Was this Tesla Cybertruck targeted by the Georgia State Patrol?
"I was given a 'super-speeder' ticket in Georgia. The State Patrol officer said I was going 89 mph when my Tesla Cybertruck was on cruise control at 82 mph. Now, I risk losing my license."
Brantley May says that in a Tesla Cybertruck Owner's Facebook post. He thinks the Georgia State Patrol unjustly targeted him for speeding excessively in his Tesla Cybertruck. Check out his story, and let us know what you think.
First, imagine driving your Tesla Cybertruck on a rural interstate highway in Georgia, and you have your cruise control set at 82 miles per hour. However, the speed limit is 70 miles per hour.
You spot a State Patrol car ahead of you in the left lane, and it's going the same speed as you are. The officer pulls into the right lane to let you pass him. After you pass him, he returns to the left lane, turns his lights on, and pulls you over.
Now, the State Patrol officer says you are going 89 miles per hour and gives you a "super-speeder" ticket, anything over 85 miles per hour. However, your cruise was set at 82 mph. You risk losing your license if you don't pay the ticket and the extra fine.
Was the Patrol officer's radar malfunctioning, or was this a case of a Tesla Cybertruck being unfairly targeted by the Georgia State Patrol? Brantley's story certainly raises some questions.
Here is what Brantley says.
"I'm driving through Georgia, and this officer gave me a ticket for going 89 miles per hour, but we are going the same speed. I will show you what happens in my dash cam video."
"The Georgia State Patrol car brakes and slows to leave the passing lane. So, I thought, okay, that's nice, he's getting out of the passing lane, and I'm on cruise control by the way. It's set at 82 miles per hour. So, I'm maintaining the same speed. I'm not speeding up or changing speeds."
"Soon after, the officer turned his lights on and pulled me over. So, the officer is behind me, my Cybertyruck is on autopilot, and I still have it on cruise control, at 82 miles per hour. "
"He comes up to my window, and the officer tells me I was going 89 miles per hour, and anything in Georgia over 85 miles per hour is considered a 'super-speeder' fine."
"I said, No, I was on cruise control, going 82 miles per hour, being honest, so I was going 82, but he refuted that and said no, you were going 89 mph. He explained that my super-speeder fine means paying an additional fine since I was doing an excessive speed."
"If I don't pay it, my license will be suspended, and a warrant will be out for my arrest. So, I’m like sheesh, okay."
Brantley Calculated His Speed Using His Dash Cam Video
"So, what I did, was to just calculate how fast I was going using the video footage from my truck. So, I calculated my speed based on the 40-foot distance between the end of each white divider line on the highway from end to end and how long it takes to travel between them."
"I passed the first line that's 40 ft, the second 80 ft, and the third line 120 ft. It took exactly one second. If you do the math, 120 feet in one second is 81.8 miles per hour. So, I was only going 82 miles per hour."
Does Brantley Pay the Fine or Fight It In Court?
"Now, I have to drive back up to Georgia to present my case or I can just pay the ticket or have my license suspended and a warrant out for my arrest.
What is the speed limit in Georgia on a rural interstate divided highway?
The speed limit in Georgia is 70 miles per hour on a rural interstate, 65 miles per hour on an urban interstate or a multi-lane divided highway, and 55 miles per hour in all other areas.
Brantley was driving his Tesla Cybertruck on a rural interstate highway, so he was going 12 miles per hour over the legal speed limit. He admits to that. However, he was going 82 miles per hour.
What is a "super-speeder" fine in Georgia?
The super speeder fine in Georgia is an extra $200 penalty added to speeding tickets. This fine is assessed in addition to any other fines and court costs related to the initial speeding violation. Super speeders are drivers exceeding 75 mph on a two-lane road or 85 mph on any other road or highway. So, the officer was being truthful with Brantley.
However, the officer's radar did not calculate his speed correctly, or Brantley was targeted because he was driving a Tesla Cybertruck. What do you think?
Conclusion
The Georgia State Patrol baited Branley. The officer pulled over to let the Cybertruck pass him. This was Branley's first mistake. He should have slowed to the legal speed limit, 70 miles per hour, and pulled into the slower traffic lane.
