This scenario happens very often. Some people will place a different size tire on their vehicle than what the manufacturer specification calls for. A few years back a customer contacted me because he received 3 tickets in 6 days. He told me he recently purchased a brand new pickup that had less than 800 miles on it. He was furious! He contacted the dealership and told them it was a lemon and that he wanted a full refund and in addition, he wanted his tickets resolved in court. The dealership advised him to contact us and see if there was an issue with the speedometer. If the speedometer was in fact off, they would make it right. As I pulled up to the pickup to begin the testing, I immediately recognized the problem. The customer told me about receiving 3 tickets in 6 days. All of them were in the 9 to 19 MPH above the speed limit.  Again he was furious at the dealership for selling him a lemon. I began smiling because I knew something he didn’t. He was proud of his brand new pickup. I said, “this is one awesome looking pickup!” “But you know, just by looking at your nice pickup, I can tell that your speedometer is probably off between 9 to 13 MPH.” He said, “how do you know this, you haven’t even tested it.” I said, “the reason your pickup looks so awesome is because of those nice looking big tires you have on it.” He replied, “well, when I bought the pickup, the dealership had those silly little looking small tires on it. So I took it straight to the tire shop and had them install these big boys on her.” I begin to explain to him how the manufacturer had the tires on there for a reason, and the speedometer was set to the tire specs. Upon completion of the testing, there was a 11 MPH discrepancy. The tickets were resolved. When the tire size is altered, this will almost certainly cause your speedometer to become inaccurate. It could be off by only 1-2 MPH, or in some cases, over 10 MPH off. This is based on what size tire you place on the vehicle. See tire size and speedometer variance calculator When we test a speedometer and it’s off by 2 MPH at 25 MPH and then test at 65 MPH, and it’s off by 9, then it’s 100%  because of the altered tire size. See altered tire size information.

Very seldom do we find a speedometer that is accurate. Even new cars, straight from the dealership are usually off 1-3 MPH, sometimes more. See the article Speedometer Scandal by Car and Driver Magazine Click Here If by some slim chance your speedometer is tested and found to be accurate, you should still go to court. It shows the judge that you are serious about the infraction and you were so convinced you were not speeding that you invested in a calibration. Just as you have to produce a true and certified copy of your speedometer test, the other side must produce documentation of the equipment used to measure your speed and the speedometer calibration if they were using moving RADAR when you were clocked. It much better to go to court with something in hand instead of a excuse, even if it’s a legitimate excuse. Sometimes the judge will reduce the ticket simply because you invested your time, effort, and money.

Simply put, it’s always best to have competent legal representation in any court proceeding. However, with most speeding infractions, you have the right to represent yourself and you can say the same thing an attorney will say using your calibration as evidence. When you meet one of our technicians, we will help guide you on how to present your case in court based on the results of your speedometer calibration. We have over 25 years of combined experience and we know the ins and outs of using a calibration to defend yourself. The going rate for legal representation on a speeding ticket ranges from $250-$750. Reckless driving tickets on the other hand, can be quite a different story. Especially if it involves excessive reckless driving by speed e.g. 90/70. In Virginia the law states that any speed 20 MPH over any posted speed limit or any speed over 80, can be considered reckless driving. Based on the speed and officer discretion you could either be charged with reckless driving or speeding under a general rule of the law. Reckless driving is a 6 point demerit violation which is the most you can get at one time, not to mention it’s a class 1 misdemeanor.  It’s probably wise to seek legal counsel. What a lot of people do not realize is this, whether you’re charged with reckless driving or speeding under general rule, it’s still a 6 point demerit violation if convicted. So in Virginia and in most states (check your state’s law) when the ticket is forwarded by the courts and it hits the department of motor vehicles, your insurance premiums will rise. Whatever your insurance premiums were, be prepared to give them a teary goodbye for a few years. When you meet with one of our technicians, we can recommend an attorney to you. Here again, our name is on the line, we will only refer you to a competent, knowledgeable, and fair priced attorney.

We will never speak on what a judge may or may not do regarding using a  speedometer calibration in court.  Code of Virginia In Virginia, the law states, the courts “shall consider” your calibration as evidence in determining guilt or innocence and the fixing of punishment. Say what?  Notice the word “shall?” Now, notice the word, “consider.” So there you have it. In some jurisdictions, if it’s not a reckless driving infraction, the courts will automatically reduce the ticket to defective equipment, even if it’s only off by 1-2 MPH (non-moving violation) In Virginia and most states, a defective equipment charge is a non-moving violation resulting in zero (0) demerit points. Most insurance carriers won’t increase your premiums for defective equipment. It’s always best to appear in court. Better a little time spent in court than spending more time at work to pay for those jacked up insurance premiums. So… the time has come. The judge calls your name to come forward. Heart rate increases, blood pressure is elevated, you’re nervous, because there’s a lot on the line. It’s not like you’re going to jail, it’s just a simple speeding ticket. Well, a ticket that could cost you in for years to come in insurance premiums. If by chance, you’re facing a reckless driving charge, multiply everything above times ten including the “M” word. It’s money time. The procedure in court is pretty straight forward. You have been summonsed by law enforcement for a particular violation of a law. It’s the states burden, by eliminating reasonable doubt, that you in fact are guilty of that particular law violation. Before the judge it’s always the Commonwealth, state, or law enforcement officer’s duty to present the evidence first. The very first thing the judge will do is tell you what you have been charged with and then ask you what your plea is. It’s always best to plead “not guilty” because if you plead guilty, you’re guilty as charged. The case is technically done. Even if you have a speedometer calibration or a legitimate excuse. An excuse like “Judge, the day I got stopped, I was being chased by monsters!” (I’ve heard that before, no joke) Guess what? The judge has too. He or she has heard every excuse under the sun. So, straight to the point, if you’re representing yourself. If you have a lawyer, stand there and listen. The shorter the better. It’s always best to rehearse what you are going to say. Memorization is always the best. The next best thing is to have what you’re going to say reduced to writing in order to refresh your memory. Precise and to the point. After hearing your defense, the judge will make a ruling. If you have presented your case with a speedometer calibration, one of four things will happen. Not guilty, guilty, reduced to defective equipment see Non-moving (if you request it), or a reduction of the speed by MPH. See demerit to see how many points are associated with exceeding speed limits. This is what you can expect in Virginia. Most all other states are very similar. You’ve got this. Remember, you are presumed innocent until your case has been tried and you have been found guilty by a judge.

