First speeding ticket by motorcycle cops going opposing direction?
Is there anything I can do to contest it?
They were not stationary, does that affect anything? Are they allowed to use the radar calculations even though they were moving in the opposite direction?
Also, how much is a speeding ticket? I was going 34 in a 25, in California
Thank you
I’m sorry I’ve never seen a moving radar before, usually cops just post up somewhere and gun people down. I was only wondering because I know that doppler radar has a margin for error, and I was wondering if it increased to a significant degree when you add the speed of their vehicle going in the opposite direction.
Radar is very accurate, even when both vehicles are moving.
The margin of error you mentioned is called a "cosine effect" or "cosine error". The radar is most accurate when the target is moving directly towards or away from the radar unit. This error is very slight, but increases as the angle between the radar and target increase. However, the error always favors the motorist because the reading will be lower.
I could go into the actual science, but the answer will be lengthy and riddled with math. The bottom line is the court will recognize the reading as accurate.
Your speeding ticket should tell you how much it is. He most likely estimated your speed. It’s all allowed and they do it.
Yes they can, and they did it, and the ticket is close to $300
You can always hire a $600 an hour attorney to fight it if you wish, that is your choice and right to do so
Basic science lesson……………..Radar beams are accurate, even if the sending unit is moving ( think about a F16 USAF fighter jet, tracking an enemy aircraft ? ) The motorcycle had a radar unit mounted on the front, and a second one mounted facing the rear, with a handle bar switch that controls which unit is sending at any given time. The speed read out is right in front of the officer’s face, and he can "freeze the speed": with a touch of a button, to save it, to show to the offender, once he has them stopped.
You are done like dinner……….Pay the fine and slow down.
They do not have to be sitting still. It is called moving radar and has been around since WWI.
As to the second part of your question, yes the margin for error increases, but not to the point of inaccuracy. Also, you cannot be found guilty on radar alone, the officer must witness you speeding and use the radar to verify his observations.
Bad News, the new radars work moving , any direction and stationary,they even pick out the lane it is reading on multi-lane roads, if they can lock the speed a third window is required.
The radar still works even when in motion,it’s called moving radar.This allows the officer to get the speed of oncoming cars,while in motion.
Yes there are radar units that do detect the speed of a target vehicle moving in the opposite direction even when the patrol unit is in motion. Your speeding ticket would be approx.$250.
For free information on how to fight a speeding ticket in California go to http://www.2FixYourTrafficTicket.com/speedingticket.html
You can dispute the ticket, but you will be unlikely to win. The fact that the officers were moving or that they were moving in the opposite direction does not affect the speed calculations.
Because you were going 9 mph over, this violation will cost you exactly $211 including all regular fees. I’m sure you would elect traffic school which would cost another $50 admin fee to the court plus whatever the school charges.
If you are extremely motivated to fight this ticket, you can but it wouldn’t be on the basis of your legal argument, it would be more maneuvering and tactics. There is a great deal of work on your part and your chance of success is unpredictable. For a free guide, take a look at http://helpigotaticket.com. Its just a regular guy, not a lawyer (again, free site) but he’s got alot of neat tricks.