Branley's second mistake was to pass the officer, not slow down, and he maintained his speed, which was 12 miles per hour over the speed limit. Any State Patrol officer will think you are either flagrantly disobeying the speed limit or not paying attention to what's happening around you.
Passing a State Patrol officer when speeding is just asking for trouble. Arguing with him was his third mistake after he passed the officer and did not even attempt to slow down.
Does Brantley have a case where he can prove he wasn't going 89 miles per hour?
He probably does, but it will take a day in court, hiring an attorney, and paying the extra court costs. Brantley should bite the bullet and pay the additional $200 super-speeder fine and $150 for going 19 mph over the posted speed limit. So, he'll have a $350 speeding ticket plus the additional court costs related to the initial speeding violation.
So, it was an expensive lesson for Brantley.
The Georgia State Patrol officer claims Brantley was speeding at 89 miles per hour, a significant violation leading to a 'super-speeder' ticket. However, Brantley insists his cruise control was set at 82 mph. The stakes are high, with Brantley risking his license and being arrested if he doesn't pay the fine.
In the Facebook post comments, Mark Gabriel Martinez says, “Scenarios like this are just better not to push your luck with law enforcement (even though you were going with the flow of traffic or above the speed limit a bit). I’d slow down to the speed limit or less than 4 mph above. Not worth the trouble and wasted money.”
Brantley says, “I agree! I was being a little cocky and it backfired.”
What Do You Think?
Was Branley targeted because he drives a Tesla Cybertruck? Click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know your thoughts.
Check out my Tesla Cybertruck story: My Tesla Cybertruck Just Drove Itself Back To the Dealer Because of the Heavy Debt I Owe, Come Back Cybertruck
I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Reporter since 2012. My 30+ year tenure in the automotive industry, initially in a consulting role with every major car brand and later as a freelance journalist test-driving new vehicles, has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge. I specialize in reporting the latest automotive news and providing expert analysis on Subaru, which you'll find here, ensuring that you, as a reader, are always well-informed and up-to-date. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.
Photo credit: Denis Flierl
Comments
He had better get some…
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He had better get some actual legal advice from a real traffic ticket lawyer before he simply pays that ticket as that counts as a conviction. In many states a speeding conviction of 89 mph will cause you to lose your license. The Georgia conviction will get sent to the state that issued his driver’s license. So if he lives out of state he may need to get legal advice at home and in Georgia. It will almost certainly be cheaper to hire a lawyer and present his evidence of speed and maybe get that ticket knocked down or dismissed than to pay the additional insurance premiums he will get when that 89 mph conviction hits his insurance company. And it will. Was he targeted? Yeah, for driving more than 10 mph over the speed limit. He could have been driving a Sentra and would have gotten that ticket after passing the trooper while speeding. That is what got him pulled over.
You can show my comment if…
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You can show my comment if you want to, but not my name. He was singling out that Tesla cyber truck. Why else if the truck was just going at the same rate of speed as everybody else just going with the flow, Then why did he slow up and get behind him and then pull him over. Why not somebody else?
I'd say he's lying and was…
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I'd say he's lying and was doing the 89. If not he'd just show-up to court with his Cybertrucks gps tracking data for the time of the incident and prove that he was doing the speed he claimed. Also, he obviously deserves the ticket, who passed a State Trooper speeding? He apparently thought his truck was so impressive, that the cop was just slowing down to look at it.
At the end of the day…
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At the end of the day whether the radar was correct or not, the judge is gonna say, you broke the law and you admit you continued speeding after passing the cop. I say pay the fine, and avoid screwing with law enforcement. That's never a good idea.
The risk of having your…
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The risk of having your driver's license has nothing to do with whether or not you pay your fine! It would be nice if that was true but it isn't! If you don't pay your fine or go to court you might a warranty issued.
But even if you pay the fine the traffic ticket is going to be in your record and you will be at risk of having your driver's license suspended. You should go to court and plead your case especially if that not the first ticket you've received in the past three years! It only takes about three tickets in three years to have your driver's license suspended!
