Thaindian News

Ohio, Jun 18 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that the police don’t need radar readings to issue speeding tickets. They can issue the speeding tickets based on their gut feelings and educated guesses.

Even though radar and laser readings might do the job more accurately, yet they aren’t mandatory at all. The ruling was made with a 5-1 verdict. The court also added that the police officer could use his judgment in making the assumption of speed and issue the ticket. The court added that, “a police officer’s unaided visual estimation of a vehicle’s speed is sufficient”. The court also clarified that all the same the officer ought to be trained and also experienced enough at the task of the estimation of speeds.

This ruling was primarily made on the 2 year old case, in which a police officer had stopped a motorist, for speeding at 81 mph in a zone, where the maximum speed limit was just 60 mph. The judge didn’t uphold the officer’s citation, as there was no radar reading in this case. Later he appealed against this ruling in the Supreme Court.

“It’s the Basic Speed Law and it means that you have to drive in a manner that is safe for the existing road conditions. Motorists must drive at a speed which will allow them to stop in an assured distance ahead,” according to Sgt. Doug Topolski, who is a traffic safety officer for the Dearborn Police Department.