On Friday I was driving along Great South Road in Penrose, Auckland when a police woman walked out into the lane and points to the side of the road. I wasn't speeding so I figured it was just a random rego and warrant check. After looking suspiciously into the van she told me to wait there. A couple of minutes later she came back with a radar gun and told me I was doing 68kmh. I was flabbergasted. I know I wasn't speeding because I watch the speedometer religiously and I wasn't even up to 50 yet because I'd just come out of a give way intersection. I know what 68k feels like compared to 50k, there is no way I was speeding. I told her she got the wrong car but she wouldn't listen. The only "Evidence" they had was the number 68 on an lcd screen which took them 2 minutes to produce. How can I prove I'm in the right? A judge will surely believe the police wouldn't they? Why did it take so long to tell me why I'd been stopped and to show me the radar gun? Did they need that time to pick up someone else and pin it on me?
duncstars,
Nov 2, 7:03pm
I wonder how many others have had this happen to them. I've completely lost faith in the police now, their incompetence and suspicious attitude. Most cars speedometers show a slightly higher speed that you're actually doing, so if I was doing 68, my speedo would have shown around 73. When I told the police woman that, she said you should probably get your speedo fixed. Ignorant!
There are some possible scenarios here: 1. The radar picked up someone further down the road and she blamed it on me through not knowing how to use the gun. 2. The radar gun is faulty. 3. They knowingly falsified the evidence and framed me because they couldn't find anything else wrong and needed to fill a quota.
I know I could make it go away by paying the fine, but I know i'm innocent, and that would set a precedent where innocent people have to pay just because the police say so. They seem to be a law unto themselves. If I have to go to court I'm more than happy to go under oath and say I wasn't speeding. I haven't had a speeding ticket in 13 years and the reason is because I don't speed. If I had been speeding I would take it on the chin and pay the fine, but I wasn't speeding, I know full well I wasn't, so I'm going to stand up for myself and fight. The police are always getting it wrong, we usually only hear about it with high profile cases in the media, so who knows how many false speeding tickets have been issued.
Unfortunately the onus of proof on speeding is on the defendant, who is automatically guilty if it goes to court. There have been a number of cases One I recall is where the accused did speed trials to show his Lada Niva couldn't go as fast as the ticket said, no matter how long the run up. It is the reason why the police have bene against having video cameras in the cars as general issue.
bjmh,
Nov 2, 8:10pm
do you ever exceed the speed limits ?
saxman99,
Nov 2, 8:17pm
A hand held device is not Radar it's laser. It cannot "pick up another car" because the beam is very narrow and and aimed at one specific car at a time using a scope and trigger like a sniper rifle.
However, that does not mean you are wrong. If you're adamant it's a fit-up then fight it. Wait for the reminder notice before doing anything; as soon as you have that, write in requesting a defended hearing and full disclosure of the case against you. DO NOT offer any explanation or information.
Go to court and calmly and politely explain to the JP what really happened. You would be well advised to engage a lawyer to assist you with the correct way to defend this.
Run a test on a closed area and see if your vehicle can reach the alleged speed in the distance between the intersection and the trigger point. A laser reading contains a 'distance to target' measurement.
You will probably be able to prove your point and have the JPs agree with you but lose anyway because they don't want to show the cops as liars.
Good Luck.
msigg,
Nov 2, 8:30pm
well as above, also with a modern vehicle it is easy to speed and you can't watch the speedo all the time, Easy to speed on Gt South road.$60 chalk it up.
jesus2000,
Nov 2, 8:55pm
A couple of years ago I read the account from someone on another forum of the time they were driving through Oamaru and got a ticket.
It was the long uphill SHW1 section on the south side of Oamaru. Cop pulled them over and told them they were doing 63 (50k zone) Yet this person swears he was watching his speed and even had a GPS speed reading as well and was just on 50. Cop insists he was doing 63.
Person gets his ticket and pulls in at the dairy at the top of the hill to calm down for a bit with an ice cream. Tells the shop owner he just got a ticket, and the shop owner says, "let me guess, 63 right?". She says she's had a string of people coming in all day saying they just got done doing 63 up the hill.
It sounds like the cops had just been sitting there pulling random cars over and giving them a ticket for 63 out of thin air.
intrade,
Nov 2, 9:05pm
if you are telling the truth then you need to fight it the sooner we start weeding out the cokroaches the better . i got a thread abo something like this and bigfatmat went and took his case further and won. My case was just having to proof that i am not a liar like acording to whangarei police every car driver is. i sent mail registerd with proof so if i get a fine in the next 5 years for this i let it go to court and then produce evidence of what the cockroaches are up to.
loose.unit8,
Nov 2, 9:07pm
Anyone know if a laser gun attaches a time to the reading? If not, it would be so easy for crooked cops to get one reading in the morning and then be giving out tickets for the same speed all day. An easy way to achieve any revenue quota they want to. Also sounds like what might have happened in this case.
