Ohio speeding tickets could really cost you - no proof necessary

Receiving a speeding ticket is never fun – between fees, fines, and greater insurance costs, you are looking at more than $400. Fighting the ticket is a lot harder in Ohio. The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that “trained” officers can rely on their own visual estimates to hand out legally binding speeding tickets.

Article Source: Ohio speeding tickets could really cost you – no proof neededs

Ohio Speeding ticket and court case

A 5 to 1 decision of the Ohio Supreme Court stated that officers do not need any kind of verifiable evidence to issue a speeding ticket. Instead, the officer only has to be “trained” in estimating speed. This indicates no radar gun, no laser measurement of speed, no paper trail to dispute – only your word against the officer’s. The supreme court of Ohio is quick to point out that this is not what they wish to see as policy, but what the constitution allows for cops to do.

The reality of speeding tickets financially

Most small towns will use speeding tickets for a lot more than just some safety enforcement. Numerous cities will use a lot more than 30 percent of their budget for traffic enforcement. An average speeding ticket within the United States costs somewhere around $150, and increased insurance costs can run up to $300 over three years from just the first infraction. Some states — like Florida — have even passed laws that say cities are not allowed to make any money more than 30 percent of their income from speeding tickets. Some states have even instituted systems like the one where speeding tickets can be paid for on the spot with a credit card.

The response to the outcome of the Ohio speeding ticket case

Ohio is being criticized all around the world. The ACLU has stated that this case will open up Ohio racial profiling, stops for no reason and civil liberty violations. To address this concern, SB 280 was introduced in the Ohio congress. Senator Tim Grendell and Senator Capri Cafaro have introduced a bipartisan bill requiring some kind of verifiable evidence for speeding tickets.