Bring Nuvi to Fight a Speeding Ticket

I'll visit you on the first Monday of each month.

It would hold up about as well as someone that was driving the wrong way on a one way street and Blamed it on the GPS...

I am a lawyer. The court may politely listen to your argument and even look at the Nuvi demonstration, but the posted limit controls, not the erroneous speed limit indication on the Nuvi.

The moral of the story is verify the speed limit on the Nuvi by looking at the posted signs.

Bringing your GPS to "justify" the speed you were going could give more credibility to those that want to ban GPS devices from vehicles because GPS owners don't pay attention to the road, only to their GPS devices.

I would think it would actually hurt your case.

"Your honor, I shouldn't have received this ticket."

"And why is that Mr. ENYPDE" asks the judge.

"Because I was following the advice of this here GPS instead of paying attention to the actual traffic signs."

"So you admit that you weren't watching the road but instead were watching your GPS" asks the judge.

"Yes your honor".

"Well then" says the judge "I hereby sentence you to 30 days of traffic school in addition to the speeding ticket you received."

On another slant, I wonder how it would go if you were not speeding but the officer ticketed you anyhow. How do you feel the courts would stand on bringng the GPS log file to court to substantiate the speed you were traveling on a particular highway stretch at a particular time. Most GPS's have the capability of transferring the track log to the mapping program and give the times and speeds for the different points where it measured the average speed.

The first question the court would ask is likely to be something along the lines of when your GPS was last calibrated. They always bring their calibration data in when they have "clocked" you, whether it be with radar, trip system, or even the complaining officer's speedometer. I don't even know if a GPS unit CAN be calibrated, but I can't imagine the average motorist being able to demonstrate to the court's satisfaction that their GPS is as accurate as whatever the cops used to cite them.

Well, IF the cop showed up with verifiable evidence. A police officer's practiced estimation is considered a legit gauge of your activity. http://community.lawyers.com/forums/t/62721.aspx

However, if you have a more accurate, quantifiable record you may be able to convince them.

In this case, probably the best bet would be to approach the prosecuting attorney before-hand (if you can get his attention) and get him to drop the charges or plea to a lesser charge.

While not primarily speeding, I once did this relating to an insurance snafu that was ultimately beyond my control. He wouldn't deal with me initially, but before court started up that day I introduced myself, produced the evidence he didn't want to hear about earlier, and he quickly and eagerly dropped the insurance/registration charge (and even reduced the speeding charge that caused me to be pulled over in the first place) so that his laziness in determining the quality of the case wouldn't come to light.

Yeah I doubt it would work. When you turn your unit on, you agree to be fully responsible for verifying information and that you won't rely on the Nuvi being correct.

Pay the ticket. Grumble to yourself if you feel it wasn't justified. Info on the GPS is worthless in court.

I'd just pay the ticket.

I'm not sure about just paying the ticket. If you feel you are in the right, do what your conscience tells you. Laws don't get changed by people not speaking up and just paying up. There is a little precedence for this already, it doesn't hurt to have more precedence since that is important also in courts:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2008/07/nabbed-for-speed...

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090325/1342114254.shtml

Close but no cigar.

The sign is 40 and you seen it also, not 50. GPS is a tool, nothing more than that.

If the GPS system had you going over a dirt road and into a lake, will you follow it because it says so, I don't think so.

Be sure to bring a toothbrush with you when you go to court.

If you were driving in excess of the posted speed limit of actual traffic signs(not the limit on your nuvi screen) on the highway, you have no case. But if you were driving lower than the posted speed limit and your GPS was on and can substantiate the speed you were actually driving, you may have a case worth fighting for.
Or you can be like many people that don't stand up for themselves and take whatever the government decides to dish out to them.

If I "knew" I was traveling at, or below, the speed limit I would certainly use the trip log to substantiate my position since it gives time, date, coordinates and speed every 10-20 seconds. This would only be in a local jurisdiction.

Of course, if I was on an extended trip, I would probably just mail in the fine check ALONG with the printed out trip log . Wouldn't do me any good but would make me feel better !!!!

I haven't received a speeding ticket since around 1960 so I don't typically worry about those things !

He was speeding, that's a fact, what do you mean that people don't stand up for themselves. The road sign is 40, that's what you are to follow, not your GPS! This has nothing to do with having the gov't decide for them.

Just make sure they don't get a look at the Max speed part...LOL

I was speaking in general terms going forward for all members, not only for this specific case. As I said in the very beginning of the post you are quoting from, "If you were driving in excess of the posted speed limit... you have no case." Then I went on to say if he was driving lower then he might choose to fight it in court or be apathetic.
I also did not say "people do not stand up for themselves." I basically said if you are wronged you can choose to be like many people that don't stand up for themselves. Those are very different statements.
Sorry if my post wasn't clear to you.

Actually, there is really no calibration needed for a device like a GPS that only receives signals at different locations and then triangulates to give location and time it then computes the time passed between the different locations and gives an average speed. The speed will be an average meaning that the vehicle had to be going at least that speed or greater at some point between the two points. It is like VASCAR that some police use that measures a specific distance and then computes the speed from the time it takes to get between the two points. I worked a VASCAR equipped car many years ago and the only calibration was the input of the distance between the measured points that you drove the car over to set the distance being measured.

As I mentioned, I wasn't even certain that there was any calibration standard for a GPS receiver. But I would be surprised if many courts or prosecutors know that. So if you went in using your GPS "evidence", calibration's likely the first thing they're likely to ask you. And unless as a result of study or work experience like yours, you can articulate why a GPS doesn't need to be calibrated, then they're just going to ignore your GPS data.

ive fought and won both tickets i ever recvd on cross. if you go in there with stupid arguments you have already lost.
suggest more sensible arguments. try radardetector.net

This argument will not work in court.

The sign you see on the road side (40mph) is the legal limit.
If you were doing 50mph because the GPS, or your wife or mother in law or just because, you are still liable for the resulting ticket received for going over the posted and legal speed limit. Any information shown in the GPS is meant to be an aide, not official and legal facts.

NOW, if the cop tried to get you a ticket for 60mph and you know you never went over 50mph, and have access to the logs, you can prove that your vehicle never did more than 50mph at that exact time. This way you will either get a reduced ticket for 10mph over or the case dropped for the cop not providing sufficient evidence of your speed.

In your drivers license book....I believe that one of the rules is `to read and obey all traffic signs`????
David

Sometimes you can't be a drone out there and have to use some discretion before mindlessly following all traffic signs
http://thetenmost.blogspot.com/2009/04/ten-most-confusing-ro...

It is the DOG fault..

Now if you GPS tell you to make Right Turn or Left turn On the TRAIN RAIL TRACK .and drive on them .WELL WOULD YOU DO IT ?? Or let"s blame this one on Climate change too..

Good luck with that. Let me know if it works.

Given that my VW speedometer reads slow, I use my gps to make certain (or as much as I can be) that I am staying at or below the posted speed limit.

I do follow the posted signs for what the limit is, but confirm my speed with gps.

Resurrect a SIX year old thread.

It has happened tho, driving into lakes/farm houses/etc..

I have the posted speed limit on my GPS. I have noticed that it will not change right away when the speed limit changes (it will shortly)
The posted limit sign does not say "change speed soon".
There are some roads in Florida (and I guess other places) that will
change speeds three times or more in less than 1/2 mile. If you don't watch the signs you can be in deep compost.

..."I didn't pay the fine because my dog eat the speeding ticket"

I just didn't feel like paying it

ummmm this was a no brainer as long as someone has a brain..

Next tire change buy the next larger size tires and your speedo and GPS will agree. Works on my Jetta!