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Old 01-26-2008, 02:52 AM
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Indian Charlie Indian Charlie is offline
Goodwood
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Southern Maine
Posts: 8,708
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This won't do you any good for the upcoming date in court, but man, you gotta get yourself a high quality radar detector! I don't care if I'm going 1 MPH under the speed limit, if I hear that baby scream at me, I slowwww down.

Your case reminds me of this instance a few years ago in New Hampshire. I was driving up the turnpike and as I approached the Rochester Toll booth (going North), I picked up the troopers radar from a bit more than 3/4's of a mile away.

I was, at the time I picked the radar up, going about 60-65 MPH but immediately slowed down and coasted towards the toll. The cop, a known and hated over-compensating masculine female trooper, was parked facing traffic just in front of the toll booths. I'd say about 100 yards away from the tolls.

As I hit the 35 MPH limit toll approach zone, I was already under 20 MPH. I passed the cop and she immediately flipped on her lights and turned around. I went through the toll and then pulled over as she signaled to me that it was my time to pay the speeding tax.

She comes up to my car and tells me that I was going 61 MPH in a 35 MPH zone, a mere 100 yards in front of the toll booth, in the RAIN!!

I found out a short time later that anything exceeding 25 MPH over the speed limit there is considered a more severe speeding infraction (felony??)!!

So, I do some research online before my court date and found some interesting information that conveyed to me that it is basically illegal for troopers to park in front of toll booths to target motorists.

The judge, of course, has never heard such nonsense (I printed out copies for him and the cop) and while stating my evidence, the cop actually interrupted me and mocked me for finding 'stuff on the Internet'.

Not only did I present this information, but I also commented on the likelihood of me going 61 mph in the rain 100 yards before I had to stop and pay a toll, all the while already knowing about the radar being used three quarters of a mile away.

The judge found me guilty, but did say that he agreed with me about probably not going 61, so he marked my ticket down to 58.

Yippeee.

As I was leaving the court, the cop timidly approaches me and asked for the information I had presented in my 'trial'. I gave it to her, though I felt like telling her that her hair bun was so tight that it looked like her forehead was going to break through her skin.

Anyways, that was three years ago and to this day, I have not seen one cop parked out in front of the toll booth. It used to be a regular occurrencence.

My point? That maybe you can't win your fight, but you might be able to make a change for the better!

Oh, and I also read that for a radar ticket to be valid, they need to clock you from within around a 1/4 mile! At least in NH/ME they do. You may want to check into that.
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