Hi,
I recently got a speeding ticket (code 46.61.400) in Kitsap County, WA for going 71 in a 50. I do not believe I was going that fast, and I am looking for advice as to what I should do. Here are the details:
First of all, note that I do not have a clean traffic record--I had a couple tickets 4+ years ago and I got a speeding ticket in July. However, out of fear of further increasing my insurance and because I found out my wife is pregnant in August, I have since decided to slow down. The speed limit was 60, and I believe I was traveling around that, maybe 65. Then I saw signs for "Reduce Speed Ahead" to 50mph and began to slow down. I hadn't yet seen the sign marking the actual start of the 50mph zone (though I later verified that I had entered it before being pulled over), but when I saw the police car I looked at my speedometer and it said about 55mph. The officer was out of his car, apparently finishing up a ticket with another driver. As I passed by, he pointed at me and motioned that I should pull over. I have no idea how he determined my speed, as he was nowhere near his car at the time. I pulled over, and he soon got back in his car and pulled up behind me. He then told me that his "lazer" had me going 71 in a 50. My only reply was, "Oh really?" (I didn't know what to say at the time, even though I didn't believe I had been going that fast.) He then went to his car and wrote me a ticket for $183. I feel that he must have made a mistake, because I wasn't going that fast. My wife, who was with me, agrees. Is it possible that he got me for some other car's speed, since he wasn't in his car closely monitoring the situation? How do I prove it?
I am looking for advice on what to do at this point. My only options, according to the back of the ticket, are to pay the fine, request a mitigation hearing, or request a hearing to contest the ticket. I am afraid to contest, since I don't know how to prove my case other than my word against his, which I've heard doesn't work well in court. On the other hand, a mitigation hearing doesn't sound good, because that means admitting guilt (which I don't think I am), and I don't really have mitigating circumstances to explain other than, "I didn't do it and I think the officer may have made a mistake since he wasn't even in the car at the time," which sounds more like contesting the charge than mitigating. Any advice? My main concern is trying to keep additional points off of my driving record.
Thanks, any thoughts would be appreciated!
Corey
I recently got a speeding ticket (code 46.61.400) in Kitsap County, WA for going 71 in a 50. I do not believe I was going that fast, and I am looking for advice as to what I should do. Here are the details:
First of all, note that I do not have a clean traffic record--I had a couple tickets 4+ years ago and I got a speeding ticket in July. However, out of fear of further increasing my insurance and because I found out my wife is pregnant in August, I have since decided to slow down. The speed limit was 60, and I believe I was traveling around that, maybe 65. Then I saw signs for "Reduce Speed Ahead" to 50mph and began to slow down. I hadn't yet seen the sign marking the actual start of the 50mph zone (though I later verified that I had entered it before being pulled over), but when I saw the police car I looked at my speedometer and it said about 55mph. The officer was out of his car, apparently finishing up a ticket with another driver. As I passed by, he pointed at me and motioned that I should pull over. I have no idea how he determined my speed, as he was nowhere near his car at the time. I pulled over, and he soon got back in his car and pulled up behind me. He then told me that his "lazer" had me going 71 in a 50. My only reply was, "Oh really?" (I didn't know what to say at the time, even though I didn't believe I had been going that fast.) He then went to his car and wrote me a ticket for $183. I feel that he must have made a mistake, because I wasn't going that fast. My wife, who was with me, agrees. Is it possible that he got me for some other car's speed, since he wasn't in his car closely monitoring the situation? How do I prove it?
I am looking for advice on what to do at this point. My only options, according to the back of the ticket, are to pay the fine, request a mitigation hearing, or request a hearing to contest the ticket. I am afraid to contest, since I don't know how to prove my case other than my word against his, which I've heard doesn't work well in court. On the other hand, a mitigation hearing doesn't sound good, because that means admitting guilt (which I don't think I am), and I don't really have mitigating circumstances to explain other than, "I didn't do it and I think the officer may have made a mistake since he wasn't even in the car at the time," which sounds more like contesting the charge than mitigating. Any advice? My main concern is trying to keep additional points off of my driving record.
Thanks, any thoughts would be appreciated!
Corey