Howard County Speeding Detection 

Howard County law enforcement officers frequently use radar as a speed detection device. An officer will also engage in pacing, which is when an officer drives behind the person to see how fast they are driving and match their speedometer to the person’s speedometer. Talk to a skilled Howard County speeding ticket lawyer for more on speed detection methods.

Proof of Recording Vehicle

If an officer is using radar, a driver could present an argument that there has been a lack of training for the officer, but judges are inclined to believe that the radar works. It is a tool outside of the officer’s judgment, so the judge would be more inclined to rule that it is viable.

One of strong point of defense, especially for radar, is if the officer is appropriately trained. Whether the equipment was calibrated, if the equipment is working properly, if there has been any issues with it, and the last time that equipment received service to make sure it was functioning properly at that time.

Radar carries a lot of weight in court. It is difficult to convince a judge that the radar was not working. Radar is a sophisticated Howard County speed detection equipment and courts tend to rely on its readings.

Defenses Against Radar in Court

A common defense would be that the officer was not trained and/or experienced in operating the radar equipment or that the radar instrument was not calibrated properly and, therefore, the reading cannot be correct and cannot be used in court. If calibrated correctly, the radar equipment is usually accurate. Some issues that can pop up when dealing with radar incident cases is that there may be a mistake in the reading if the person is traveling in a pack of cars and is mistaken for someone else’s car. Also, extreme weather conditions like rain or high wind can produce a faulty measurement in a radar.

Operator Error

There are ways in which operator error may occur in Howard County speed detection tools, like radar. The officer may not realize the distance between the beams and that could impact the reading and the officer may catch a vehicle that is nearby due to such a wide range. It is very important to determine that the officer is properly trained because there are many factors involved in speed detection

Pacing Defined in Howard County

Pacing is not as accurate. Pacing is maintaining a certain distance between the officer’s car and the individual’s car to reasonably estimate a speed. The police officer is not using any equipment, so it is not as reliable and is admissible in court. The officer would also have to prove the speed in which they were driving on the speedometer, the distance between the cars, and then they would track the car that way.

Issues in Pacing and Speeding Cases

In defense of cases involving pacing, the officer may not have been behind someone long enough to ascertain what speed the car was traveling consistently on a continuous basis. There are lots of aspects on the road that could hinder their speed detection like a hill, a curb, traffic lights, or stop sign.

Also, pacing could be impacted by the time the ticket was given. If it is late at night and it is dark outside, that makes pacing a more difficult because there are hills, stop signs, and traffic lights that make pacing difficult as well.