Speeding Tickets & Stop Signs

Get a speeding or stop sign ticket and want to fight it? Being well versed on this issue, I would say more often than not, the traffic signage is incorrectly installed thus making the ticket void.

Below is a recent example...

From Reno Gazette Journal --

James Killian, a civil engineer with the Nevada Department of Transportation, argued the ticket he received in April for going 39 mph in a 25 mph zone was unenforceable because the speed limit sign was too small and didn’t comply with uniform traffic codes adopted by the state in 2003.

Elko Justice of the Peace Al Kacin agreed, and dismissed the citation.

Now county and Spring Creek Association employees are taking inventory of traffic signs, trying to determine how many may need to be replaced if the local jurisdictions are required to comply with the updated standards.

Traffic signage location is a very critical aspect of road construction. In the above incident it only resulted in a speeding ticket being dismissed. Imagine the lawsuits if there were a fatal accident at a 4-way intersection and the Stop sign was incorrectly installed. Because of these liabilities, some of the more pro-active municipalities are using traffic engineers to review city-wide signage for violations. I would say the county and Spring Creek Association should be grateful.

In Ohio, the regulations for traffic signage and anything traffic related (striping, traffic signals, construction zones, etc...) is very specific and can be found in the Ohio Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (OMUTCD). Everything from the size of the sign, lettering, color scheme, height of sign, angle of sign, type of post and all the way down to the type of bolts to fasten the sign is regulated.