I was traveling eastbound on Interstate 80 through Illinois at 9:00 a.m. yesterday morning. I was driving my vehicle with Ohio license plates. Visibility was great, and the traffic was very light. I had my cruise control set at 65 MPH (the posted maximum speed limit on this stretch of road). About half-way up a small incline, I signaled and moved to the left lane to pass a slower moving tractor trailer that was in the right lane. As I passed him and crested the incline, I noticed a police cruiser traveling westbound. I checked my speed with both my vehicle speedometer and my GPS, and noted 65 on the speedo and 66 on the GPS. I thought all was well.
About 2 miles down the road, I saw a police cruiser approaching me from the rear with flashing lights (I assume that it was the same gentleman that I'd passed minutes before, as I saw no other vehicles). There were no other vehicles in sight (besides the semi that I had passed a couple of minutes before), so I pulled over. The officer exited his vehicle and approached the passenger side of my truck. I rolled down the window and greeted him (Good morning).
The officer politely asked me what "brought me to Illinois". I responded that I was taking a position with a company nearby, and I was currently going to meet a realtor to view a house that was in an adjacent town. The officer then stated that the maximum speed limit on Illinois highways is 65 MPH, and he "had me doing 73". I responded that I was not at all aware that I was traveling that fast. He asked me for my driver's license and proof of insurance, which I provided.
The officer went back to his cruiser and returned in short-order (2-3 minutes), and informed me that he was going to give me a written warning and it would not affect my driving record in any way. I thanked him and was on my way.
Some additional information that may or may not be of importance:
I checked my GPS after I arrived at the realtor's office and noted that the maximum speed achieved during the last 7 hours and 24 minutes of travel was 67 MPH.
I have been a licensed driver for 23 years and have never been ticketed for speeding. In fact, I have only been pulled over once (license plate bulbs burned out). I take pride in attempting to obey ALL traffic laws and having a spotless driving record.
6 days ago on the same stretch of highway (+/- 2 miles), I passed a parked cruiser. I noticed that he pulled out behind me and caught up rather quickly. He slowed down when he was a couple of car-lengths behind me in the other lane and paced me for about a mile or two. He then slowed down and took a "median" road back to the other side of the highway. There were no other vehicles in sight during this time.
The officer that pulled me over was completely professional and courteous.
Now, for the questions:
Should I have questioned the results of his "clocking"?
If I had received an actual speeding ticket, would I have a shot at successfully contesting it in court with only the information that I've provided?
Is it possible that his equipment or use of equipment could have produced an erroneous speed measurement?
Thanks in advance for any responses.
Edit: Sorry for the novel, but I wanted to provide you with as much information as possible and I attempted to include ONLY facts.
About 2 miles down the road, I saw a police cruiser approaching me from the rear with flashing lights (I assume that it was the same gentleman that I'd passed minutes before, as I saw no other vehicles). There were no other vehicles in sight (besides the semi that I had passed a couple of minutes before), so I pulled over. The officer exited his vehicle and approached the passenger side of my truck. I rolled down the window and greeted him (Good morning).
The officer politely asked me what "brought me to Illinois". I responded that I was taking a position with a company nearby, and I was currently going to meet a realtor to view a house that was in an adjacent town. The officer then stated that the maximum speed limit on Illinois highways is 65 MPH, and he "had me doing 73". I responded that I was not at all aware that I was traveling that fast. He asked me for my driver's license and proof of insurance, which I provided.
The officer went back to his cruiser and returned in short-order (2-3 minutes), and informed me that he was going to give me a written warning and it would not affect my driving record in any way. I thanked him and was on my way.
Some additional information that may or may not be of importance:
I checked my GPS after I arrived at the realtor's office and noted that the maximum speed achieved during the last 7 hours and 24 minutes of travel was 67 MPH.
I have been a licensed driver for 23 years and have never been ticketed for speeding. In fact, I have only been pulled over once (license plate bulbs burned out). I take pride in attempting to obey ALL traffic laws and having a spotless driving record.
6 days ago on the same stretch of highway (+/- 2 miles), I passed a parked cruiser. I noticed that he pulled out behind me and caught up rather quickly. He slowed down when he was a couple of car-lengths behind me in the other lane and paced me for about a mile or two. He then slowed down and took a "median" road back to the other side of the highway. There were no other vehicles in sight during this time.
The officer that pulled me over was completely professional and courteous.
Now, for the questions:
Should I have questioned the results of his "clocking"?
If I had received an actual speeding ticket, would I have a shot at successfully contesting it in court with only the information that I've provided?
Is it possible that his equipment or use of equipment could have produced an erroneous speed measurement?
Thanks in advance for any responses.
Edit: Sorry for the novel, but I wanted to provide you with as much information as possible and I attempted to include ONLY facts.