This is awful legal advice, especially in Wake County, North Carolina. You can go to your speeding ticket date in Courtroom 101 in the Wake County Justice Center, ask about the radar gun, and the assistant district attorney (ADA) will automatically mark the case for bench trial about a month out.
Speeding ticket trials are rarely a good idea because the ADA is almost always willing to give a reduction that will save your license and possibly keep your insurance rates from increasing. For example, let’s say you are stopped going 18 over (so 58 in a 40). You might be eligible for an improper equipment based on your prior driving history. However, if you go to trial and lose, you could be stuck with an 18 over on your driving record. If the judge does not allow you a Prayer for Judgment Continued (PJC), your insurance will skyrocket, and you will receive points on your license. If you’ve already had multiple traffic citations in the past year, the DMV might suspend your license.
The radar calibration argument is a good issue, but generally is only ever brought up in Raleigh in DWI cases when an attorney makes a reasonable suspicion argument. (Reasonable suspicion = did the officer have reasonable suspicion to make the traffic stop.)
Can you fight your speeding ticket? Absolutely, although it’s not always a great idea. It’s often your word against the cop’s, and the court tends to believe the cop. Before you attempt to fight a ticket, please talk to a lawyer in Wake County. Most traffic lawyers will be willing to talk to you for a few minutes for free.
If you have received a speeding ticket in Apex, Wake Forest, Cary, Morrisville, or Knightdale, contact William Pruden at 919-880-2124 for a free consultation.