… There Were No Speed Limit Signs Posted on the Roadway?
Colorado law (C.R.S. § 42-4-1101) provides a presumptive maximum speed limit for motor vehicles driven on public highways and therefore in some cases it is not required for a speed limit sign to be present on the highway in order for a police officer to issue a speeding ticket. The law sets the following speed limits (except in cases where a special hazard, such as snow, fog or ice, exists that requires a lower speed):
a. Twenty miles per hour on narrow, winding mountain highways or on blind curves; |
b. Twenty-five miles per hour in any business district; |
c. Thirty miles per hour in any residence district; |
d. Forty miles per hour on open mountain highways; |
e. Forty-five miles per hour for all single rear axle vehicles in the business of transporting trash that exceed twenty thousand pounds, where higher speeds are posted; |
f. Fifty-five miles per hour on other open highways which are not on the interstate system and are not surfaced, four-lane freeways or expressways; |
g. Sixty-five miles per hour on surfaced, four-lane highways which are on the interstate system or are freeways or expressways; and |
h. Any speed not in excess of a speed limit designated by an official traffic control device. |
… the Officer Refused to Show Me the Radar or Lidar Speed Gun Display?
In Colorado, there are no laws that require a police officer to show a driver the Radar (traditional Radar) or Lidar (Light Detecting and Ranging) speed gun results. Sometimes officers allow drivers to view the results and sometimes they don’t; however, there is no legal requirement that the officer show the display to the driver.
… the Officer Was Sitting in the Dark Without His Parking Lights On?
While some states do require a police officer who is working traffic enforcement to keep at least his parking lights on, Colorado does not adhere to any such requirement; and, accordingly, a police officer is not required to have any lights on when he is shooting Radar or Lidar.
… Can I Automatically Get the Ticket Dismissed By Merely Hiring an Attorney?
No. While a couple of states do dismiss speeding tickets automatically when an attorney is retained, the courts in Colorado do not operate that way. If the attorney finds a legal problem with the way a ticket was issued, the case might be dismissed by the court if the problem is sufficient enough to warrant a dismissal; otherwise, the case will not be dismissed upon the mere hiring of an attorney.