Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    6

    Default Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    Does my girlfriend have a case?

    She was traveling in the right lane on the turnpike at about 75mph and slightly sped up when coming to an Interchange (Carlisle for those who are familiar) so that she could make it into the left lane to allow the oncoming cars to merge.

    Unfortunately, she sped up to get in front of a guy in the left lane because there was a line of cars behind him. So she is going about 82mph as she passes the on ramp and to her luck an undercover trooper is coming down the ramp to merge at the same time as she passes.

    He pulls her over about 1 mile down the road and says that he "clocked"
    her going 85mph. Now he wasn't actually setting up a speed trap, he said he was just driving down the onramp and saw her speeding and determined her speed to be 85mph.

    What would your defense be if this was your situation???

    PLEASE HELP.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    California
    Posts
    1,206

    Default Re: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    Well, it certainly was no speed trap. I think her only hope would be to convince the judge that she wasn't going as fast as was alleged. As far as out and out beating it, I can't imagine any way that would happen unless it was some procedural event (such as the officer not showing up, if that is pertinent in your state).

  3. #3

    Default Re: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    The highest posted speed on the PA Turnpike is 65MPH. The onramp you describe is a very long ramp. It's possible the officer was already going the speed limit and your girlfriend was pulling away from him.

    I drove an 'unmarked' car for years. It's amazing what people will do in front of you and then display shock and dismay.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    6

    Default Re: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    Maybe you can help me then.

    What does "clocked" mean?

    The cop can determine to an exact mph if he is going 65 mph that my gf was going 85, just by how far ahead she was?

    Unless my gf and the trooper were going the exact same speed, how can he determine what 20mph faster than him looks like.

    Not that I am doubting her guilt, I am just curious to what "clocked" means when the trooper was in a moving car.

    How does this all work?

    Just a rant.....
    65mph is so slow nowadays in new cars.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    'He pulls her over about 1 mile down the road and says that he "clocked"
    her going 85mph. Now he wasn't actually setting up a speed trap, he said he was just driving down the onramp and saw her speeding and determined her speed to be 85mph.'

    If he pulled her over about a mile down the road he obviously followed her to get an accurate calibrated speed reading and then stopped her. That is what is meant by "clocking".

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    6

    Default Re: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    So he can just gauge how fast she is going by looking at his speedometer and if she isn't making any ground on him and consider that "clocked".

    So she would have been better off staying in the right lane and making it hard on him to merge.

    The sad thing is, my buddy who is a state trooper, he was stationed in Chambersburg about 1.5 years ago was talking to me about this. He thinks that this trooper was just PMSing because people don't typically get the full amount of the ticket when they are "clocked" in the fashion that this trooper caught my gf. Usually they give them a small fine and no points in this type of incident.

    Once again, its great how Ed Rendell can have his private caddy going 90mph on the PA turnpike and never get a ticket. Or NJ's gov can have a state trooper going 92 mph in his vehicle and not wear a seat belt and be above the law.

    Where is the justice in this world?

    I probably have more miles driving on highways under my belt than the average PA state trooper and my car is a better performing vehicle than the tank crown vic. Its funny how people think 82mph is actually fast.

    Accidents are not caused by speed (obviously this is to an extent, not is someone is going 130mph), they are caused by people who don't pay attention.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    I drive on the Autobahn in Germany and 130 MPH does not seem fast....until the you know what hits the fan.

    Have a productive day.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    California
    Posts
    1,206

    Default Re: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    Quote Quoting pits200
    View Post
    So he can just gauge how fast she is going by looking at his speedometer and if she isn't making any ground on him and consider that "clocked".

    So she would have been better off staying in the right lane and making it hard on him to merge.
    Correct. Moving over is a courteous thing to do and, often, the safest thing to do considering how many truly incompetent drivers there are on the roadways. However, you're under no obligation to do so and should never do it if it jeopardizes your safety or your obligation to obey the law.

    P.S. I purchased a new car in Germany and also drove on the Autobahn....great fun and super efficient. If we had a system like that in the U.S., it would look like a destruction derby. Europeans are good drivers, take driving seriously and pay attention to what they're doing. In the U.S., driving seems more like a right than a privilege.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    6

    Default Re: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    Honestly, I feel that the speed restrictions should be changed for certain vehicles.

    Here in PA as most people know, you need a yearly inspection. Why can't they determine the speed to which your car is capable and considered a safe operable speed. I know in theory I think this might sound like a good idea but it would never truely happen.

    It scares the bejesus out of me when I see a minivan with a half flat tire, a wobbling wheel, and a bust shock coming down the road at 65mph. That car is much more at risk of causing an accident than the fellow in the 2007 Infiniti with superior brakes, and many other better features on their car going 80mph.

    Car A is a nice CL550 Mercedes with great upkeep, at the inspection it gets a rating of 97 on a 100 scale. This means that it may travel at a speed of 80mph on the highways.

    Car B is a nice Honda Accord it also in in great shape, at inspecion they rate this a 88 on the same scale. This means that this car may go 72mph on the highway.

    And so on.... I understand that this is wishful thinking because if a cop wanted to catch speeders, he/she wouldn't know how fast each car was allowed to go till they pulled them over.

    I just hate the fact that all cars on the highway are considered equal when they are anything from it.

    I am here in Newark, NJ now for work and I saw an old Ford Bronco in the middle of the road tilted to the side because its entire front rim/tire flew off because the studs snapped right off. Oh yes, just because this person is obeying the speed limit, they are not a danger to the road.

    I just wish that troopers on the highway would spend more time patroling it than actually just sitting behind overpasses catching speeders and thinking that is the only danger to the road.

  10. #10

    Thumbs down Re: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania

    Quote Quoting pits200
    View Post
    Honestly, I feel that the speed restrictions should be changed for certain vehicles.
    It doesn't matter how capable or well maintained a vehicle is, if the idiot behind the wheel is, well, an idiot. On the other hand, a competent driver who, for whatever reason, finds him/herself stuck behind the wheel of a clunker is likely less a threat to the public than the nutcase cruising your example Infiniti at 80+ down the Interstate, whilst simultaneously texting his buds.

    The only driver that ever deliberately rammed me at speed was driving a late model Beemer. So much for high-end vehicular safety.

    1. Sponsored Links
       

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Speeding Tickets: First Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania
    By Nellas12 in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 06-14-2010, 06:42 AM
  2. Speeding Tickets: Robic Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania
    By fvansan in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 09-14-2008, 11:47 AM
  3. Speeding Tickets: Speeding Ticket In Pennsylvania
    By ryanb4614 in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 18
    Last Post: 04-04-2008, 10:16 AM
  4. Speeding Tickets: Speeding Ticket From Pennsylvania
    By DDanny82 in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 03-01-2007, 09:30 AM
  5. Speeding Tickets: Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania
    By parabolizer in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 04-05-2005, 05:33 PM
 
 
Sponsored Links

Legal Help, Information and Resources