Misconceptions About Police Officers and Speeding Tickets

     When we are pulled over for speeding, we usually start trying to blame the officer for pulling us over, anything to keep from blaming ourselves for the ticket. My mother has gotten three speeding tickets her entire life. All three times, she told me the people in front of her were going faster… sorry mom, but that does not mean you were not wrong. In addition, you all should see her when I remind her to go the speed limit and she has to stop from going 60 mph to going 45 mph, you would think I asked her to rob a bank.

    So, because of my mom and others that I know, that drive above the speed limit, I decided to look into the “it is not my fault” defense and decided to clear up a few misconceptions.

1. Police follow quota – while some areas do have a quota system, it really does not matter, because police are going to issue a ticket to a person who is breaking the law, quota or no quota. They are not paid for that quota either; they are paid by rank and by the hour.
2. Tickets will not be issued for anything less than 10 mph – while some officers may let you off with a warning, most will not. At the most you have a grace window of 5 mph. Just tell me what is so important you have to get there going 10 mph or faster?
3. Using a PBA card will get you out of getting a ticket – PBA (Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association) can be used, but it is still the officer’s discretion. I promise you shoving it in his or her face will not do you any favors. In addition, since PBA cards started going up on E-Bay, the officer may actually call the officer and ask if they know you or not.
4. If the cop makes a mistake on ticket, you do not have to pay or can get the charge dropped in court – wrong, 99% of all mistakes on tickets will not result in a dismissal and now you owe court costs and the amount of the ticket. The only mistakes that get your case dismissed are date of the incident or place of occurrence. The officer also has up to the time of trial to correct any errors.
5. I was going with the flow of the traffic – If everyone is speeding, it does not mean you have to.
6. Speedometer was broken – You are responsible for maintaining your vehicle and a broken speedometer is not a good defenses. If this defense worked, everyone would just go out a break their speedometer and drive around like Mario Andretti, right? In addition, your speedometer might be broken, but the officer’s radar is not.