Man uses GPS on Droid to refute speeding ticket

[frenchy chan]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20035920-71.html

 

Sometimes, all of Google's wonderfully intrusive inventions can come in useful.

 

I am moved, you see, more than usual by a story in SkatterTech of a man who got a speeding ticket.

 

The police accused Sahas Katta of going more than 40 mph in a 25 mph limit, according to the story, which was authored by Katta himself. Katta was a little taken aback. He said he felt sure he wasn't going quite that fast. Fortunately, his Motorola Droid cell phone enjoyed Google MyTracks, according to his account.

 

This charming software records your GPS tracks and even lets you watch live stats--which might not be such a good idea when you're driving.

 

Still, even though Katta had been meek with the traffic policeman in question, when he looked at his MyTracks afterward, he said he discovered something that was more akin to his own inner senses. The maximum speed recorded had only been 26 mph, according to the story.

 

He decided to fight his case in traffic court in Yolo County, Calif., and was nervous giving evidence, he said. Who wouldn't be? Traffic officers are always firm with their facts. But he presented his GPS data. He also, rather cleverly, took the advice of a lawyer and asked the traffic cop whether he had experienced radar gun training recently and when the gun was last calibrated.

 

Katta said the judge didn't seem too au fait with GPS technology, but he didn't seem too impressed with the traffic cop's evidence either.

 

So, in a victory for common technology, he decided the ticket should not be paid.

 

Katta told SkatterTech: "The officer in question was doing his job and did not do anything wrong."

 

However, this is not the only case of its kind that seems to be entering the courts. A man in Ohio also attempted to show that his GPS records proved he had not exceeded the 65 mph speed limit, when he was accused of driving at 84 mph.

 

In this case, however, an Ohio appeals court ruled that it didn't have enough evidence about how Verizon Wireless' GPS alerts worked in order to throw out the ticket.

 

Could it be that California is more welcoming to technology than is Ohio?

 

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20035920-71.html#ixzz1FMjW2TVN

[CRAWDAD]

funny how it said 84 in ohio. I got a ticket for going 84 to. but wasn't at the time he seen me. Im not going to argue with the guy, if he would have seen me about 2min before that, he would have seen a lot lot lot more than 84.

 

I don't know how to use the gps tracker on my droid. Plus I don't think it would get me out of a ticket anyways. so I don't feel the need to learn either. If it becomes more common that people are beating tickets that wa then I will learn to use it. I don't speed that much anyway, usually no more than 5 over the limit. So it probably would really be a benefit to me.

[TTQ B4U]

Interesting indeed. I had one of my field reps while working at Panasonic get stopped for 96mph in a 55mph zone. He freaked out as he was adamant that he was innocent. He actually paidna third party company to work with GM to secure the top speed of the vehicle through it's internal computers. It as found the car had never exceed 85 mph in it's time on the road. Case was dismissed and he only paid court costs.

[CRed05]

He wasn't let off because of the GPS evidence, but it was because of the lack of evidence the cop had. There is currently a court case going on about whether or not GPS can be used as legitimate evidence...I'm going to go with it will probably not.

[unfunnyryan]

He wasn't let off because of the GPS evidence, but it was because of the lack of evidence the cop had. There is currently a court case going on about whether or not GPS can be used as legitimate evidence...I'm going to go with it will probably not.

 

 

That GPS ankle bracelet is a liar! I was no where near that girls house! I didn't know she was 8!

[Skinner]

funny how it said 84 in ohio. I got a ticket for going 84 to. but wasn't at the time he seen me. Im not going to argue with the guy, if he would have seen me about 2min before that, he would have seen a lot lot lot more than 84.

 

I don't know how to use the gps tracker on my droid. Plus I don't think it would get me out of a ticket anyways. so I don't feel the need to learn either. If it becomes more common that people are beating tickets that wa then I will learn to use it. I don't speed that much anyway, usually no more than 5 over the limit. So it probably would really be a benefit to me.

 

right but what if you are doing the speed limit or within 5 mph and get tagged for going 15 - 20 mph over. having the GPS data may clear your name and void the ticket.

[CRAWDAD]

most of the time when you are getting tickets like this it is locally. Why would you have your gps hooked up just to leave the house to go to the store? What are the odds of you actually having it hooked up? Most people are not going to hook it up just to run to the corner store at the end of their neighborhood.

[Skinner]

most of the time when you are getting tickets like this it is locally. Why would you have your gps hooked up just to leave the house to go to the store? What are the odds of you actually having it hooked up? Most people are not going to hook it up just to run to the corner store at the end of their neighborhood.

 

 

if its a app on your phone it would log that for you.

[Sturg1647545502]

Cops have to go through various recerts every year, some of them pertaiming to speeders(radar, laser operation, judging the speed of a moving object whith out any equioment, etc). If they arnt up do date on their training, which is public record, the ticket is often thrown out. It sounds like thats what put the cali guys case over the edge. The gps was just a party piece