Lawyer used technical experience to fight $100 speeding ticket
A lawyer in Washington, D.C., spent the past three years challenging a $100 ticket that he got for driving 61 mph in a 50 mph zone. (Image from Shutterstock)
A lawyer in Washington, D.C., spent the past three years challenging a $100 ticket that he got for driving 61 mph in a 50 mph zone.
In May, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with lawyer Matt Ricciardi, who argued that because traffic cameras have a margin of error of 1 mph, the city couldn’t prove that he was driving 11 mph over the speed limit, according to a story from NBC4 Washington. The city typically only tickets drivers for going 10 mph over the limit.
“The case wasn’t about the $100 citation,” Ricciardi told NOTUS, which also has coverage. “I pursued it because I believed that the district was wrongly citing tens of thousands of area drivers at a higher speed than it could prove.”
Ricciardi, who has experience with computer programming, also told NOTUS that he hopes that the city assesses tickets and fines fairly.
NBC4 Washington reports that his case could open the door to challenges from thousands of people who have been ticketed for driving 11 mph over the speed limit.
“[Automated safety camera] enforcement continues to be an effective tool for reducing dangerous driving and improving compliance with posted speed limits,” a spokesman for the District Department of Transportation told NBC4 Washington. “The Ricciardi case centers on regulatory requirements that have not kept pace with technology and current standards, rather than the accuracy or effectiveness of the program.”
“DDOT is reviewing regulatory and administrative changes to accurately reflect the current state of operations and standards,” the spokesman also said.
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