Overspeeding is dangerous. It’s even more dangerous when you overspeed where you’re not supposed to. When you overspeed, you stand a chance of risking your life and that of other road users, hence the introduction of speed tickets.
Getting a speeding ticket is a fine you have to pay for violating traffic rules. The fine is to caution and deter you from violating the rules again. Therefore, can you get a speeding ticket without being pulled over?
Yes, you can get a speeding ticket without being pulled over if the speed cameras on the roads capture your car going over the speed limit, a ticket will be processed and sent to your mail.
Can You Get a Speeding Ticket Without Being Pulled Over?
Yes, it is possible to get a speeding ticket without being pulled over by the police. As a matter of fact, technology has made it easier for the police. They don’t need to pull you over to give you a ticket. They can process the ticket and have it forwarded to your mail.
How Can You Get a Speeding Ticket Without Being Pulled Over?
You can get a speeding ticket without being pulled over if:
1. The Speed Camera Captured Your Car
On most roads in the United States, there are speed cameras positioned in some strategic places. If any of these cameras capture or record your car going over the speed limit, a ticket will be processed and sent to you by mail.
With these cameras on the road, the police don’t need to pull you over. The camera has captured the evidence needed to get the ticket to you.
So, you can get a speeding ticket without being pulled over if the speed camera on the road captures your car overspeeding.
With the video and picture evidence, you don’t stand a chance of having the ticket dismissed except if the car was stolen, there’s an emergency, etc.
2. The Radar Speed Gun Captured Your Speed
The police sometimes hide in some strategic places on the road waiting and hunting for those that will disobey the traffic rules.
If the police radar speed gun captures your speed while in his location, he may not necessarily pursue you to pull you over for the ticket. He can just have it processed and sent to your address.
3. The Stalker DSR Captured Your Car
In New York, the state police make use of Stalker Directional Sensing radar to detect the speed of an incoming vehicle. So, if this device captures your car overspeeding, a ticket will be sent to your mail without pulling you over.
4. The LTI Ultralyte LR B Reads Your Speed
The police officers in New York also make use of LTI Ultralyte LR B devices to read the speed of an incoming vehicle.
The LTI Ultralyte LR B is a pinpoint laser device. It works by sending out a beam of light and reading the speed when the light bounces back from the vehicle. If it reads your car speeding, a ticket can be sent to you without pulling you over.
5. Permitted By Your State of Residence
However, it is important to note that getting a speeding ticket without being pulled over is possible depending on your state of residence.
While there are speed guns and speed cameras in some strategic places, some states like Florida have no way of issuing you a ticket without the intervention of a police officer. In Texas, the police cannot issue you a speeding ticket based on information obtained from traffic cameras.
But in Arizona, the police don’t need to pull you over to do that, they can just issue the ticket without pulling you over. The same goes for those in Virginia. A police officer can legally issue speeding tickets in the mail without pulling you over and you can pay a fine of up to $125 as fine.
| State | Ticket Status |
| Arizona | Yes, you can be given a speeding ticket without being pulled over |
| Florida | No, you cannot be given a speeding ticket without being pulled over |
| California | Still debating it in the legislature and may soon come to 6 cities in the state |
| Virginia | Yes, you can be given a speeding ticket without being pulled over |
| New Jersey | No, you cannot be given a speeding ticket without being pulled over |
| Maryland | Yes, you can be given a speeding ticket without being pulled over |
| Washington DC | Yes, you can be given a speeding ticket without being pulled over |
| New York | Yes, you can be given a speeding ticket without being pulled over |
| Ontario | Yes, you can be given a speeding ticket without being pulled over |
As of the date this article was published, a bill is moving through the California legislature to allow traffic cameras in six cities of the State.
This is to say that, knowing the laws of your state regarding speeding tickets is very crucial because some states categorically list where an officer can do so.
For example, in Virginia, it is only a police officer employed by the Virginia State Police can make use of speed cameras to issue a speeding ticket.
If you get a speeding ticket in the mail without being pulled over, you can check what the laws of your state of residence say about that. You can also contact a lawyer.
Contacting a lawyer and seeking legal advice is important if you wish to fight the ticket. You really need to check your local authority and hire a lawyer who practices in your state of residence.
There are some instances where you may not get pulled over even after being followed by an officer for going over the speed limit.
For example, if you are going 45 in an area with a 35 speed limit, the police radar can pick up the speed and he can quickly follow you.
If you reduce your speed to 35 and are never pulled over by the police, the chances of getting a ticket are slim. If the police wanted to give you a ticket, he would have pulled you over.
What If the Officer Reduced the Speed in the Ticket?
If the officer reduced the speed you were going in the ticket, you can hire a lawyer and fight the ticket.
Normally, you have every right to fight a speeding ticket and plead not guilty. Therefore, if you notice that the officer reduced the speed, you can contact a lawyer and fight the ticket.
If the case is handled by a professional, you stand a better chance of having the ticket dismissed. An officer can give you a speeding ticket for whatever speed he likes but if the speed is reduced, it could be that:
- The police don’t want to appear in court
- The Police don’t like appearing in court
- The police officer is nervous about testifying in court
- The police officer is not fully equipped to operate the radar device
- The police officer didn’t catch you at the speed he first initiated
In this case, you can fight the ticket and if your lawyer is a professional, he can make the judge dismiss the ticket.
Conclusion
You can get a speeding ticket without being pulled over if your state of residence permits the use of the camera to issue a ticket. If it’s not permitted in your state of residence (where the supposed violation occurred), you must have to be pulled over before a ticket is issued to you.
In states where speed cameras are legalized, you do not need to be pulled over before you can be issued a ticket. The officer can have it mailed to your address.