Non-instant fines

[jetboy]

just refering to the incident quoted. I have had more nice cops pull me over then mean ones. all in all my opinion of cops is a positive one.

Likewise - the first time I ever got pulled was when I was 16 in a cage, restricted licence after hours just after i finished work. Heading down Manukau Road in Pukekohe at 50k's in a 50k zone when these set of headlights come racing up behind me. "Want a race?" I thought, being the dickhead boyracer I was, so I floored it. The going was good - got up to 150k's (in a short distance) until I indicated to turn into my house a bit further down when the red and blues came on. I thought I was fucked but the nice copper let me off with a warning! No ticket, no nothing.

There are just a few cops out there that ruin it for the rest.

Sorry to detract from the subject by the way

[XP@]

61k over in a 50 zone.
Walking 28days, Fine $0, Lawyer $550

In this case the lawyer paid off cos he managed to get me off (lack of calibration evidence).

Advice get a good lawyer who specialises in traffic related offenses. and only if you think you have a good case.

Jetboy and speedie. Do either of you feel that the massive lawyers fees were worth it?
In retrospect, do you think the lawyers prevented the court and the system from completely f$%king you over, or looking back do feel if you had just gone there to argue you case for yourself, that you would have ended up with the same fine and loss of licence, but no lawyers bill.
It just seems like the lawyers fees are huge compared to the cost of the fines.

[davereid]

It does seem to me that it is time that NZ law was amended to require visual proof of an alleged excessive speed.

There are too many anecdotal cases where cops are alleged to have "made up" grossly excessive speeds for them all to be urban myth.

I can't see why the radar units could not record a date/time stamp and the speed they clocked at that time and print it out.

In the short term, a simple digital camera focused on the radar unit would work fine.

I have never experienced a cop making speeds up, although I have heard enough people say it happened to them to assume it does.

But radar is not that good - it really can and does make mistakes. As I have raved on is this forum before, you should defend radar based speeding tickets if you werent speeding. (If you were speeding just pay up.)

Radar can't identify its target. And a motorcycle is often a TINY radar target compared to an SUV or Truck. So an operator may be looking at a motorcycle 100m away, but getting a speed reading from a vehicle 500m or even more distant.

The visual target and the radar target are UNRELATED


Its really a lot more common than you may think.

I'm sure the police on the site will admit that they have had some "difficult to understand" readings from radar from time to time.

I am also sure that some of the "the cop made it up" stories are actually genuinely incorrect radar readings that the cop actually trusts.

The radar works great in lots of situations, so its easy for an operator to come to trust it, even when, just occasionally he thinks it may be wrong.

[The Pastor]

I have never experienced a cop making speeds up, although I have heard enough people say it happened to them to assume it does.

But radar is not that good - it really can and does make mistakes. As I have raved on is this forum before, you should defend radar based speeding tickets if you werent speeding. (If you were speeding just pay up.)

Radar can't identify its target. And a motorcycle is often a TINY radar target compared to an SUV or Truck. So an operator may be looking at a motorcycle 100m away, but getting a speed reading from a vehicle 500m or even more distant.

The visual target and the radar target are UNRELATED


Its really a lot more common than you may think.

I'm sure the police on the site will admit that they have had some "difficult to understand" readings from radar from time to time.

I am also sure that some of the "the cop made it up" stories are actually genuinely incorrect radar readings that the cop actually trusts.

The radar works great in lots of situations, so its easy for an operator to come to trust it, even when, just occasionally he thinks it may be wrong.

This is very true, Ive never been pulled for speeding when I wasnt, and ive been pulled about 10 times (9 times in a car!), I have slowed down, but if it happens defend away.

[Patrick]

61k over in a 50 zone.
Walking 28days, Fine $0, Lawyer $550

In this case the lawyer paid off cos he managed to get me off (lack of calibration evidence).

Advice get a good lawyer who specialises in traffic related offenses. and only if you think you have a good case.

