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Massachusetts Speeding Ticket Question
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Posted by RS [Email] (#15) [Profile/Gallery] (more from RS) on Mon, 20 Sep 2004 08:49:20 Share Post by Email
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I got an e-mail from a friend up in Mass, and didn't really have much to offer her for advice, so I thought I'd ask the sages at TSN their opinions. My friend drives a Honda (not a fire-breathing SPG like me), to give you an idea of the scale difference between the pickup she mentions and her car.

Any opinions or advice?

Thanks, all.

Here's her story and questions:

I got a mysterious speeding ticket in the mail for supposedly driving 72 in a 45 mph zone.

What happened was that I passed a very large pick-up truck, which turned out to be the officer's private vehicle, and is equipped with a blue light, reportedly in a 30 mph zone. He (and a witness, his girlfriend, I think) claims that I passed them at a high rate of speed and then he clocked me for two miles and that he tried to stop me by activating his blue light, but gave up pursuit, as I was heading into a section of dangerous curves, (the witness statement read "anticipated a dangerous situation").

Thing is, I never saw a blue light. And I'm not a reckless driver. I went back to the scene, and though I can see I perhaps drove above the speed limit, I almost certainly would not have been travelling 72 mph, at least not more than for several seconds. If I apply a pacing formula (very approximate, as he didn't give the distance behind me he was pacing), it does seem that he was registering a catch-up speed, rather than my speed. I remember the truck bore down on me at one point and I likely speeded up in order to put some distance between us, having no idea who the driver was. My impression was that it was a guy who was pissed off that I passed him.

I guess my main questions are:

1) Is there a different standard applied to an officer using his private vehicle, as opposed to a police car? (E.g., accuracy of equipment, in this case, a speedometer).

2) As trumped up as the officer's case seems to me, would I likely lose this if I went to the hearing?

3) Do I have anything more to lose (aside from my equanimity) than the original fine by contesting this, e.g. would the magistrate up my fine or the charge, believing the police officer? So far I think this is a 2-pointer insurance-wise, but looks like he is trying to make a case for a 5-pointer.

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