How to Get out of a Speeding Ticket When Pacing Occurs

As a citizen of the United States, you have the right to challenge any and all legal charges filed against you. Although a speeding ticket may seem like a minor offense, if you’ve already had one or two or if you believe you were not speeding, it’s your right to defend yourself in traffic court. If the officer gave you the ticket based upon “pacing,” a method whereby he tries to follow you at an equal speed, you have a chance of beating the ticket.

Instructions

1. Write down your recollections as soon as you get home concerning the incident. It’s important to do this while it’s still fresh in your memory. Try to remember when you saw the officer behind you and whether or not his car maintained a uniform distance from yours or if he was approaching your car quickly.

2. Go back, if possible, to the location where you received the ticket and take photographs of any signs, bridges or other objects that may have blocked the officer’s clear view of your car. In addition, if you passed the officer while he hid beside the road, he would have to accelerate to catch up with you. Make a record and photograph of where he was originally and how far it was to the place he pulled you over.

3. Dress neatly when you appear in court. You needn’t wear a suit but your clothes should be clean and pressed and your hair neatly groomed. Carry your evidence, neatly arranged, in a folder.

4. Listen quietly as the prosecuting attorney asks the officer for his version of the incident. Make notes of errors because you will get a chance to question the officer next. When it’s your turn, ask the officer where he was before he spotted your car and how far it was from there to where he pulled you over. Ask any other questions that you feel prove your innocence. Be polite and thank him when he answers.

5. Tell the judge your version of the events when it’s your turn to testify. You don’t have to testify and if you do, the prosecuting attorney has the right to cross-examine you but if you are confident in your story, go ahead. Provide your photos and all your evidence.

6. Demonstrate to the judge how the police officer was coming up behind you so quickly that he could not have been going the same speed by showing where he was when he began following you, where you got the ticket and the distance in-between. You may have to do some math to present your evidence accurately.

7. Remain polite and calm but confident. Look directly at the judge when you speak to him and address him as “Your Honor.” The final decision is up to the judge so present yourself with dignity and respect.

Tips & Warnings

• Occasionally, the ticketing officer will not show up and in that case you will automatically win since there is no witness to testify against you.

• The main goal in fighting a pacing ticket is to show that the officer could not have accurately judged your speed because of the way he accelerated in his own car. Concentrate on that aspect and don't whine to the judge about petty details.