MA Lidar ticket-What are my chances of winning?

[ledfoot]

First, glad to find this forum after getting my first lidar ticket in Bedford, MA. Lots of good info here on the board.

Here's what happened:
Traveling in a 40mph zone Divided 4 lane Rd (in an industrial park type area)
I was in the left lane in a light colored sedan. There was a large SUV slightly ahead of me in the right hand lane. My Passport radar alarm went off, the Navigator slowed and so did I as a LEO stepped out from the right and motioned first the SUV, then ME off the road. There was a second LEO who took care of the SUV once off the road. My LEO informed me he Lidar'd me at 56mph. Wrote me up for 50 in a 40. $100.

Ticket has Posted, Lidar, Estimated checked off. Speeding 90/18. LEO did not ask me to sign. There is no data on distance at all on the ticket. (though I would estimate it as very short distance, maybe 500 ft.)

Did LEO #2 use radar, while LEO 1 used lidar? Can the lidar have picked up the bigger target by mistake?

Do I have any chance of getting this tossed? Thanks for any help!

[ledfoot]

Anyone? Hello... is this mic on?

[Suf Daddy]

Replies can take several days.

Photocopy your ticket and send it in within 20 days.

Use Certified mail for every thing.

Two LEos can use two LIDARs, but maybe one shooter calls out speeds to the other.

You'll want to do research and get all the info you can to decide if you want to defend against the ticket.

-Suf

Originally Posted by ledfoot

Anyone? Hello... is this mic on?

[ledfoot]

Thanks Suf Daddy

I am sending in the hearing request today and starting my research.

[rzwrfz]

For anyone who doesn't already know, this trap is very frequently set up. I used to get on rt. 3 south at rt. 62 every afternoon after work and when the weather is decent, they are there 50 % of the time. The trap is just south of rt. 62. (a few hundred feet) in the center median. If you are going over 65 as you get within 2000 ft. (apparently) of that trap, you are making a mistake.

The other MA trap that has had "success" on these pages recently is Crosby Drive in Bedford. (the rt. 3 north exit for rt. 62 leads you right onto this road if you go straight at the lights at the end of the exit ramp) They set up on the south bound side in the afternoon around rush hour in an office park parking lot on the right. (hiding around the parked cars) Went past that trap many times after work in the last couple of years. Even 50 MPH in that 40 zone (I think it's 40 at that end of Crosby and 30 at the other end) is not a good idea.

Another highway trap I see very often is Mass Pike East, several hundred feet east of the rt. 9 exit on the right side, just after a corner. Over 75 around that corner is just asking for trouble.

Be careful out there!

[tosi]

50 in a 40, don't they have something better to do typical MA cops....

[X-S-ive]

Originally Posted by tosi

50 in a 40, don't they have something better to do typical MA cops....

The original poster said he was traveling 56 in a 40 and was given a break by being charged for 10 over.

[tosi]

Originally Posted by X-S-ive

The original poster said he was traveling 56 in a 40 and was given a break by being charged for 10 over.

Missed that, thanks for the correction! me

[ledfoot]

Update: Victory!

Thanks for all of the helpful info here in this forum. Honestly, I didn't think I would have much of a chance and was not willing, or prepared to fight it further than the clerk magistrate.

DISCLAIMER: I do not recommend that you do as I did. I lucked out. Big time. Do what the other well prepared folks you read about here did if you want to fight your ticket.

The magistrate was running almost 2 hours behind schedule(!)which did not put anyone in a good mood waiting to be seen. I could see that there were NO police officers showing up for earlier hearings to dispute my claims. I decided to try to play it by putting some doubt in the mind of the court. When I walked in I was dressed professionally (sport coat), acted friendly, confident, courteous said hello and asked how the two men were doing today... I also carried a large manila envelope full of work papers that had nothing to do with the case. But it was likely they suspected I had a lot of prepared data to use if I needed to. I had NO prepared documents. Not even a diagram of the scenario.

I was one of the last cases they were going to see, and they probably wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

They read the ticket (detailed in original post) and asked for my version. I reiterated my story and just said that I found it hard to believe that the officer could get a clear read on me when from my perspective there was a large SUV between me and him the whole length of the road before being pulled over.

I was told that "Lidar is never wrong, they can get you long before you see them, but we'll give you a break this time, dismissed"

Thank you , have a nice day!!!

I hope you all fare as well as I did today. IMHO It's always worth fighting your ticket, even if you just show up and wing it.

[Eileen D]

How did you do it? got first speeding ticket in MA yesterday, been driving 37 years with only one other ticket, (speeding) in Connecticut. It seems my NY plates cause me trouble.
I was in a group of about 6 other cars on Rt 290. Cop lidar'd me and then pointed at me to pull over. He said I was one of the lead cars and that is why I got the ticket.

I am planning on moving to MA in the next couple of years and don't want this on my record. I have never had a speeding ticket in NY.

Any advice, Eileen D