The Hardest Vermont Speeding Ticket to Win or Reduce

There are certain speeding tickets where the odds are heavily stacked agains the driver facing the violation.  Of these tickets, the violation that takes the proverbial most difficult to defend title, is the speeding in a work zone on an interstate highway violation.  Here is why:

1)  Points:  No matter how fast or slow you are going on the highway, Vermont speeding tickets on the interstate carry with them 2 points.  This means that unless the police officer is willing to dismiss the speeding ticket, then there is no room to negotiate the violation downward to mitigate the damage done.

2)  Fine:  Police officers are authorized to double any speeding violation in a work zone.  As a result of being able to impose such a hefty fine, Vermont State Police, who are customarily the agency who issue these tickets, come to their hearings more often then when dealing with local violations.  They also come more prepared, as they know that a substantial amount of revenue is on the line.

3)  Use of the Lidar radar instead of the Doplar.  Lidar radars are inherently more accurate and easier to use then the Doplar, which is customarily used by local police agencies.  Given that there is no annual maintenance needed on the Lidar, it becomes more difficult to challenge its reliability.

4)  Unwillingness to negotiate:  Given the fact that the points being issued are as low as they can be for a Vermont violation, the steep fine imposed and the severity police officers look at speeding in work zone violations due to the numerous fatal accidents that occur in these zones each year,police are less willing to budge off their position if they feel they have a strong case.  Judges are also more compelled to tack on additional fees if the motorist takes the case to trial and looses.  This puts the motorist at a higher exposure then if they elected to just pay the ticket

If a motorist receives a Vermont speeding ticket in a work zone, they must contemplate all of these issues before determining what is best for them.