Miami-Dade County Speeding Ticket for Driving Thirty Miles or More Above the Speed Limit

In January 2016, the tables were turned when a woman followed a Miami-Dade police officer who reached speeds as high as 100 mph (according to the woman) as he sped along the expressway. When the woman eventually caught the officer’s attention near downtown Miami, she flagged him down. The officer walked back to the woman’s vehicle, where she explained that he was driving excessively fast, and that she had followed and recorded him doing so. The officer took the reprimand in stride, promising to slow down.

If you receive a ticket in Miami-Dade County for driving thirty miles or more over the posted speed limit, it probably won’t turn out so benignly—you could be facing some serious repercussions. In 2013, 6,600 drivers in Miami-Dade County were ticketed for the offense of driving thirty miles or more over the posted speed limit. That number went down a bit in 2014, at 6,050, and down again in 2015, at 5,574. There are things you should be aware of if you received a speeding ticket for driving thirty miles or more over the posted speed limit. Some of these things include:

• A court appearance is mandatory for speeding thirty miles or more over the posted speed limit.
• You can have an attorney appear on your behalf, particularly if you live out of state.
• The maximum fine for speeding over thirty miles per hour above the speed limit, but below fifty miles per hour above the speed limit is $500.
• If you were ticketed for driving fifty miles or more over the posted speed limit, the minimum fine you fill face is $1,000.
• The judge will determine your exact fine, based on the facts of your case, your prior driving record and input from the police officer;
• The judge can choose to suspend your license for a length of time, even if the points you receive for this offense do not push you over the allowable number.
• Florida statutes 316.187, 316.189 and 316.183 will govern your speeding ticket.
• The original speeding ticket, which is filed in the court, must be signed by the police officer and yourself.
• If you are convicted of speeding thirty miles or more over the posted speed limit, you will receive four points on your driving record, unless there was an accident because of your speed, in which case you will receive six points.
• It is rare for an officer to reduce your speed if you were driving thirty miles or more over the posted speed limit, however they might do so.
• Your attorney may be able to negotiate for deferred adjudication, meaning if you pay the necessary fines and do not receive another traffic ticket for a specified length of time, you will receive no points on your driving record.
• If you are convicted of the crime of driving thirty miles or more above the posted speed limit, your automobile insurance will likely increase dramatically, perhaps even becoming unaffordable. In some cases, insurance companies will drop a driver altogether when they accrue a number of points on their driving record.

What Type of Speed Measurement Device Was Used to Record Your Speed?
The most typical types of speed measuring devices used to measure speed in Florida are laser, radar and pacing. In pacing, the officer catches up to a suspected speeder, maintaining a constant distance behind the vehicle for at least 2/10ths of a mile, while watching his or her own speedometer to determine how fast the car is driving. There is little to no officer training associated with pacing, therefore the practice is open to challenge by your attorney. Radar detection may also be challenged; the officer may have targeted the wrong vehicle, the officer may not have been properly trained and certified for the device, or windy, rainy or stormy weather may have skewered the results.

Laser guns are the latest technological way to measure speed; the primary distinction between laser and radar is that laser uses much shorter wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. Although the laser gun is much more accurate in pinpointing a specific vehicle, accurate aiming of a laser gun requires an inordinately steady hand or a tripod. Laser speed detection cannot be used from behind glass or from a moving distance, and the laser gun must be correctly maintained and calibrated to assure its accuracy.

Obtaining the Best Possible Outcome
If you want to obtain the very best possible outcome for your speeding ticket, it is important to speak to an experienced attorney from The Law Place. We understand that the priority is to minimize the consequences of your speeding ticket, particularly to avoid having the points placed on your driving record. Our attorneys will work hard on your behalf to allow you to keep your driver’s license and to be able to move forward with your life.

Miami-Dade County Courthouse
73 W. Flagler Street
Miami, Florida 33130
(304) 275-1155