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From: mzal@pegasus.UUCP (Mike Zaleski)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: 55 MPH limit: A call to arms!
Message-ID: <1495@pegasus.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 14-Jul-84 15:18:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: pegasus.1495
Posted: Sat Jul 14 15:18:13 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Jul-84 02:42:27 EDT
Organization: AT&T Information Systems, Lincroft NJ
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    Excerpt from: Rick Kiessig ({decvax, ucbvax}!sun!idi!kiessig)

	There was a guy out here in California who was planning
    an interesting approach to the "55 problem".  He was collecting
    pledges from people for the following:

	1. If you got a ticket for speeding, you would challenge
	   it in the courts....

	The idea was to overload the judicial system to the point
    where the "powers that be" would be forced to take some sort of
    action.

The action they would most likely take is to raise the cost of the
ticket.  Nevertheless, this is also another anti-55 step which can
be taken where possible.  (It always isn't, like when I got a ticket
on the empty Northway, some five hours from where I live.)  Having
police officers sit around in court means that they aren't sitting
by the roadside writing more tickets.  Use the system against itself!

Inicdentally, a friend of mine who is about to complete work on his
law degree tells me that lawyers are actually fairley effective in
getting "not guilty" verdicts on various motor vehicle charges.
Even if you decide not to go the lawyer route, you may still be
successful challanging radar evidence (or any ticket) in court.
Some tactics:
1. Verify that the officer who issued the citation had legal jurisdiction
   where the citation was issued.
2. Request evidence that the officer/issuing agency had an operator's license
   and training for the radar unit in question.
3. Request evidence that the radar unit and/or car speedometer had
   been recently calibrated.
4. Verify that the speed reported by radar was indeed yours.  My
   understanding (sorry I don't remember where I read this) is that
   the officially recognized correct method is to clock the speed
   of a car on radar until it passes the radar unit.  Then, if the
   radar unit indicates a different speed, the previous reading
   was for the car in question (and not for some other vehicle).
   If this procedure was not followed, you may be able to beat the
   ticket.
5. If possible, arrange for a postponement of your hearing.  The
   longer between the incident and the trial, the worse the officer's
   memory of the matter will be, and hopefully his testimony will seem
   less convincing.

Remember, tickets raise your insurance too.  A ticket can easily
cost you several hundred dollars.  Isn't the potential of saving
that much worth an evening dealing with the court?

-- Mike^Z      allegra!pegasus!mzal    Zaleski@Rutgers