So you were innocent then?

Hope the next one doing 61 k over the limit doesn't run over your kid then...

[Ixion]

Same argument as Mr Rickards, isn't it. Prosecution has to PROVE the case.

[Patrick]

Same argument as Mr Rickards, isn't it. Prosecution has to PROVE the case.

Yeah, guilty, but not guilty, but guilty, but...HUH???

[geoffm]

Same argument as Mr Rickards, isn't it. Prosecution has to PROVE the case.

Not with speeding tickets, and there are plenty of stories to prove it. The cops word is all it takes, and radar is infallable. The only defence would be to be dead at the time (with death certificate).
Wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire.
G

[scumdog]

Blah-blah-blah, Groundhog Day!!

So on the basis you knew you were never going to get a speeding ticket how mauch faster than the speed limit would you ride??

And how much faster than the speed limit before you get a ticket do you think would be 'o.k.' to ride at the moment????

[Swoop]

Years ago I got pulled over on my XJ 650.... In court, I said. I would happily pay the fine if any one in this court room can make my XJ special do 203kph as it is... Its outside... lets go. (it has top end speed of around 170 - 175 when it was new and after I added all the touring kit and panniers it was probably only 160kph)

You would make a good mystery writer, leaving the reader hanging in suspense... Outcome?

do cops get in trouble for blatently lying?

The same could be asked of politicians...

[spudchucka]

It does seem to me that it is time that NZ law was amended to require visual proof of an alleged excessive speed.

There are too many anecdotal cases where cops are alleged to have "made up" grossly excessive speeds for them all to be urban myth.

I can't see why the radar units could not record a date/time stamp and the speed they clocked at that time and print it out.

In the short term, a simple digital camera focused on the radar unit would work fine.

They should just go with the video setups in patrol cars like the seppos have. That way you could have a recording of the radar readout, the target vehicle approaching and the driver lying their arse off.

[XP@]

So you were innocent then?

Hope the next one doing 61 k over the limit doesn't run over your kid then...

I was possibly guilty, I was looking at the road not my speed.

I thought i was in a 70 zone it was non residential and exceptionally wide, exceptionally poor signing. I was also just coming out of a corner and had just re-discovered counter steering so was possibly going faster than i thought possible.

I took my slap on the wrist. I purchased Proficient Motorcycling and spent a month reading it. then booked in for a training course for when i got my license back. Swapping my gpx750 for a much more sedate F650 slowed me down and enabled me to concentrate my fun at lower speeds.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

just refering to the incident quoted. I have had more nice cops pull me over then mean ones. all in all my opinion of cops is a positive one.

I don't know what happened to him, whether he blamed the calibration or not using correctly of just lying... its the only time its ever happened to me...

but I do know around the same time a few of my biker friends in the area were getting exesive speeding tickets when they weren't speeding... and there was nothing they could do. It was just my luck that the cop put a speed that my bike was incapable of achieving.

I also remember being pulled over, I wasn't speeding... and I though frack what now... but all the cop wanted to do was look at the bike... that f@#$ed me off more than getting a speeding ticket.

Most cops are honest but I do know of a couple that aren't (including a couple in Alex or at least one) where they catch a speeder and not reset the radar... and use that speed for several vehicles whether they were or not. How can you proove otherwise.

Now as I said above most cops are honest (that be you Tom ) but there is a few that aren't... there are also a few bikers that should loose there license too, and deserve what they get...

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

You would make a good mystery writer, leaving the reader hanging in suspense... Outcome?

I did get off that one... my one and only time I been able get out of a speeding ticket. I don't know what happened to the cop... he most likely said it was a calibration error...

[KLOWN]

They should just go with the video setups in patrol cars like the seppos have. That way you could have a recording of the radar readout, the target vehicle approaching and the driver lying their arse off.

I agree, keeps the civilians AND the cops honest.