§ 32-5A-177 — Charging Violations; Burden of Proof in Civil Actions; Arrest for Violation of Speed Laws Communicated from Officer Operating Measuring Device to Another Officer; Testimony Derived from Use of Speed Measuring Device

(a) In every charge of violation of any speed regulation in this article the complaint, also the summons or notice to appear, shall specify the speed at which the defendant is alleged to have driven, also the maximum speed applicable within the district or at the location.
(b) The provision of this article declaring maximum speed limitations shall not be construed to relieve the plaintiff in any action from the burden of proving negligence on the part of the defendant as the proximate cause of an accident.
(c) Any state trooper, upon receiving information relayed to him or her from a fellow officer stationed on the ground or in the air operating a speed measuring device that a driver of a vehicle has violated the speed laws of this state, may arrest the driver for violation of the laws where reasonable and proper identification of the vehicle and the speed of same has been communicated to the arresting officer.
(d) A witness otherwise qualified to testify shall be competent to give testimony against an accused violator of the motor vehicle laws of this state when such testimony is derived from the use of such speed measuring device used in the calculation of speed, upon showing that the speed measuring device which was used had been tested. However, the operator of any visual average speed computer device shall first be certified as a competent operator of such device by the department.
(e) Any person accused pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be entitled to have the officer actually operating the device appear in court and testify upon oral or written motion.

Legislative History

(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §8-108; Acts 1989, No. 89-828, p. 1659, §1.)