Da Bear not too swift

[Seaking]

So erhm on a recent trip to and from NYC, I'm rushing through Maine at a decent pace late one night / early morning when all of a sudden over the rise I come up onto a brown car in the fast lane, and he ain't going fast.. so I swing over to the right, flash of lights and signal to alert the driver of my intentions of passing him on the right cause apparently the slow drivers love the left lane and won't budge.. but the closer I got to him it was ooops, State Trooper.. Ooooh.. Ok hi there.. A quick peek at the speedo shows me doing closer to the speed limit than I had thought so no worries.. but when I slid past him I got the lights to pull over.

 

Anticipating this, I come onto the binders and pull over to the far right in time to watch him shoot past me and have to reverse until he can stop behind me like he oughta.. I'm WAY over to the right, almost to the ditch to make sure the gentleman won't be in harm's way when he comes over to me. Me, being a kind and decent soul have no one to blame but myself for speeding so I'm not going to make his life difficult for my sillyness. Nice guy eh?

 

He sashays up to me like a Trooper would, hand on gun, ready for anything..

 

"Do you know why I stopped you" he asks..

 

"No sir, I do not know why you stopped me.. why did you stop me?"

 

"You have NO idea why?" he asks again.. Erhm again my answer is no.

 

"I pulled you over for speeding. May I see your driver's license and registration" he requests.

 

He goes off to his car, takes a while and then comes back and asks "Do you know how fast you were going?"

 

"Yes, I was doing the posted speed limit..."

 

"Oh no you weren't he declared, otherwise I would not have pulled you over for speeding.. How fast do you think you were going?!" again he asks..

 

"Without trying to make an argument out of this, I earnestly believe I was doing the posted speed limit, hence why I was able to pull over onto the shoulder so quickly while you shot past me like you did. I believe YOU were travelling much slower than the posted speed limit in the wrong lane..." was my response..

 

After this goes on for a few minutes, he hands me a warning ticket with no posted speed declaration on the ticket..

 

The poor guy had no means of knowing how fast I was going since I came up to him from behind so quickly, and pulled over before I got in front of him enough to get a bead on me.. And though I'm not from Maine, I would daresay that he can't issue a speeding ticket without a tag on my speed.. either by Ladar or by my own admission.. Mom said I was born at midnight, not last night

 

Needless to say I locked my cruise control down to the posted speed limit after that until I got back into Canada lol..

 

But the question (after a long story, sorry) is that can a Trooper give you a ticket only by his gut sense that you were speeding or does he need a confirmation of such?

[RoadKill]

he can give you a ticket, it just wouldn't hold up in court is my guess.

[IH Truck Guy]

Most people including leo's, have a hard time estimating a passing cars speed.

If there were 20 people standing on a sidewalk and a car drove by on the street,you would get 20 different answers as to how fast the car was going.

When it comes to average people be asked as witnesses at accident sites to say how fast a vehicle was going,IMHO they are sometimes way off.

Years ago,I came to the scene of a bad big truck accident and stopped to see if I could help,because I knew some of the drivers that worked for this company.

I listened to a witness telling the cop that the truck was speeding and doing at least 85 mph...I had to tell the cop that this company had their trucks set to run at 65 mph.

He put that in the report and the witness got made at me.

[BuddyRich]

The new radars allow for checking speed in both directions. Coming up from behind, or Coming at him. Why do you think he didn't have a radar running?

 

http://www.stalkerradar.com/law_2x.shtml

[BoomerCPO]

I would not say that the Bear is not swift. I would say he was in a very generous mood and let you off easy because you are an out of country visitor. He could have nailed you with a speeding ticket and claimed he was using Radar and you would not have much of a leg to stand on in a Court here. Consider yourself lucky and be grateful that the LEO was honest!

 

Also....In many of our States it is illegal to pass on the right and that alone may carry a hefty Fine.

[Seaking]

The new radars allow for checking speed in both directions. Coming up from behind, or Coming at him. Why do you think he didn't have a radar running?

