Driver Uses Gps To Win Speed Appeal

[+Milbank]

I have often wondered if I was pulled over for speed if I could use my gps to prove to them I was not speeding.

 

Here is a guy that did just that.

 

Driver uses GPS to win speed appeal

[Taxman003]

Unfortunately, the max speed on my Legend hasn't been very accurate for some time and it regularly says something like 245 kms/h......don't think I'd want to be showing the cop that!

 

Mike

[pepperblues]

Just curious.....what data from a GPS would

you present in this defense?

pepperblues

[+baloo&bd]

Please, no offense to anyone, however this sounds like a newspaper perpetuating and urban legend on a slow nes day.

[+TresOkies]

Just curious.....what data from a GPS would

you present in this defense?

pepperblues

Maximum speed.

 

I did this several years ago in Austin. I was driving my MGB, which really isn't capable of much over 80. I used the max speed indicator to show the trooper that I had not gone over 72 in the last three hours and he agreed. He did attempt to salvage the situation by reminding me that 72 was still 2 MPH over the limit.

 

-E

[Neo_Geo]

I have often considered the notion of changing my name to "Max Speed 1084".

No, I never flew on the Concorde (or any other faster-than-sound vehicle).

 

CLICK HERE to read the whole story.

 

[vr12]

Unfortunately, the max speed on my Legend hasn't been very accurate for some time and it regularly says something like 245 kms/h......don't think I'd want to be showing the cop that!

 

Mike

I too had like 200-300 miles/hr max speed with Vista.

But with last firmware version such glitches became rare.

 

With 60CS I once had a track with leg lentgth ~8 miles and leg time is 4 seconds.

it is ~2 miles/second. 10 times speed of sound. But it was not recorded as a Max speed.

Edited November 2, 2004 by vr12

[+Texan78]

This sounds like a Challenge for Discovery Channels Mythbuster s

Edited November 2, 2004 by Texan78

[+Jamie Z]

Whether it's true or not, not much us US drivers could do, since this didn't (allegedly) occur in the US.

 

Jamie

[+Renegade Knight]

I was under the impresion that your track log keeps speed data among other things. You can also use the distance between 'points' if you know the time allows from one point to the other one to calcualte speed from your tracklog.

 

My GPS also at present has a top speed of 4000+mph. However in general the4 GPS pretty good at your speed, and glitches like that would show up in your track log.

 

I doubt it's an urban legend, and even if it was it's possible to do exactly what they did in the story. Driving down the road where you see the speed zone signs that just tell you your speed and show you the speed limit, it's impressive how many time it will flip flop between me and the car behind me (who is speeding).

[vr12]

I was under the impresion that your track log keeps speed data among other things.

I was too, but when I looked at the track it contains legs and timestamps and calculates "leg speed". I think it is because instantenious speed doesn't make sense when tracklogs are maid with intervals like 30 seconds (normally )

[+geoSquid]

On more than one occasion I've had to clear the max-speed field on my GPS before the officer got to the window

 

I can see using it in court, although proving a chain of evidence would be challenging unless you turned over the GPS to the cop who gave you the ticket, when he gave you the ticket... or happened to be travellign with notary or some such situation.

 

Having learned the lessons from my younger days, the Max Speed field no longer displays on my moving-map or travel computer screens.

[+Dr. Boggis]

My eTrex has been pretty fast too - check my user pic

[+jollybgood]

Actually this story sounds legit. It uses actual names, places, etc unlike most urban myths.

 

Besides the guy presented his case to a judge and sold him on it. That's all it really takes.

 

A few years ago I was coming out of Myrtle Beach when a group of teens passed me in the Slow lane. They saw a cop car sitting along the road up ahead and braked quickly. I passed them and pulled into the slow lane infront of them.

 

The cop pulled ME over saying I'd been going over the speed limit.

 

I showed up at court with a diagram I drew on my computer showing what had happened and how I believed the cop's radar had nailed the wrong guy.

 

Everybody told me I was wasting my time. The judge looked at it called the ticketing officer over to look at it.

 

"Any chance this could have happened?"

 

The officer thought for a moment.

 

"I suppose so."

 

Case dismissed.

 

Now it's possible you could do that a dozen times with a dozen judges and get laughed at.

 

But for whatever reason he bought my story. (truth be known I was going ten miles over but hey -- you do what you gotta do).

 

So I say whenever there's a person involved making a decision anything's possible -- regardless of he merit of the argument.

 

Especially when you're dealing with a misdemeanor. Many judges are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt if you take the time to present your side of the story and make a plausible argument.

Edited November 6, 2004 by jollybgood

[+geoSquid]

As an experienced recipient of speeding tickets, I can say this...

 

I've never been unfairly nailed for speeding. In fact, in my experience, I've never met anyone who has been unfairly awarded a speeding ticket. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just that I've never seen it.

 

Oh, I know lots of people who've had their tickets overturned in court - usually because the police didn't show up. But I guarantee you, every one of those people were, in fact, speeding.

 

I would say that the cops let far more people go with a finger wag and a "slow down in the future" than they give unfair tickets to.

 

What annoys the bejeezus out of me is their selectivity. I drive a nissan maxima and have for years. It's a bit sporty, and it's powerful. I drive it fast, and I'll admit that's not a good thing.

 

So, when I get nailed doing 140 in a 100 zone, fair enough. But why is that minivan driven by some mom and filled with kids that blew past me like I was stopped (and, in one case, RAN ME OFF THE ROAD WHEN SHE PASSED ON THE RIGHT) not 60 seconds ago not also sitting here sucking up a huge ticket. Which is the greater menace to herself and other people? Is it distracted mom in ripping up the road in a vehicle not designed to go above 100 safely, and filled with children, or a guy in a sports car keeping a steady speed in the left lane in a car designed to go that fast? I doubt that someone planted speed trap seeds that sprung up in the few seconds after maniac woman and her zerglings passed by. Honestly, until a few years ago I didn't think something like a Windstar could even DO 150+, and I certainly didn't imagine that anyone would deliberately drive it like that when full of kids.

 

Of course, sporty car guy eats the ticket and mom+brood careen down the road, and all the drivers between me and them hope that she's not going to make the headline of tomorrow's paper by rolling that van full of kids at high speed.

 

Ah well, my rant endeth

[+Prime Suspect]

He wasn't found inncent of the charges. It appears that the case was simply dismissed because the first judge didn't give any weight to the GPS evidence.