Speeding Ticket Defense vs. pacing

A common defense against pacing I found is to challenge
patrol car's speedometer's calibration.

What kind of inaccuracy are we talking about here (i.e. in
maybe 1-2mph, or up to 10mph)? And what is the relationship
between tire pressure, wear and tear vs. the speedometer's
calibration? Where can I learn more about it?

Thanks,
Raymond

wrote:
> A common defense against pacing I found is to challenge
> patrol car's speedometer's calibration.
>
> What kind of inaccuracy are we talking about here (i.e. in
> maybe 1-2mph, or up to 10mph)? And what is the relationship
> between tire pressure, wear and tear vs. the speedometer's
> calibration? Where can I learn more about it?

In math class. Of course, since you obviously missed it first time,
there's no good reason to think you'll understand it this time around,
either.

FWIW, traffic patrol cars' speedos *are* regularly calibrated as a
foundation for pacing *and* moving radar speed checks. You can
probably get a copy of the most recent tests in discovery, if you ask
properly.

Tire wear and inflation pressure bears on the circumference of the tire
(Here's where the math comes in!). I'll save you all that work. After
you do all the calculations, you'll find that it's: negligible.
--
C.R. Krieger
(Been there; figured that)

wrote:
> A common defense against pacing I found is to challenge
> patrol car's speedometer's calibration.
>
> What kind of inaccuracy are we talking about here (i.e. in
> maybe 1-2mph, or up to 10mph)? And what is the relationship
> between tire pressure, wear and tear vs. the speedometer's
> calibration? Where can I learn more about it?

In math class. Of course, since you obviously missed it first time,
there's no good reason to think you'll understand it this time around,
either.

FWIW, traffic patrol cars' speedos *are* regularly calibrated as a
foundation for pacing *and* moving radar speed checks. You can
probably get a copy of the most recent tests in discovery, if you ask
properly.

Tire wear and inflation pressure bears on the circumference of the tire
(Here's where the math comes in!). I'll save you all that work. After
you do all the calculations, you'll find that it's: negligible.
--
C.R. Krieger
(Been there; figured that)

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>A common defense against pacing I found is to challenge
> patrol car's speedometer's calibration.
>
> What kind of inaccuracy are we talking about here (i.e. in
> maybe 1-2mph, or up to 10mph)? And what is the relationship
> between tire pressure, wear and tear vs. the speedometer's
> calibration? Where can I learn more about it?

Let's look at the whole picture here first. Were you actually speeding and
does the citation accurately reflect what you were honestly doing? If it
does then it's going to be hard to beat the ticket on a "technicality"
because to the judge it may look like you're putting on a dog and pony show
just to try and beat a ticket. If you were not doing what the citation
shows then you can try and use some of those angles to persuade the judge
that the cop made a mistake and just be honest. But, if the cop has a good
offense then you'll appear to be grasping for straws...

--
---
jaybird
---
I am not the cause of your problems.
My actions are the result of your actions.
Your life is not my fault.

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>A common defense against pacing I found is to challenge
> patrol car's speedometer's calibration.
>
> What kind of inaccuracy are we talking about here (i.e. in
> maybe 1-2mph, or up to 10mph)? And what is the relationship
> between tire pressure, wear and tear vs. the speedometer's
> calibration? Where can I learn more about it?

Let's look at the whole picture here first. Were you actually speeding and
does the citation accurately reflect what you were honestly doing? If it
does then it's going to be hard to beat the ticket on a "technicality"
because to the judge it may look like you're putting on a dog and pony show
just to try and beat a ticket. If you were not doing what the citation
shows then you can try and use some of those angles to persuade the judge
that the cop made a mistake and just be honest. But, if the cop has a good
offense then you'll appear to be grasping for straws...

--
---
jaybird
---
I am not the cause of your problems.
My actions are the result of your actions.
Your life is not my fault.

On 1/7/2005 1:11 PM, jaybird wrote:

> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>
>>A common defense against pacing I found is to challenge
>>patrol car's speedometer's calibration.
>>
>
> Let's look at the whole picture here first. Were you actually speeding and
> does the citation accurately reflect what you were honestly doing?

What does that matter?