 

http://www.stalkerradar.com/law_2x.shtml

 

I'm guessing because of the way he was trying to get me to say it, basically incriminating myself.. If I said I was going 80 in a 65 zone I'm sure he would have made the ticket out to that amount

[Seaking]

I would not say that the Bear is not swift. I would say he was in a very generous mood and let you off easy because you are an out of country visitor. He could have nailed you with a speeding ticket and claimed he was using Radar and you would not have much of a leg to stand on in a Court here. Consider yourself lucky and be grateful that the LEO was honest!

 

Also....In many of our States it is illegal to pass on the right and that alone may carry a hefty Fine.

 

It is the same here, illegal to pass on the right but when slow duff is occupying the fast lane you have nil choice, especially when they're doing so much under the speed limit..

[BoomerCPO]

I had a similar situation as you late last year up in northern Vermont. I slowed way down in the passing lane behind a State Trooper. Turns out he had slowed way down because there was a moose coming out of the woods and getting ready to cross the highway! We both ended up coming to a complete stop as that moose casually made his way across the highway.....and that sucker didn't even thank us for giving him the right of way!!

[dynodon]

Since he was moving in the left lane, he could say he was doing the speed limit and since you caught up to him, you obviously were speeding. If he was slower and you WERE doing the limit, then he just didn't like you passing him.

 

Not sure of the rules in Canada, but in Illinois, the Rules of the Road say that you can pass on the right legally on a four-lane divided highway or in a lane on a two lane highway provided for that purpose if the car in the left lane does not yield. In this case, the car in the left lane is the one breaking the law, even if they are doing the speed limit, and you are above it. Of course if you are above the limit, then you are speeding, so a LEO could ticket BOTH cars if that is the case.

 

Check your state laws, I bet more states allow passing on the right on an interstate type highway than you might think.

[Bigfoot]

Can't speak for every state but in Va. you could be cited for disregard a highway sign. (Posted speed limit) If he can testify that he was doing the speed limit and has an updated calibration then that's all it takes if you caught up to him quickly and especially if you overtake him.

 

You said in your post "I'm rushing through Maine at a decent pace late one night / early morning when all of a sudden over the rise I come up onto a brown car in the fast lane, and he ain't going fast" So maybe he was doing the speed limit and you were indeed speeding. Sometimes we tend to give somewhat legal advice on here that may get someone into a little bit of trouble. Use caution regarding this. In the future just be careful who you are passing. Also, I presume you know your own speedometer could be off by as much as 5 mph or more?

[VTirelli]

Most people including leo's, have a hard time estimating a passing cars speed.

If there were 20 people standing on a sidewalk and a car drove by on the street,you would get 20 different answers as to how fast the car was going.

When it comes to average people be asked as witnesses at accident sites to say how fast a vehicle was going,IMHO they are sometimes way off.

Years ago,I came to the scene of a bad big truck accident and stopped to see if I could help,because I knew some of the drivers that worked for this company.

I listened to a witness telling the cop that the truck was speeding and doing at least 85 mph...I had to tell the cop that this company had their trucks set to run at 65 mph.

He put that in the report and the witness got made at me.

 

 

Not sure what it is where you guys live, but in NY, LEOs are trained as speed estimation experts. I have been trained to observe a vehicle, either coming at me or passing me and can estimate the speed at plus or minus 5 MPH. In fact, in NY, the Laser or RADAR is the backup for the issuing officer's eyeball estimate, (I have seen radar readings thrown out because the calibration paperwork was not properly presented yet the officers estimation stands) I personally continually check myself by looking at the oncoming traffic, estimating the speed and THEN activate the Laser or RADAR. I'm usually within 3 mph. I would guess that this officer was moving along at the speed limit or a little more. The fact that someone is catching up to him is suspicion enough to pull him or her over. In fact, a speeding summonses simply written for "55+" has held up in court. As for passing on the right, you're not supposed to, but if someone is loping along at below the speed limit, I personally pass them all the time.

[painterman67]

Don't know if he could have ritten (spelling???) you a speeding ticket, but I do know that from experiance he could have ritten the ticket as excedding a safe speed. That one stuck on me in a similiar situation many years back.

 

hope this helps.

