Wednesday afternoon, about 6PM. So I was driving down I-5 (2 lanes each way), and I saw an unmarked cop car driving ahead of me. I knew it was a cop cuz it was a crown victoria with 2 big antennas and a light strip in the rear window. So I stayed behind the officer (unfortunately I was the car immediately behind), who was driving in the left lane. She would speed up and slow down erratically, but I would stay pretty far behind her, keeping up with her. There were trucks and slow moving cars in the right lane, and us and other faster cars in the left lane. After about 10-15 minutes of me driving behind the cop, she speed up to 95-100 and then pulls into the right lane and slows down. I slow down too, and we both get down to about 50mph. Finally she gets behind me and flicks on the lights instantly. I pull over and she says "Am I your personal escort?" as if I was inconveniencing her by driving behind her. To my knowledge, she paced me from the front. That will be the focal point of my case on the merits.
So here's what I plan on saying in court:
Merits:
I was paced from the front. That in itself calls into question both the precision and the accuracy of the speed estimation. Furthermore, because the officer kept speeding up and slowing down, it would be even harder to get an accurate reading.
Disposition:
This is my first ticket in about 3 years. I never speed anymore. I was watching the road, not the speedometer. I rarely drive I-5 but I sensed that it was a fast highway because there were a lot of people that were going really fast. Furthermore, I knew that I was following a police officer, and at a safe distance. Because of this, I thought that I was driving an acceptable speed with the flow of traffic. Also, the court house is 140 miles from my house, so I would pray for leniency. I would also mention financial hardship, as I am a law student living only on student loans and do not have a job this summer.
Anyone have any thoughts?
So here's what I plan on saying in court:
Merits:
I was paced from the front. That in itself calls into question both the precision and the accuracy of the speed estimation. Furthermore, because the officer kept speeding up and slowing down, it would be even harder to get an accurate reading.
Disposition:
This is my first ticket in about 3 years. I never speed anymore. I was watching the road, not the speedometer. I rarely drive I-5 but I sensed that it was a fast highway because there were a lot of people that were going really fast. Furthermore, I knew that I was following a police officer, and at a safe distance. Because of this, I thought that I was driving an acceptable speed with the flow of traffic. Also, the court house is 140 miles from my house, so I would pray for leniency. I would also mention financial hardship, as I am a law student living only on student loans and do not have a job this summer.
Anyone have any thoughts?
