Can I contest the laser gun speeding ticket?

If you have received a speeding ticket as a result of laser gun evidence, you may think you have no recourse to fight the ticket. However, like any technology, there are weaknesses in the laser gun that may allow you to present an effective defense.

Laser guns work by sending pulses of light to measure the distance an object is from the gun. When measuring the speed of a car, it measures how quickly it changes position, or travels down the road. In order to fight that evidence, you may challenge it in these areas:

• A laser gun must be calibrated every day; if the gun used to measure your speed was not recently calibrated, its results could be challenged

• The equipment must be operated correctly and held steady throughout the test; if the officer was not appropriately trained or did not operate the equipment correctly, the results may be incorrect

• In bad weather, rain could alter the measurements of a laser gun

• A laser’s measurements can be affected by any other bright lights in the line of sight

It takes a considerable understanding of this equipment, its reliability, and its use in order to present these challenges effectively in court. If you can retain a speeding ticket attorney familiar with these limitations in the laser gun evidence, you may be able to have the evidence thrown out and your case dismissed.