My question involves traffic court in the State of: Washington.
I received a ticket for going 86 in a 70 heading downhill westbound on I-90, a couple miles west of the pass. I said essentially nothing to the police officer except 'i don't know' and 'thank you' so that his written statement would be minimal.
My plan for the trial is to plead for a dismissal based on circumstances around the infraction and the lack of evidence disproving my statements with the hope the judge will use reason and enforce the PURPOSE of the law and not the law itself. I'd like to know if anyone has had success with something like this or if i'm pissing in the wind.
My arguments will be:
- I have a clean record with no prior infractions
- I always drive at a speed in which I am in full control of the vehicle and can safely react to adverse situations that occur on the road
- I always leave a significant distance between myself and any vehicles in front of me
- I always signal when changing lanes
- I always slow down when approaching and passing vehicles which are moving significantly slower than me
- I was traveling down hill with my cruise control set, which i have noticed will sometimes exceed the preset limit in these situations by as much as 7 mph
- It was a clear day, with dry roads, and limited traffic
- The purpose of a speed limit is to promote a safe environment for vehicles to operate. It accomplishes this by minimizing accidents that result from drivers who exceed the maximum speed at which they can maintain control of their vehicle given the environment in which they are operating it. As I was not exceeding the speed at which I could maintain control of my vehicle in that specific environment, I was not violating the principal which the law was meant to enforce.
On these grounds I would ask for a dismissal of my infraction.
If the court deems that my evidence in not sufficient argument in light of the plaintiff's sworn testimony, then I ask that my infraction be changed to a non-moving violation or deferred as allowed by the state.
Thoughts?

