I got a ticket last week from a mobile radar gun on a street where cars normally go fast. The equipment's license plate was kind of covered in dirt and I couldn't see it properly. Does that invalidate the fine or do I have to pay anyway?
Have you tried reaching out to city hall or the traffic department to dispute this? Mobile radar units have the same legal requirements as fixed ones - they need to be properly identified and calibrated. If the sign was so dirty that you couldn't read it, that's a valid point to challenge. It's worth filing an administrative appeal explaining exactly that - that the equipment wasn't properly identified at the time. Some people have managed to get these canceled in situations like this, but it'll depend on how your local traffic authority analyzes your case.
The fine is valid, yes, but you have arguments to contest it if you can document the problem. A mobile speed camera needs to be properly signaled and identified, and an identification plate covered in dirt is a weak point. The fact that you couldn't read the equipment's identification is a legitimate procedural failure that you can use in your defense.
What few people know is that you can request a complete photocopy of the infraction report from your local traffic department, including photos of the radar at the moment it caught you. If there are no photos proving adequate signaling, or if the identification plate is actually illegible in the images, you have a solid basis to contest it. Many fines get dismissed because the photographic documentation doesn't meet legal requirements.
File a formal protest with your municipal council or the traffic authority in your area. Include in your complaint the fact that the plate was covered and that this prevented you from correctly reading the equipment's identification. Give them a reasonable deadline to respond (they normally have 30 days). If they reject it, you can still appeal to the police or court, but often a well-founded contestation at this stage already settles the matter. Don't pay before you've exhausted these options.
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