0005.jpg

Ron

[makor01]

thats better than a speeding ticket since there are no points involved.

[Kid Dynamite]

that cop needs some handwriting lessons.

[Soleman]

hhah thanks for all the info man ur really really smart..
hey i went and checked it out today.. where he "clocked me" speed limit sign shows 35 he wrote it out for 25? is that automatic dismisial

[somebody someone]

shit man u got caught by the chief BADGE NUMBER: 1

[XTC]

They're going to find out regardless. I take it your on their Insurance plan? Maybe? If you are their insurance is going up. They're going to wonder why. Something might come in the mail. Depends on the state. In IL, when you get a ticket the Secretary of State sends this thing in the mail telling you to be a safe driver and shit like that. Best of luck. And also.. PROOFREADING IS YOUR FRIEND! TRUST ME!

[droopy420]

You got lucky man. You should be happy you got off with only a small fine. I got a speeding ticket and lost my license for a year and ended up paying $600 in fines. I still have to pay $210 to get my license back. So over $800 in fines for speeding and no driving for a year. Plus I had to sell my Miata to pay bills. That ticket really fucked me because I worked at a pizza place so I lost my job also.

Just be honest with your parents about it. Plus they're going to find out anyway and they'll be happier in the end if you're honest.

Peace,
droopy

[Cannabis.com]

Very likely soleman - if he can't get the speed limit right for the area he was doing the speed enforcement, who knows what else he didn't get right; the margin for error is much less at 35 mph - you'd be within 13.4 mph (don't admit speeding; leeway doesn't apply if one actually admits speeding) ... if his reflexes were a bit off (pressing the start/stop button on the VASCAR unit a bit late/early respectively) and/or the reference marks used are closer together than 126.72 feet (0.024 mile).

Be darn sure though that the speed limit sign you're referring to is the one that applies - look on the ticket - he mentions Woodvale Street as where the incident took place - check the entire length of that street which you had driven the other day to be sure there are no 25 MPH signs along the way; you say he'd been following you for awhile before making the stop.

Ron

[9ski9]

The most comon reason someone loses their case when fighting a ticket is admitting guilt. Cops pull you over doing 70 in a 55mph zone, then tells you he's gonna give you a break by writing you up for 69mph, which is a much lesser offense.

Then this happens:

"Your Honor, I never drive over 65."

"Well, son, how fast were you going?"

"56, maybe 57..."

"Guilty. Pay the fine, son."

In Pennsylvania, points are everything when it comes to insurance. You got lucky that the cop just wanted money and didn't care to fuck with your insurance rates. I used to live in Jersey and insurance rates are so fucking out of control that lots of people pay to fix their own cars after accidents.