First you were speeding at…
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First you were speeding at least 12 over by your own statement. Next is your speedometer calibrated for accuracy, probably not the troopers is. Last of all you never pass a cop car that will get you pulled over 100% of the time.
Don't speed. Problem solved.
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Don't speed. Problem solved.
I don't think the officer…
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I don't think the officer targeted the cyber truck. From the beginning of the article. I got tesla entitlement vibes. Could the officers radar be malfunctioning? Could the cyber truck speedometer be malfunctioning? Absolutely to both. However, with officer starting in front of the cyber truck and then moving over to the right lane to allow the cyber truck to pass tells me the officer was driving the speed limit and allowed the speeding vehicle pass by. My guess is the driver of the cybertruck either was cruising at 92 not 82 and was clocked at 89. Dead giveaway was the entitled tesla driver throwing blame on everything except for his actions or the possibility of the cyber truck malfunctioning. By now I feel everyone knows about all the problems tesla has had in general. Sorry tesla driver you over payed for your truck. Next time buy a Ford F250 Shelby for 150k
Oh it wasn't because of the…
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Oh it wasn't because of the cybertruck. Georgia highway patrol is just corrupt and knows most people won't even fight them. It happened to me in my Tiguan and I know countless others that have had similar stories. In short, F the state of Georgia. You will win in court, if you can provide proof.
He should absolutely not…
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He should absolutely not bite the bullet and pay the fine. He should fight it because if he pays the fine and admits to the offense it will follow him for the next 5 years on insurance rates and they will go up drastically
Worse is that most…
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Worse is that most jurisdiction double fine after 168 hours, which no way they are getting a court date under that.
Speed limit is 70. Setting…
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Speed limit is 70. Setting your cruise to 82 is still speeding. Set it no higher than 75. Don't feel sorry for you, your fault.
Passed a cop in a shwasticar…
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Passed a cop in a shwasticar going at least 12 miles over the limit we got a real genius here
What are you doing going 82?…
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What are you doing going 82? You deserve the bigger ticket for being dumb.
Maybe he needs to have the…
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Maybe he needs to have the dealership Service tech check his cruise control, could be off a few miles. I do not believe he was being targeted. We all should know never pass a state trooper, especially if you know you are already exceeding the speed limit. I have drove through Georgia on many occasions and I go through that state doing the posted speed limit. I would say it is better to go ahead and pay the fine. Maybe it will help to ask if there is a traffic school program that he can do in his home state that would help to make his auto insurer not raise his premium. Good luck.
Just because your…
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Just because your speedometer displays a number does not mean you are being told an accurate speed.
All car's speedos are subject to manufacturing accuracy, wheel wear, transmission gearing, pavement and air temperature, and other factors. Most are lucky to be within 10% and even then their accuracy varies throughout its range.
Most jurisdictions will grant you 5 mpg grace, but they don't have to.
On the flip side, if he used radar or laser to catch you, that's also inaccurate and subject to environmental conditions at the point of measurement, other traffic in the immediate area, competence of the operator, and RECENT calibration of the device. Don't let the officer or court tell you otherwise - they'll gladly lie for the revenue.
In your case, you're so far over, there's no hope.
I was coming through Georgia…
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I was coming through Georgia a couple of years ago and I was growing 110 miles per hour and it had been raining. I saw the officer on the side of the road and tried to slow down but I couldn't hit my brakes because the road was wet. The officer pull me over and said he clocked me at 102 mph and wanted to know why I was going so fast. I told him I wasn't paying attention. He didn't ask me do you know how many times I heard that? I then told him probably a hell of a lot more times than I've had to say it. He laughed and went to his car and wrote me a ticket for 99 miles per hour so he wouldn't have to take me to jail. The fine cost me $1, 000.00. lesson learned I drive slower now. You're driving a freaking Tesla cybertruck. Pay the damn fine and get over it dumba$$!
Take the truck to a repair…
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Take the truck to a repair shop and check the calibration. Has to be less than the ticket. Then you won't waste our time with a chicken s~~t story.
