Legal Question in Traffic Law in Florida

Speeding ticket from aircraft

I received a speeding ticket where the police claimed to have marked the road and could claculate your speed with a stop-watch from an aircraft. When I got off the road I was sitting at a light and a cop showed up behind me(gave me the ticket). Dont most airplanes need to be moving at above 100 knots to stay in the air? They would not be able to get good readings if they are going faster than you I would think. How accurate are these type of tickets and what are the chances of beating them?


Asked on 11/07/05, 3:02 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Roger P Foley Law Office Of Roger P. Foley, P.A.

Re: Speeding ticket from aircraft

there are a battery of defenses that may be of use to you. Please contact our office so we may discuss further.

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Answered on 11/08/05, 3:37 pm
Dan Akes C. Daniel Akes, Attorney at Law

Re: Speeding ticket from aircraft

What's happening is that the officer in the airplane has a known distance marked on the roadway (say 1/4 mile). He measures the time it takes you to pass the distance, and then figures your speed based upon a chart or computer. If you pass the distance in 15 seconds, you are going 60 mph. If you pass it in 10 seconds, you are going 90 mph. His airspeed is unimportant as long as he can see the start and stop points when you pass them. That should be pretty easy to do. He's probably circling the area, and the entire zone is visible at all times. I'd say his calculation is pretty accurate, and unless you can raise some doubt whether he might have mixed you up with another car at some point, your chances of beating the charge is small.

Dan

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Answered on 11/07/05, 4:40 pm


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