justin0469 Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20035920-71.htmlMan uses GPS on Droid to refute speeding ticket 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. Getting a ticket is never an easy experience. (Credit: CC WoodleyWonderworks/Flickr) 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#ixzz1FNQ978EY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flounder Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 Ive used MyTracks on my flights and have recorded my flights with speeds up to 550+mph at 29,000 ft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSB67 Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 According to the Garmin in my truck my max speed was 294mph. I don't remember doing that - I musta been really drunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disclaimer Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 They make a deal about using GPS to "beat the ticket", but the article I read was more about how the cop didn't know WTF he was doing, couldn't remember the last time his radar gun was cal'd, the model of the gun, his training, etc -- stuff they're typically taught to rattle off on the stand anyway, and the guy just threw in his GPS results for good measure.Of course the media ran with the "MyTracks" thing and not that a regular guy without that data probably could've beaten the ticket based on the lack of evidence presented by the prosecution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 According to the Garmin in my truck my max speed was 294mph. I don't remember doing that - I musta been really drunk.interesting... I'd have to guess the GPS was on, then turned off momentarily, and then back on again. The unit could have assume that the distance covered during that lapse in time was instantaneous, and thus logged a ridiculous speed when it realized it traveled x,xxx feet in what it perceived to be a couple of seconds. Maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 what kind of cop mistakes 26 mph for 40? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Butters Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 what kind of cop mistakes 26 mph for 40?an asshole one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OsuMj Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 I was driving someone's car a long distance once, and they fell asleep, then they woke up and checked the GPS and saw how fast i was going. :-/ hahaha, woops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 The tracker on mine drains the battery kinda fast with the GPS on all the time.But I've used it a few times, and the speeds recorded kinda surprised me.Too low in some places, and too high in others. But all were accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buildit Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 Cool discussion, I have wondered what would happen if you had tracks from a GPS and got a ticket if you could successfully dispute a ticket. From what I read here it appears the answer would be NO. Maybe if you flooded the court with scientific data showing the accuracy of the GPS device? Maybe Garmin would send a rep to testify? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 interesting... I'd have to guess the GPS was on, then turned off momentarily, and then back on again. The unit could have assume that the distance covered during that lapse in time was instantaneous, and thus logged a ridiculous speed when it realized it traveled x,xxx feet in what it perceived to be a couple of seconds. Maybe?yeah pretty much. you can get some kind of interference or it can also can be the satellites drifiting in and out of view. either way your unit does slightly different calculations and thinks you traveled very quickly to a new location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gen3flygirl Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 Ive used MyTracks on my flights and have recorded my flights with speeds up to 550+mph at 29,000 ft. no cell phones on during flight:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSB67 Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 no cell phones on during flight:DBah... every part on that plane has to meet extensive EMI criteria. Do yourself a favor and put it in airplane mode though, you're not going to get a very consistent signal at 600mph six miles up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezer Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 I fight all my tickets. I have beat tickets in Boston Heights, (infamous) and many others. You beat most of them before you go to court by seeking discovery, issuing supeanas and excercising your other rights, but I have also gotten suspended fines and other negotiated deals with prosecutors. It is a little extra work, but can be fun too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 http://gizmodo.com/#!5794614/the-man-who-successfully-challenged-five-speeding-tickets-using-traffic-photo-timestamps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 an asshole one. thats 90% of them isnt it?. thinki iv only been pulled over once in 20 times when i thought the cop treated me with repect that i always convey to them, and yes that one gave me a ticket too, so dont think he let me off and that is why i liked him. I'v had one that said that they are giving me a break i thought were pricks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 The Cali and Ohio cases had totally different outcomes because they were presented totally differently.In Cali, the GPS was not the reason the ticket was thrown out. The ticket went away because the officer was ill-prepared and did not mount a solid enough prosecution. The GPS was interesting, but the case would liekly have gone the same way without GPS.In Ohio the guy just tol the court; "I have a GPS and it said I was going slow." The court will not accept evidence without someone being there to testify as to the accuracy. If you submit a video into evidence you must be present to swear on oath that the video is a true and accurate depiction of the events. You also need to be prepared to testify about the chain of custody of the video and swear on oath that nobody else had the opportunity to tamper with the video. I have had to do this myself in court. You cannot submit an anonmyous video and expect it to be believed.Same withthe GPS track - it takes a speed every 2 minutes. That doe snot prove that he didn't boot it up to 84 mph, then slow down again. I'd bet that the 50mph average came from 1:30 of doing 80-90mph then 30 seconds waiting on the side of the road for the cop to approach.I always wondered how my dashcam would work out in that situation. It provides 3 different ways of identifying the speed. 1) Measure the time and distance between landmarks. 2) Measure the distance between the GPS co-ords that are overlayed on the video image and cannot be changed once recored. and 3) The speed is overlayed on the video image too, but in knots. Knots * 1.151 = mph.The video image is saved out in a proprietary codec that I cannot update. I also use a GPS bug for theft-recovery in my car and on my bike. It updates my position and speed every 5 seconds to a 3rd party website which allows me to download a file with the data on it. I bet I could also have the tracking company produce a notarized affadavit stating what my location and speed was at a given time.You'll never take me alive, coppah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idodishez Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 I have various "dashboard" apps on my iPhone that give me my current speed, average speed, etc. Very rarely is it accurateSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 I have various "dashboard" apps on my iPhone that give me my current speed, average speed, etc. Very rarely is it accurateSent from my iPhone using TapatalkFunny. I heard that iPhones did a VERY GOOD JOB of tracking you. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/20/iphone-tracking-prompts-privacy-fearsMy GPS is very accurate on speed, but lags by about 2 seconds. The dashcam speed is very accurate, according to mile markers and roadside "YOUR SPEED = " signs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Funny. I heard that iPhones did a VERY GOOD JOB of tracking you. Touche. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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