Seattle judge tossed man's speeding ticket over 'wordy' sign

July 6 (UPI) -- A Washington mad had a more than $200 speeding ticket dismissed by a local judge after arguing the signage in the school zone was "too wordy."

Judge Catherine Moore reversed a $234 citation issued to Jason Canfield of Seattle in May 2016 for driving 28 miles per hour in a 20 mile per hour school zone.

Municipal Court had previously upheld the citation, but Moore decided to overturn the ruling stating the presence of two signs which indicated the 20 mile per hour limit is enforced "WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT" and "OR WHEN FLASHING" is not consistent with national standards that suggest one sign to allow drivers to react more quickly.

"It's definitely something that impacts your reaction time, because you need time to see a sign, react to it, and then hit the brakes and slow down," Canfield told KIRO. "It takes quite a while to do that."

A similar case in 2014 encouraged the city of Seattle to change four of its signs and Canfield said he hopes to accomplish similar action.

"I want to let people know [about it], so there's some pressure on the city," he said.

Canfield said he hopes the Seattle Department of Transportation will review federal regulations and possibly install more clear advanced warnings.

"Give people an opportunity to follow the law, rather than, 'We'll nail you once and then you'll know better next time," he said.