--
~/Garth |"I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie.
Almgren | I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave.
******* | And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant."
for secure mail info) --H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

On 1/7/2005 1:11 PM, jaybird wrote:

> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>
>>A common defense against pacing I found is to challenge
>>patrol car's speedometer's calibration.
>>
>
> Let's look at the whole picture here first. Were you actually speeding and
> does the citation accurately reflect what you were honestly doing?

What does that matter?


--
~/Garth |"I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie.
Almgren | I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave.
******* | And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant."
for secure mail info) --H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

a écrit :
> A common defense against pacing I found is to challenge
> patrol car's speedometer's calibration.
>
> What kind of inaccuracy are we talking about here (i.e. in
> maybe 1-2mph, or up to 10mph)? And what is the relationship
> between tire pressure, wear and tear vs. the speedometer's
> calibration? Where can I learn more about it?
>
> Thanks,
> Raymond
>

Most patrol cars have properly calibrated speedometers.

Most imported cars to the USA have very poorly calibrated ones, or
rather, very expertly calibrated speedometers that are then adjusted to
read unneccessarily high.

My car's speedo has a bad hairspring, and reads WAY off all the time (at
a corrected speed of 140km/h, the speedo registers 105 MPH / 165km/h!)
However cars like new BMW's for example, are known to read as high as
15% more! If you drive a German-brand car you can normally expect
anywhere from a 5 to 15mph discrepancy on the highway.

However my old ex-police Crown Victoria had a laser-tight speedo, and it
read correct always. Like perfect to the km/h. It was a special
police-speedo also, it read to 220km/h instead of 140 on the civilian.

But, after my first tire change, I went from 225/70-15 to 225/75-15, so
the speedo actually read very low, ie at 140km/h indication I would be
going more like 150! Very cool...

It was odd for a while to be keeping up with traffic in one car at
indicated 105 to 110km/h and then drive the same conditions at and
indicated 130km/h!

--
----------------------
http://www.saab-900.tk
The Saab Tech Resource
----------------------

a écrit :
> A common defense against pacing I found is to challenge
> patrol car's speedometer's calibration.
>
> What kind of inaccuracy are we talking about here (i.e. in
> maybe 1-2mph, or up to 10mph)? And what is the relationship
> between tire pressure, wear and tear vs. the speedometer's
> calibration? Where can I learn more about it?
>
> Thanks,
> Raymond
>

Most patrol cars have properly calibrated speedometers.

Most imported cars to the USA have very poorly calibrated ones, or
rather, very expertly calibrated speedometers that are then adjusted to
read unneccessarily high.

My car's speedo has a bad hairspring, and reads WAY off all the time (at
a corrected speed of 140km/h, the speedo registers 105 MPH / 165km/h!)
However cars like new BMW's for example, are known to read as high as
15% more! If you drive a German-brand car you can normally expect
anywhere from a 5 to 15mph discrepancy on the highway.

However my old ex-police Crown Victoria had a laser-tight speedo, and it
read correct always. Like perfect to the km/h. It was a special
police-speedo also, it read to 220km/h instead of 140 on the civilian.

But, after my first tire change, I went from 225/70-15 to 225/75-15, so
the speedo actually read very low, ie at 140km/h indication I would be
going more like 150! Very cool...

It was odd for a while to be keeping up with traffic in one car at
indicated 105 to 110km/h and then drive the same conditions at and
indicated 130km/h!

--
----------------------
http://www.saab-900.tk
The Saab Tech Resource
----------------------

While that may indeed be the whole picture, the judge will not look at
a picture that is quite that whole. Traffic court judges aren't going
to look behind the law for its intent or the posted speed for its
reasonableness any more than they look behind your driving for your
motives. Uncontroverted testimony that you were driving faster than the
established speed limit, no matter how or why that speed limit was
established, will get you convicted. (While there is the "illegal
evidence" law governing radar speed traps in California, that will do
you no good if you were paced.)

A traffic court judge might buy "the officer's speedometer was last
calibrated June 30, 2003, which is less recent than the annual
calibration required by Section such-and-so." If you have a very good
argument to the effect that there were extraordinary circumstances that
made it necessary to drive faster than a prima facie speed limit to
prevent an accident, he might even buy that. But if you waste his time
with "the 85th percentile speed on this highway is 60, so the posted
speed limit of 45 is clearly unreasonable", and there's no statute
allowing you to challenge a speed limit that way, you will lose quickly
and painfully.

--
Chris Green