Can a speeding ticket be revoked if you can prove your speedometer is faulty?

Question

According to my speedometer I wasn't speeding on the freeway but the cop pulled me over saying I was going 12 over. I had my speedometer tested and turns out it's inaccurate. If I bring that up in court will they just give me a speeding ticket and a fixit ticket or is this a valid argument to have my ticket revoked and taken off my record?

Answer 1

No... it is your responsibility to maintain your vehicle.

Answer 2

you will have to convince the judge with a witness, that is the mechanic. Still might not mean anything, because many things effect the speed of an automobile. Extra large tires for example.

Answer 3

Defective equipment such as a speedometer is not a valid defense for speeding.  Laws in Illinois state that fact.  By the way, whoever says an element of speeding is "knowing" is confusing criminal offenses with petty offenses.  Your broken speedometer is not a defense, nor would a broken headlamp switch be a valid defense for not using your headlamps.

Answer 4

What Pat said. Your car. Your responsibility to maintain same........

Answer 5

You have an argument only if knowing was a required element of speeding in your jurisdiction- you did not knowingly speed.  But the prosecutor may be able to argue that the speedometer is not off by much, you should have known that something was wrong because you traveled faster than everyone else, etc.  You need an attorney to interpret the ordinance for you and present the evidence.

Answer 6

There is always that chance that it could be dismissed due to the speedometer being inaccurate. In my experience, I have found that it's always best to fight speeding tickets, even if you are guilty of speeding. I'm not talking about being outrageously over the limit and endangering others, but only 12 mph over the limit - on a freeway? That's nothing.  

Answer 7

What you would be told in basically ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law. So it doesn't really matter (legally) if it was wrong.

However, magistrates may give you a break, but that is up to their discression and that of the officer. So long as you weren't a jerk to him on the traffic stop.

So  it is worth a try.  

Answer 8

I agree with Patrick,  keep it  fixed.If it was  a  way out ticket  everyone  would say that and fix the speedometer wrong to drive faster.