The most common citations out there are speeding tickets.  There are a few different devices that cops use to monitor speed, including radar, laser, or Accutrak.  Radar guns are the most widespread and common among officers of the law.  Because of this it is important to know about how radar guns clock your speed in order to fight the speeding ticket.  It is also important to know some of the common problems that radar guns have in miscalculating your speed.  Here is a list of some of those common discrepancies you can cite when fighting the speeding tickets.

1. Mechanical Interference.  Many times the heating fan or air conditioning of the police car can throw off readings.  This would also include ignition noises, alternator, rotating signs near the roadway, or anything else mechanical that is near the device that could throw it off.

2. Shadowing.  This is caused when a moving police car is targeting a moving target.  The targeted speed is calculated by subtracting the speed of the cop car with the speed of the target.  This can cause inaccuracies in readings.

3. Panning.  When the hand held radar gun is rotated across the dashboard of the patrol car or the control unit that is mounted to the dash.  Once again this can cause inaccurate readings as well.

4. Microwave or Radio interference.  Ham, CB radio, cell phone, power line, vapor lights, or any other kind of outside source of transmission will throw off calculations.  This is why it is so important that radar guns are re-calibrated every 30-60 days.  There are so many different frequencies that can throw off the gun.

5. Batching.  This happens when the patrol car is either accelerating or braking when the radar gun is still trying to calculate the speed of the target car.

Because of all of these different inaccuracies it is important to ask a lot of questions about the speed tracking device when trying to fight a ticket.  If the gun has not been calibrated recently there is a good chance that the information is incorrect and your case will be dismissed.  It is also important to note how and where the officer clocked your speed.  As was discussed above, if the police officer was in a moving vehicle when he clocked you, there are any number of different variables to be considered.  While these radar guns are fairly amazing in theory they are not perfect, so knowing more about them can help you to avoid getting citations and paying fines that maybe you weren’t guilty of.  Radar speeding tickets can and should be investigated in order to avoid undeserved citations.

Speed cameras measure a vehicle’s speed using radar and take a photo of the target vehicle and a ticket is subsequently mailed to the vehicle’s owner.  Speed cameras are relatively new to the United States and are only operating in 12 states currently.  One reason they are not widespread is that there are a few controversies over how efficient and effective they are.  Some people even say that they are only an attempt to raise extra money for local and state governments.  Others say that photo enforcement is a violation of public privacy and civil rights.  Either way there are some steps you can take to avoid them, and get out of them.

How do you get out of a Photo Speeding Ticket?  Because of the nature of the ticket, there are actually quite a few loophole you can use to get out of the citation. These include but are not limited to the following:

The person actually driving the vehicle wasn’t you.  You are not liable for a speeding ticket if you were not the one driving the vehicle.  You can get the ticket dismissed in your name if you lent your car to friends or family members.

If the photo shows more than one vehicle than you have a pretty good argument.  The radar may have picked up the speed of a different car but your car got in the way of the picture.  If this is the case then ask to have the ticket dismissed.

There was no warning sign to tell you that there were radar sections of the road.  Many communities have laws that require police to post warning signs about an upcoming radar vehicle.  Obviously if you live in a community where this is not a law then you have no case.  Also be sure to make sure there was no warning sign.

Once you get the citation in the mail just throw it away.  You can’t be prosecuted for not receiving the copy. You can also go as far as applying a coat of varnish to your number plate.

Most of these options may seem pretty ridiculous but they are legitimate ways to get out of the ticket.  Because of all the loopholes that photo speeding tickets present, they are difficult to enforce and maintain.  There are just too many variables that come into play with photo speeding tickets.  Other tickets are based on eye witnesses from an officer of the law or other people, where as the only witness you have in a photo case is the camera.  The best way to avoid any problems is to just not speed in the first place.

Speeding tickets are almost always expensive.  They come with a large fine and usually raise your insurance premiums.  Most Americans just take what’s given to them and don’t ask questions.  Did you know you can fight your ticket and either get the charges dropped or get a lesser charge that doesn’t affect your insurance?  Take control of your life and take these steps to preserve your driving record and also your wallet.

1.  Check the box on the ticket that says you want a hearing.  Write down the court date and mail the ticket in.  Mark your court date on your calendar and start preparing for your hearing.

2. Show up early or at least on time to your hearing.  If you are early you might be able to get in as one of the first cases which can only help you since the judge will more likely still be in a good mood.  This might get you a more lenient sentence.  Also if you are late the judge will see you as irresponsible, which means you probably did speed.

3. Dress nice to your court appearance.  If you are a man wear a suit, and if you are a women I would suggest a dress.  This shows that you are respectful and you are taking it seriously.  If you show up in tattered jeans and a t-shirt you are more likely to be handed the citation.

4. Be pleasant and polite.  Don’t point blame on the officer or the radar gun, or any other type of excuse.  Just simply state what you were doing, where you were going, and what happened.  Chances are if you are honest and polite the judge will at least reduce your sentence.  This alone would be worth it.

5. Don’t admit your guilt. If you go before the judge and admit you were speeding then you have lost the case already.  However if the judge still rules in favor of the full citation request a trial.  Usually the judge will not want to have the court spend thousands of dollars for a one hundred dollar citation to go to trial.

All of these are valid ways to help you get out of a speeding ticket.  The more you know about the law and it’s processes, the better you can prepare to get out of your speeding citation.  Fighting speeding tickets doesn’t have to to be difficult but it does take some research.  Check out all of your options and assess if it will be worth it.