Receiving a speeding ticket is never fun – between fees, fines, and increased insurance costs, you are looking at a lot more than $400. In Ohio, it is a lot harder to fight that ticket. The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that “trained” officers can rely on visual estimates to hand out legally binding speeding tickets.
Ohio Speeding ticket and court case
A 5 to 1 decision of the Ohio Supreme Court stated that officers do not need verifiable proof to issue a speeding ticket. The officer has to be “trained” in estimating speed. This means it’s just your word against the officer’s. The supreme court of Ohio is quick to point out that this is not what they desire to see as policy, but what the constitution allows.
The reality of speeding tickets financially
Most small towns will use speeding tickets for a lot more than just some safety enforcement. There are a couple of cities making a lot more than 30 percent of their budget from traffic enforcement. An average speeding ticket within the United States costs about $150, and increased insurance costs can run up to $300 over three years from just the first infraction. Some states — such as Florida — have even passed laws that say cities aren’t allowed to make any money more than 30 percent of their income from speeding tickets. Some states have even instituted systems where speeding tickets can be paid for on the spot with a credit card.
Reaction to the Ohio speeding ticket case
Around the world, millions criticize Ohio. The ACLU says that this case will open up Ohio to possible racial profiling, stops for no reason and civil liberty violations. Within the Ohio congress, SB 280 was introduced to address this concern. Senator Tim Grendell and Senator Capri Cafaro have introduced a bipartisan bill requiring some kind of verifiable evidence for speeding tickets.
