How to Fight a Radar Gun Speeding Ticket

How to Fight a Radar Gun Speeding Ticket

lidar radar speeding ticket

Thousands of drivers have received radar gun speeding tickets and paid the expensive fines and penalties. In fact, speeding tickets are the most common moving violation in California. If you have been charged with a radar gun speeding ticket, you are not alone in this boat, and there is no need to get annoyed over yourself or the officer who pulled you over. Now, stay calm and know that you have every right to fight this ticket. In this regard, some vital information is important to cope with the situation.

Here is everything you need to know on how to fight a radar gun speeding ticket.

Do Police Officers Have to Show You the Radar Gun?

No, an officer is not required to show you the radar gun after pulling you over for speeding. Generally, when a police officer pulls you over for driving over the speeding limit, your immediate response is to ask the police officer to show you the radar gun, the instrument which had detected your speed. However, as far as showing the radar gun is concerned, it depends upon the officer’s willingness. The police officer has the right to refuse your request. Therefore, they may or may not show you the radar gun. 

How Do Radar Guns Work?

Essentially, a radar gun uses radio waves to measure the speed of an object. So when a police officer uses a radar gun, radio waves are emitted towards the moving vehicle. Once the waves connect with the target vehicle, they bounce back. The radar gun then reads and analyzes those echo waves to determine the speed of the vehicle. 

Types of Radar Guns

Before getting into how to fight a radar gun speeding ticket, it is crucial to be aware of the types of radar guns. There are three different variations – lidar, stationary and moving.

Lidar

A police officer pulls the trigger of a lidar device after aiming the red narrow laser beam at the license plate of the target vehicle. If a lidar device is used properly, it is supposed to be accurate within 1 mph. Most speeding tickets are issued based on lidar radar. 

Stationary

Stationary radars use a wider beam than lidar to gather information. Additionally, these radar guns must be used from a static site such as a parked police car or motorcycle. Often stationary radar is seen in the hand-held model that looks like an oversized pistol.

Moving

Moving radars allow police officers to read a vehicle’s speed while driving around on patrol. New models of moving radars have two main modes – same lane and fastest speed. Same lane mode lets an officer check the speed of vehicles driving in the same-direction. These vehicles can be in the front or behind the police car. Fastest speed mode lets a police officer check the speed of several vehicles and then discover the vehicle going the fastest. 

Speeder Radar Gun Errors

Many drivers believe once you are given a radar gun speeding ticket, you have no choice but to pay the fine since there is evidence that you were speeding. However, radar guns have various accuracy issues. Based on them, California drivers can contest their speeding tickets. 

·   The most common error is a police officer records the speed of the vehicle next to their target vehicle. This happens often especially when there are several cars on the road.

·   Incompetent training of the cops. Radar devices are only accurate if the police officer is well trained.

·   Maintenance of detective instruments. Radar devices must be calibrated and cleaned in order to produce accurate results.

·   Inaccurate readings caused by way-out aim and other hurdles like weather and poor visibility.

How to Fight a Radar Gun Speeding Ticket

Having the knowledge of the inaccuracies of radar guns can really help you beat your speeding ticket. So what is the best way to fight a traffic ticket? It is Trial by Written Declaration. Trial by written declaration is fighting your ticket in writing instead of going to court. This is the best option to keep your driving record clean. It is also the easiest way as you don’t have to take time off of work to go to court or pay heavy fees hiring a traffic attorney.

TicketBust Traffic Ticket Dismissal Services

TicketBust is a traffic ticket dismissal service that has helped tens of thousands of California drivers dismiss their speeding ticket using the trial by written declaration process. They put together the best written defense package for you. Just upload your ticket information and answer a few questions. Once you receive your defense, sign the document and mail it to the court. Fight your ticket today!