Instead of me trying to explain this, please see Speedometer Mechanics It’s quite boring, however very informative.

Again see cruise on how it works. After many years in the business, I can say this about cruise control. Almost all cruise control mechanisms will not maintain an accurate speed when you’re driving down a declining grade. Depending on the grade (steepness) of the road, you can pick up speed from 1 to 15 MPH+. Some high end vehicles have a built in governor that will keep the speed of your vehicle constant, within 1-3 MPH while traveling down a declining grade. Cruise controls can and do go bad. Most of the time it’s a computer module issue or a defect from the factory. It takes a certified mechanic to diagnose the issue and fix the problem. If you find yourself on a flat surface and gaining speed while your cruise is engage, you’ve got an issue. One time, while testing a speedometer, my customer says “let me show you how my cruise works.” So he engages it, and the vehicle accelerates at a rapid pace. “I’m screaming brake, brake, brake!!!!” So in his case, once he engaged the cruise, the module controlling the set speed was defective, thereby producing one heck of a ride for me and a speeding ticket for him. I referred him to a local mechanic who replaced the module. He was able to produce the documentation from the mechanic, along with  our speedometer calibration. His speeding infraction was resolved in court.  

This is a common occurrence. A speedometer is like any other working mechanical part on your vehicle. When they stop working all together, it can be somewhat pricey to fix, depending on the nature of the of the problem. Here’s what happens. You: “Well, I can gauge my speed of the rest of the traffic or my RPM’s.” Police Officer: “Do you know how fast you were going?” Here’s the problem with trying to gauge your speed off other folks on the highway. Most of the motoring public run 7-10 MPH over what the posted speed limit. On top of that, most of the motoring public speedometers are inaccurate. So what you have is a bunch of people driving up and down the road and no one has an idea how fast they are actually traveling. We can still help if your speedometer is broken, meaning no reading is displayed. When you meet with us, our technician will verify and confirm that your speedometer is in fact broken. The certificate you receive from us is equivalent to one of our technicians standing beside you in court, testifying on your behalf under sworn oath of that your speedometer will not produce a reading. One of the best ways to defend your speeding infraction in court is showing up with a non-biased and independent source to testify on your behalf. It is a violation of law to have or possess a defective speedometer on a vehicle operated on the highway. If you assure the judge that you are going to have it repaired and ask for a defective equipment infraction, the odds are certainly in your favor.

Occasionally, someone will ask, why meet in the Target parking lot? Short answer, cost. It’s the cheapest way for me to stay in business and forward my savings onto you. I operate from a home/office to keep costs as low as possible. If I had to maintain an office space, the cost for services would rise. I’m not in this line of work to become rich. I enjoy helping folks out that have found themselves in a pickle. So here’s the long answer, if you want to continue reading. 1. It’s a public place and well-lit for winter months. 2. Quick access to Route 460 where the actually testing occurs. 3. Target is a well known establishment. This helps folks that are not familiar with the area or who may be traveling from out of state.

When you meet with one of our technicians, we can recommend an attorney to you. Here again, our name is on the line, and we will only refer you to a competent, knowledgeable, and fairly priced attorney that I personally know. Not all lawyers are good “traffic lawyers.” Sometimes it’s all about damage control, meaning controlling/minimizing  the amount of damage done by an event. We’ve been doing this a long time and know which attorneys have the “right stuff.”

Yes and no. It’s sad when I meet people who are on the verge of losing their driver’s license because they didn’t take the speeding ticket seriously. They prepaid it, meaning waived their appearance in court and plead guilty. Later on down the road, wrong place, wrong time, and bam! Another speeding ticket or a moving violation. Under Virginia law and most other states, you have 10 days to note an appeal upon being convicted of a speeding infraction. I meet with folks weekly who ask me if they can present their calibration to the courts for a ticket they received in the past. If it’s been more than 10 days, it’s too late. The sad part is their speedometer was off, sometimes just by a little, sometimes by a lot.

In short, it’s all based on how many miles per hour over the posted speed limit you were traveling. Here’s a brief overlay of the demerit system in Virginia. Most other states have a similar system. Check your states law.

1-9MPH over: 3 demerit points

10-19MPH over: 4 demerit points

20 over: 6 demerit points 

80MPH or above: 6 demerit points.

This is the stunner. Check this out. Demerit system 

Here is the Virginia uniform demerit system. Virginia is for lovers and points

And finally, if you’re traveling in a posted 70 mile per hour speed limit zone and get clocked for 81…Guess what? 11 MPH over the speed limit and you’re the lucky winner of a of possible class 1 misdemeanor, a 6 demerit point violation, a $2,500.00 fine, and on top of all that, your insurance premiums just went through the roof! Here’s the applicable law 80 Now do you see how a speedometer calibration in these instances is absolutely critical?