intrade,
Nov 2, 9:13pm
you might also want to join the free man on the land it means however loads of time and effort my naigbour has not paid landrates since 9 years now , he managed to trick the council in to that he dont ever needs to pay rates as he done the same tactics 14 day to reply or his rules become fact if they dont act so he just tells em we have a legal binding contract from date such and such lol. but its his hobby he got a half a meter high stacks of mail i think from writing to the thugs. Its a magnificent deception the whole thing that you must pay . only if you do pay you enteer the contract so he cant pay as he is not going to enter there contract they offer and diclines the offer . thats sortof what the letters read like . only in writing no tricking in to saying the wrong thing for verbal contracts.
texastwo,
Nov 2, 9:22pm
I'm wondering if the lady on the TV adverts that is picked up for being over the limit at a Checkpoint is aware that the Roadside testing device she uses may be one of the ones that is faulty
slarty45,
Nov 2, 9:39pm
Classic example of why a Dashcam with GPS speed embedded on file is handy. Burn the file on to two CD`s, one for Court & other for Media. Sure the cops will say it is not accurate but in the OP`s case it would be extremely hard for the cops to argue having just pulled away from a Give Way intersection.
saxman99,
Nov 2, 9:47pm
I think the best thing all round would be to drive well over the speed limit at all times; say at least 20 clicks. This way, when you get a ticket there's no argument about it - you'll be miles over. Solved.
jesus2000,
Nov 2, 10:39pm
Could you obtain under the official information act, using the cpo's number date and location from the speeding ticket, the list of other tickets she gave from that spot? Perhaps if there were ten "68kph" tickets in a row, that would look very suspicious.
bigfatmat1,
Nov 2, 11:16pm
I had a similar incident about ten years ago pinged at 71 in a 50kmh I had just pulled out of a intersection was in first gear when cop put lights on. I asked to see my speed the screen was blank. Cops excuse sorry must of accidently cleared it. Continued to write the ticket. A simple letter and fine was waived
flitt,
Nov 3, 12:31am
Crooked cops lol. What possible advantage would a cop have for 'pinning' a speeding ticket on someone?
User error maybe. Was it raining?
loose.unit8,
Nov 3, 1:18am
Quotas to fill? Laziness? Good figures = promotion?
flitt,
Nov 3, 4:04am
Naaah. It's obvious that sort of carry on is going to cost more time than it is worth.
tgray,
Nov 3, 5:33am
You were speeding, so just accept it and pay the fine.
cammey,
Nov 3, 6:02am
Laser has some issues, that work in the motorists favour if they want to defeat it. You will still need a MK1 eyeball, and a quick foot on the brake, but here is how it goes.
Laser measures the distance to the vehicle. So to determine speed, you need to take two readings, a known time apart.
Consider, the first reading shows you are 100m away from the laser. 1/100th of a second later, you are 27.8 cm closer. Your speed is therefore, 27.8 m/s or 100 km/hr.
But what if the first reading were from the back of the headlight shell, and the second was from the front of the headlight shell ?
They are 15 cm apart. Your actual speed will have been 27 - 15 = 12 m/s.
We dont know how the manufacturer of the laser deals with this problem (although if I ever get a ticket, I will find out during disclosure.)
But a fair guess is, he kind of "doppler shifts it". He takes a series of readings, and applies an algorithm to determine the correct speed.
A fair guess would be, he waits until he has a number of readings all with the same outcome, possibly as an average with a low standard deviation.
So all you have to do to screw it up, is ensure he struggles to get a low standard deviation.
And for once, its easier done than said.
The operator of the laser has to find a target that will reflect the laser back at him, not off into space.
Anything will do if you are really really close. So you still need the MK1 eyeball.
But at any longer distance, his best choice is your front number plate, a shiny bumper bar, or your headlight reflector.
Reduce his chances of getting that lock before you spot him.
Tilt your number plate, so the top and bottom, left and right are different distances from an observer. That makes it harder to get a row of similar readings, as minor movement of the beam will chance the answer.
And get some white cat eye reflectors. Put them 3cm, 7cm and 12cm behind the number plate. Any beam that hits the number plate, then hits any of the reflectors for the next reading will get a unique, and mathematically standard deviation ruining, different reading, that is out by at least 10% from any previous reading.
Another trick is to put a CD in the windscreen, on one side. It works the same way. CDs are designed to be multi-reflective to laser. So if the laser hits a CD it will get a good reflection.
But from one edge of the CD to the other, or top to bottom, exceeds 3cm of distance to the observer.
Thus the observer will struggle to get a series of reading from any one point that are all within 10%.
Now I await the flames.
clark20,
Nov 3, 6:22am
Was it outside the Donut Shop?, they were there last week, I thought he was getting donuts, so we stopped (kids were pissing themselves laughing) and he said he had someone at 90km/h down that road.
clatty,
Nov 3, 6:47am
I find I exceed the speed limit for a while before I leave a built up area to head back home mainly 50 KPH area. I run a G P S unit all the time.
Ahhhhh, is that why some have their plates at funny angles. It's not just a sign of a likely gay encounter then. possibly means both mind you.
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