I have a valentine one hardwired into my mirror. Around town in does a lot if false positives but once you get use to the different sounds it makes, you figure out witch one is for real. Works great on the interstate and I feel naked driving without one.
if you get one, get a good one. Either a v1 or Escort 9500.
Totally agree. I wont go on any trip of distance without my V1. I would not even mess with anything else, as they tend to have a few leds and beeps that go nuts everywhere, and are not able to give you enough information to rely on. The V1 is $399 well spent, imho.
In terms of fighting tickets, I nearly always contest the ticket and go to court. I lost my license once due to not fighting, and I will never do that again. Another govt cash grab for those who are not informed about the law and system in my opinion. If you contest the ticket, you have a decent chance of winning. I am something like 9-0 versus both city and state law enforcement in Oregon. Iowa is not that different. Here are my steps to winning:
1. When you get pulled over, be courteous. Do not admit anything however. Take note of all the surroundings mentally. You will have time to take notes when the officer is doing your paperwork. Get out a notepad and jot down what was said, weather conditions, traffic conditions, etc.
2. Show up to contest the ticket, or notify the office that you are contesting. In Oregon, you show up to say you are "not guilty" if you want to contest. They schedule a court date for you after that. The clerks here are programmed to talk you into pleading "guilty" or "no contest" which is not really too much difference. Either way they get your $$ without any more discussion.
3. Prepare for court. Go to the local law library or online and look up the statute you violated, allegedly. Note if the officer was correct in what he wrote the violation for. Often there is some doubt if they noted everything correct on the ticket. Copy the statute, and study it. Print a copy for court, along with a photocopy of the ticket.
4. Once in court, have all your documents ready, along with possible photographs of the scene of your violation. With smartphones, printing photos of the location of the violation may be helpful and necessary. I have done this a time or two to help explain the situation.
5. In court, dress nice, shave/prep appearance wise. In my experience, even as a younger adult (say 30 years old or less) there are people that come in to court with hats on sideways, pants sagging of their ***, unshaven, etc. Obviously do not be one of these people.....they are typically guilty by appearance alone. My thoughts are, be professional, polite, and confident. Dress for a job interview.
6. Once in court, the judge will have the officer (if they show up....this is hit and miss in terms of percentage of their attendance) present his side of the violation. Typically they have a small notepad that states very little in terms of the violation....basically saying he was in a patrol car, in uniform, and clocked/observed you speeding/doing something illegal. After this, you have your turn to present your own case.
7. I typically thank the judge for hearing my side, as well as I thank the officer for being there and serving the community. This is being professional, and kissing a little *** at the same time. Cops do not have easy jobs, and you are showing that you recognize this. Its respectful, timely, and important in court. After that, present your side of the story. Be honest, present facts, and other information that may place some doubt in the judge's mind. If there could have been a mistake in the facts, make sure you present this. Show documents, quote the statute, etc for whatever is applicable here. I typically will not cross examine the officer, as that can be dicey as a regular joe (not attorney). Most judges probably do not want you to do that, as it may ruin your credibility as a "good regular joe".
7. Thank the judge, and answer their questions if they have any. I have had them ask a few questions most times, and they are usually just clarifying what you have presented. Some times they ask the officer some questions. At this point you are in good shape if you have created any doubt in the mind of the judge. After they have rendered many others in the courtroom guilty (people that are not prepared, saggy pants, disrespectful idiots, etc) you may be given a "not guilty" or at the minimum, a significant reduction in your fine.
Like I said, I am like 9-0 in court here in Oregon. There were times I was really not guilty, and others I probably was dead to rights. Show up, contest, and let the system figure it out. I have appealed a time or two as well, and that came out in my favor as well. The key is to not have any tickets on your record.....unfortunately. Once you have one, it can snowball....that, and you lose a lot of credibility when you get pulled over again, or if you go to court. Once you are clean....stay that way. I have not had a ticket stick since I moved to Oregon....nearly 17 years. The first year I got my sports car back in 1999 (1991 Nissan 300zx twin turbo) I got pulled over 19 times.....zero tickets that stuck however. I drove nuts, but was also both lucky and smart about dealing with them. I have since mellowed out.....most of the time.
Good luck.....get a Valentine 1 too.
