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I was pulled over yesterday for speeding. It was a speed trap with 2 cars and 3 officers. Both cars were hidden from view and to me it looked like 3 guys standing at the side of the road. It was only at the last minute I realized that it was a speed trap. I was under the impression that police cars at speed traps had to visible from a certain distance away. Is this still true??

If you could see them in time to slow down, it wouldn't be a trap now would it?

Because it is an absolute liability offense, using "I wouldn't have been speeding if I knew the police were there" as a defense really won't hold up in front of a JP.

Did one radar/lidar you and another pull you over to take your information and give you the ticket? If that is the case then they both have to show up at court to convict you. The radar operator's badge number would be in the "witness" area near the top of the ticket if it is the case. Adjournments (from the court's actions) are really helpful in this situation because they have to coordinate both officers' schedules to appear.

sean1966 wrote: I was under the impression that police cars at speed traps had to visible from a certain distance away. Is this still true??

No, and it's never been true to my knowledge. Some police services may have policies recommending certain levels of visibility (i.e. wearing a reflective vest when directing traffic), but it's irrelevant to the offence itself. As stated above, it cannot be used as a defence in Court.