Will GPS Help Motorist Beat Speeding Ticket?
|
Shaun Malone, 17, wasn't too happy that his step dad, a retired sheriff deputy, put a GPS tracking device in his Toyota Celica. Now, the teen likes the gadget, since it's his defense against a speeding ticket. |
The stepdad, Roger Rude, backed Shaun after the log he downloaded using software provided by the GPS unit's supplier showed the teen was going the speed limit within 100 feet of where a Petaluma, Calif., officer clocked him going 62 mph in a 45-mph zone, according to the Associated Press.
Though traffic courts don't usually accept GPS readouts as evidence of a vehicle's speed—and many GPS receivers can't keep records anyway—some tech-savvy drivers around the world are beginning to use the technology to challenge moving violations, according to anecdotal accounts from defense lawyers and law enforcement officials, the AP report says.
The news service reported that an Australian farmer recently got a ticket dismissed after presenting police with data from his tracking device.
Still, lawyers say, the best way for motorist to beat a speeding rap is not the latest technology but hoping the police officer fails to show up in traffic court.
Comments (3)
Interesting that you mentioned that the best way to beat a speeding rap in court is to hope that the Police Officer in question doesn't show up.
Here, in Australia, the Police Officer doesn't need to show up in court. There is a professional proxy in the police service (here in Queensland, anyway) that gets the written report from the officer and presents *that* to the court.
In matters where a motorist feel that they have been pinged wrongly and want to contest it, there is now many legal precedents where the operator of the motor vehicle is guilty and must prove their innocence.
This is not hearsay - it is fact.
The law was changed here several years ago to allow the introduction of speed cameras because they were deemed to be in contravention of the requirement where the Crown must prove guilt so that the state governments could reap the benefits of several hundred million dollars in revenue every year.
Posted by Morgan | October 30, 2007 6:11 PM
Wow. Now that was interesting. I've heard that the cops will be having a new form of speed measuring device to add to their list of arsenals.
Apparently, in the not too distant future there will be a device that will allow them to measure your speed by sound. according to this news article the device can measure how fast you're going by the sound of your car. This will basically make radar detectors useless since the device uses a different form of radar.
Not too sure how it works, but it just goes to show you how technology has changed over the years and how big of a business speeding tickets are. I mean, they come up with new stuff all the time to catch speeders.
I also did a little search online and found a website for fighting traffic tickets Speeding Ticket Secrets. It seemed interesting but I can't say for sure that it works. Just thought I'd show it though.
- Justin
Posted by Justin | November 21, 2007 1:20 AM
Around here, the police agencies have long-ago solved the issue with officers not making court dates. They now schedule regular days every month that any given officer is dedicated to court appearances. Unless the officer doesn't come to work at all that day, there is zero chance of them just not showing up in court.
Posted by Dan | November 29, 2007 2:38 PM