I think he w was cocky like…
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I think he w was cocky like he said.
He made those fatal 3 mistakes as stayed.
No, he wasn’t targeted because of the Tesla.
How do we know if the Tesla wasn’t wrong with it’s calibration.
Suck it up and pay the fines.
It’s going to cost you more to fight, unless you’re cocky again.
You’ll loose.
He should have given you a…
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He should have given you a ticket for being a nuisance, since you were going only 89. No one in Georgia drives under 100 mph on the highway! You are possibly the only person I have ever heard of that actually passed a police car on the highway! For insurance purposes, I would fight the ticket. Good luck.
Hire a lawyer. You will have…
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Hire a lawyer. You will have your day in court and probably have the super speeder reduced to regular speeder.
Have ever heard Georgia's…
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Have ever heard Georgia's state motto?
Georgia, come on vacation, leave on probation.
So OP goes over 80 mph in a…
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So OP goes over 80 mph in a 70 mph speed limit area and seems to think it's unfair that they got a speeding ticket lol. Just bc you're a right-winged conservative and fan of Elon Musk doesn't mean you can violate traffic laws and get away with it lol. Also OP isn't a victim nor did the cop "profile" them for owning a Tesla. They were going 10+ mph over the speed limit which is a "super speeding" ticket in most states lol
Tesla is known for messing…
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Tesla is known for messing with their odometers. In this case they probably have the truck registering a slower speed than actual. The driver was probably going 89 when he thought he was going slower. You can't trust Tesla (cyber truck) with any of their vehicle set ups. I believe the police officer, not Tesla anf their vehicles.
Former mfg rep in Northeast…
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Former mfg rep in Northeast for 50 years. Speed limit 65. Set cruise at 69!!! Respected safety.
Retired to Fl at 71. No speed traps on 95 or Fl Tpke. No State police. Move here and you can drive like everyone else 80-85, Wild West here.
You deserve jail time for…
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You deserve jail time for stupidity alone. Now you want compound your stupidity and waste time/money. And your vote counts the same as mine.
1. He's travellings in the…
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1. He's travellings in the left lane on a two lane highway. That's illegal. The left lane is for passing only. The only cars allowed to travel in that lane are cops and 1st responders.
2. He was speeding well over the limit. The fact he's trying to count feet tells you he's lying. The arrogant asshole sped past highway patrol like he was entitled. He was clocked at 89, he was doing 89.
3. Glad the cop was there and I hope the courts get him off the road. Driving is not a right.
What a terrible piece of…
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What a terrible piece of advice to tell someone to claim a guilty charge when it is obvious this officer needs disciplinary action for filing false charges if his radar does not corroborate the accusation. You are essentially asking them to lie under oath and claim they were breaking a law that they weren't. If someone has an accident and someone dies, should they plead guilty to murder? The aggravated speeding is likely to drive his insurance up greatly, if they are in good standing, and may get them dropped if they are not, which might be the case if they are regularly speeding. Sure, he was speeding, but that is a simple case to cop to, with a fine, if that's all he gets charged with. If the discovery finds that the officer was lying about his radar reading, there is a chance the case would get tossed completely, but most likely the cop won't show up to court, and the enhanced charges will be dropped, if not the ticket in its entirety. Bite the bullet? I think you meant "lick the boot".
For another $85 you can do…
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For another $85 you can do traffic school and at least keep it off your driving record??
Sorry, radar doesn't work…
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Sorry, radar doesn't work like that. The trooper likely paced him using his calibrated speedometer, but noted his speed in catching up, not while actually pacing him if the complaining speeder was truly going only 82. He surely didn't bait him, he just let him continue what he was already doing!
What sense of entitlement makes him think that going 12mph over, much less passing a state trooper at the same 12mph over is okay? It may be possible that there's a case that he isn't a "super-speeder" if he invests the time and money into an understandable defense, but he's still a speeder, and an admitted one at that. This would apply to anyone in any make of car, not just a Cybertruck. Funny he thinks it's the feelings of the trooper towards his truck and not his actions as a driver...
Pagination