David

[IH Truck Guy]

Not sure what it is where you guys live, but in NY, LEOs are trained as speed estimation experts. I have been trained to observe a vehicle, either coming at me or passing me and can estimate the speed at plus or minus 5 MPH. In fact, in NY, the Laser or RADAR is the backup for the issuing officer's eyeball estimate, (I have seen radar readings thrown out because the calibration paperwork was not properly presented yet the officers estimation stands) I personally continually check myself by looking at the oncoming traffic, estimating the speed and THEN activate the Laser or RADAR. I'm usually within 3 mph. I would guess that this officer was moving along at the speed limit or a little more. The fact that someone is catching up to him is suspicion enough to pull him or her over. In fact, a speeding summonses simply written for "55+" has held up in court. As for passing on the right, you're not supposed to, but if someone is loping along at below the speed limit, I personally pass them all the time.

 

 

Hey Vinnie,I like the fact that you test yourself.I don't know if our cops are trained in this or not.I think that most cops do a good job at estimating speeds.I'm kissing up in case I ever run into you out on the Island....:D

[Skid]

West Virginia is the same way but we have to be able to estimate within 3 miles per hour at least 8 out of 10 cars any direction. Its not difficult after a while of running radar. About all the newer radar units will detect speeds coming towards or going away in either in front or behind the cruiser.

[johnny-canuck]

I ran between New Brunswick and Boston and Hartford for 4 years, at least twice a month.

 

In that stretch, especially in Maine, if you don't pass on the right, then you can spend a lot of time behind slow drivers who love that left lane.

 

Ya gotta watch the troopers in Southern Maine. I was warned by the US customs guy about them. I also got a ticket at the last toll booth southbound:bawling: In central and northern Maine they don't even look at you if you are doing 80mph or less.

[autopilot]

I don't understand the prohibition of passing on the right, if it is a minimum 4 lane highway and you've got a minimum 2 clear (as in not stopped) & functional lanes in each direction. Here, you can pass on the right normally on the 4+ lane roads (divided or undivided). You can pass on the right, on a 2 lane if the vehicle ahead is stopped & you don't have to leave the pavement to do it. (that is usually only possible where there are wide shoulders or a turn/decel/accel laneon the right) Otherwise it's illegal.

 

There was some talk a while back, that the state was going to make it a chargeable offense to just sit and cruise along in the left lane on any 4+ lane roadway. I don't recall if anything came of it or not.

[RoadKill]

I don't understand the prohibition of passing on the right, if it is a minimum 4 lane highway and you've got a minimum 2 clear (as in not stopped) & functional lanes in each direction. Here, you can pass on the right normally on the 4+ lane roads (divided or undivided). You can pass on the right, on a 2 lane if the vehicle ahead is stopped & you don't have to leave the pavement to do it. (that is usually only possible where there are wide shoulders or a turn/decel/accel laneon the right) Otherwise it's illegal.

 

There was some talk a while back, that the state was going to make it a chargeable offense to just sit and cruise along in the left lane on any 4+ lane roadway. I don't recall if anything came of it or not.

 

That law is on the books in IL, but I don't think its enforced much.

[FozzyUSN]

I wish they would do something like that here in Ohio. Grandma & grandpa Slowpoke in the left lane for a Sunday afternoon drive down the interstate is just plain rediculous. I had a couple here while back even speed up to keep me from passing them. Oh well, guess it takes all kinds.

[SilvrT]

erm... I'm thinking that rule "illegal to pass on the right" is meant for times when a guy passes another vehicle by driving on the shoulder to do so.

[SilvrT]

Speaking of shoulders, it's a common practise in Alberta for drivers to drive on the shoulder to let cars pass them on the left, even if they're doing the speed limit. Personally, I will not pass one of those drivers, especially if there are oncoming cars (unless the road is straight and clear) because, the shoulder is not always maintained and there could be potholes or dips or something else causing that driver to either brake in a panic or swerve back into "his" lane..thus causing an accident. I don't believe that practise is actuall legal in Alberta either but many Alberta drivers do that...even when they go to other provinces.

[kd4uvc]

Hey, I know this is an old post but in some states, it is illegal to pass a leo on the right. Even if you don't know why, you must assume he is controlling the speed for a particular reason. He could ticket you for that reason, in Bama, he could arrest you for reckless endangerment.