When it comes to moving violations, speeding tickets are the most common. Receiving a speeding ticket is not something that anyone enjoys. However, when you do receive one, there are two things that you can do. You may either decide to pay the ticket or may also choose to fight it. If you are thinking of fighting the speeding ticket, you must learn about the whether you were charged for a “basic” or “presumed” or “absolute” speed law, and how the cop determined your velocity. Speed is generally determined through aircraft, pacing, laser, radar, VASCAR or using some other means.
What are the different kinds of speed limits?
There are mainly three kinds of speeding limits – “basic speed limit”, “presumed speed limit” and “absolute speed limits”. The three types of speeding limits are briefly discussed below:
Basic speed limit: The concept of basic velocity law is actually tricky. All of the states recognize violation of basic speed limit. You would receive a speeding ticket if you violate the basic speed limit. The officer may charge you with this type of violation if you are caught driving above or below the speed limit. The officer will determine violation by keeping the driving conditions in mind. For example, if you are caught driving at 40 mph in a 45 mph zone in thick fog and icy roads, you may be charged for violating basic velocity limit. The reason behind this is simple, in such weather condition, the speed limit is reduced. That is why, even if you were driving at 40 mph, you would still be violating speeding regulations. This type of speeding ticket is usually issued after accidents.
Presumed speed limit: Violation of presumed velocity limit may be complicated to understand. However, these types of speeding violations provide you a lot more flexibility when defending these tickets. Texas and California are two of the many states where this system is used for some or all of their roads. In these states it is legal to cross the specific speed limit. However, you need to be driving safely. For instance, if you are caught driving at 50mph in a 40mph zone, you would be “presumed” to be violating the speeding laws. However, if you were driving down a straight road on a clear, dry day, at 6 in the morning when there were no cars around, you may be able to convince the judge that you were actually driving safely, considering the conditions. If you can prove these conditions, you may be able to plead not guilty. These conditions help rebut the presumption.
Absolute speed limit: This speed limit is present in most of the states. This is actually simple to understand and quite straightforward. In this case, if the speed limit is 40mph, you have to drive at 40 mph. If you go over this limit even just by 1 mph, you would be violating the law.
If you have received speeding tickets in Las Vegas, you would need to contact an attorney as soon as you can for defending the ticket. It is important to find proper legal counsel when dealing with such matters.