Category Archives: MOTOR VEHICLES

How to Keep a Speeding Ticket off your Minnesota Driving Record: The Dimler Amendment (M.S. 171.12, Subd 6)

Most attorneys know that even a single speeding ticket can spike insurance premiums, jeopardize a commercial license, or contribute to a driver’s license suspension depending on the individual’s past driving history. But few attorneys—and even fewer clients—know that a little-known Minnesota statute, the “Dimler Amendment,” can prevent many minor speeding convictions from ever appearing on a driver’s official record.

In this Training Update, we take a deep dive into M.S. 171.12, subd. 6, which quietly shields certain low-level speeding violations in 55 and 60 mph zones from being reported on a person’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) driving record. When used correctly, it can protect your clients’ insurance rates, help avoid license sanctions, and preserve clean records for job or court purposes.

This is a practical tool every criminal and family law attorney should have in their legal toolkit. Whether you’re negotiating a minor traffic ticket for a client, helping a friend or family member, or even dealing with your own citation—knowledge of the Dimler Amendment is power.

This update explains:

  • Which violations qualify and which don’t;
  • How and when to ask for a speed reduction;
  • What role judges, prosecutors, and officers each play;
  • What to do if you’re charged with a non-speeding infraction.

Read the full training update here:
👉 Click to Read Martine Law Training Update 25-6 – The Dimler Amendment

Special thanks to Martine Law attorneys Tyler Martin and Abbey Rostamo for generously contributing their insight and expertise to this update.


NOTE: This training update is also available on the Minnesota Judicial Training and Education Website. While visiting, you can subscribe to receive notifications of new updates. Please share this training update with colleagues, clerks, or anyone who would benefit from staying current on Minnesota law and litigation strategy.


Martine Law Training Updates will continue to focus on key areas of litigation, including Criminal and Family Law, Evidence and Procedure, and Trial Advocacy. With a subscriber base exceeding 3,500 attorneys, judges, and legal professionals, these updates reflect our firm’s commitment to the belief that legal education is the soul of the judiciary.

New Marijuana Law Training Update: What Every Minnesota Judge and Attorney Should Know

Dear Colleagues,

Minnesota’s marijuana laws have undergone sweeping changes—and the legal consequences for misapplying them can be severe. In our latest Martine Law Training Update (25-4), we unpack the most pressing and misunderstood issue in current search-and-seizure law:

Does the smell of marijuana alone still give officers probable cause to search a vehicle?
The Minnesota Supreme Court says no — and the Legislature has now codified that ruling into law.


This update dives into:

  1. The core holding of State v. Torgerson and how it reshapes warrantless vehicle search analysis
  2. Ten key facts from the 2023 Marijuana Reform Act
  3. How M.S. 169A.36 makes even trace THC in a vehicle a prosecutable offense—including legal hemp edibles and medical cannabis

Whether you practice criminal law, handle suppression issues, or just want to avoid costly legal missteps, this update is essential reading. Judges, prosecutors, and defense counsel alike must understand where the constitutional lines are drawn and how the marijuana reform laws interact with existing vehicle and drug statutes.

Click here for a print-ready copy of Martine Law Training Update 2025-4


NOTE: This training update is also available on the Minnesota Judicial Training and Education Website. While visiting, you can subscribe to receive notifications of new updates. Please share this training update with colleagues, clerks, or anyone who would benefit from staying current on Minnesota law and litigation strategy.


Martine Law Training Updates will continue to focus on key areas of litigation, including Criminal and Family Law, Evidence and Procedure, and Trial Advocacy. With a subscriber base approaching 3,500 attorneys, judges, and legal professionals, these updates reflect our firm’s commitment to the belief that legal education is the soul of the judiciary.


The Driver’s Safety Guide For Motor Vehicle Stops and An Introduction To The TURNSIGNL On-Demand Lawyer App

Law Enforcement officers are responsible for conducting traffic stops when they have reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation or a criminal violation. Being stopped by an officer can be a stressful experience for the driver, any passengers, and the officer, too. Knowing what to do during the stop will help ensure the safety of the driver and the safety of others.  

If you get pulled over by a police officer while driving, it’s important that you not only know what you should do but also what you should not do. And, of course, every driver should have a basic understanding of what their rights are. This training update will address three (3) important topics:

  • Steps To Take Before You Are Stopped By The Police;
  • Steps To Take If You Are Being Pulled Over By The Police;
  • IMPORTANT: During The Stop Follow These Basic Rules;

This Training Update will also introduce an innovative On-Demand Lawyer App that every driver (and parents of young drivers) should be aware of. The TURNSIGNL mobile On-Demand Lawyer App won the prestigious 2022 American Bar Association New Technology Award.

The TurnSignl mobile App provides 24/7/365 on-demand teleconferencing with attorneys during traffic stops and after car accidents with the driver’s cell phone camera automatically recording the interaction. TurnSignl’s mission is to protect driver’s civil rights, de-escalate roadside interactions, and ensure drivers and law enforcement officers return home safely, focusing on marginalized communities including non-white and LGBTQ+ individuals.

All Judicial Training Updates including a simple and convenient legal research library can be found online at: Minnesota Legal Training and Education Blog.

Click the link below for a print-ready copy of our newest training update:

Judicial Training Update 23-2

How to Use the “Dimler Amendment” to Keep a Speeding Ticket off your Minnesota Driving Record

The Minnesota Dimler Amendment, originally enacted in 1986 and named after its sponsor, representative Chuck Dimler, governs which speeding violations are recorded on a driving record maintained by the Department of Public Safety. Application of the Dimler Amendment not only keeps a driving infraction off a person’s driving record but has the practical effect of insulating a driver’s insurance company from being notified of the speeding ticket.

This training update discusses everything you need to know about using the Dimler Amendment to keep a traffic ticket off your driving record.

Click on this Link for a print ready copy of my newest training update on the Dimler Amendment:

Pendleton update 23-1

MINNESOTA HANDBOOK ON MOTOR VEHICLE STOPS & WARRANTLESS SEARCHES (14-09)

Minnesota Handbook on Motor Vehicle Stops and Warrantless SearchesWHAT IS THE HANDBOOK? The Handbook is designed to provide judges, attorneys and law enforcement officers with a comprehensive reference guide to the laws governing motor vehicle stops and the seven (7) exceptions to the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement under which warrantless searches of motor vehicles may be justified. The Handbook is broken down into the following chapters:

  1. Motor Vehicle Stops;
  2. Search Incident to Arrest;
  3. Plain View Seizure of Evidence;
  4. Probable Cause Search for Evidence;
  5. Inventory Search;
  6. Protective Weapons Search;
  7. Consent Search;
  8. Medical Emergency Search;
  9. Overview.

CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO READ MORE

https://pendletonupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/handbook-on-motor-vehicle-stops-warrantless-searches.docx