Is there anything I can do to contest it?
They were not stationary, does that affect anything? Are they allowed to use the radar calculations even though they were moving in the opposite direction?
Also, how much is a speeding ticket? I was going 34 in a 25, in California
Thank you
I’m sorry I’ve never seen a moving radar before, usually cops just post up somewhere and gun people down. I was only wondering because I know that doppler radar has a margin for error, and I was wondering if it increased to a significant degree when you add the speed of their vehicle going in the opposite direction.
Radar is very accurate, even when both vehicles are moving.
The margin of error you mentioned is called a "cosine effect" or "cosine error". The radar is most accurate when the target is moving directly towards or away from the radar unit. This error is very slight, but increases as the angle between the radar and target increase. However, the error always favors the motorist because the reading will be lower.
I could go into the actual science, but the answer will be lengthy and riddled with math. The bottom line is the court will recognize the reading as accurate.
Your speeding ticket should tell you how much it is. He most likely estimated your speed. It’s all allowed and they do it.
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May 4th, 2010