If you were to be honest, you would likely admit that there have been times when you have driven faster than the posted speed limit. You may have even been driving a few miles over the speed limit on the day you were pulled over and charged with reckless driving on a Richmond-area highway. However, you are confident that you were not driving 82 mph as the officer claims and that there must have been a problem with his radar or other speed-monitoring equipment.
How to Know for Sure
If you question the police department about the accuracy of the officer’s equipment then you are likely to be brushed aside and assured that everything was working properly.
This assurance is not good enough.
Instead, if you believe that the calibration of the officer’s speed-monitoring equipment was off then, under Virginia law, you have the right to challenge it in court. The police department may be required to show:
- Proof that the radar, laser speed determination device, or microcomputer device that calculated your speed had been properly calibrated or tested within the six months preceding the date that you were pulled over and accused of reckless driving. This proof of calibration must be doubly certified.
- The officer’s radar device was on the International Association of Chiefs of Police approved list.
Remember, you have not just been given a speeding ticket. You have been charged with a crime. Accordingly, it is important to aggressively pursue your defense and to make sure that you are not held accountable for a crime that you did not commit. For more information about how to do that, please watch our free videos and browse our related links. And remember, your future is worth fighting for.
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