I just got a $286 speeding ticket, ask me anything...

[neoteric lefty]

except how the hell I am going to pay for it :( I don't think it was possible for me to go that fast in the situation but I am not gonna try to contest it cuz no radar records are kept in the city I live in. It would be my word versus the cop's and I am sure the magistrate would side with Porky whenever he/she can.

[Droopy]

1. How fast did the cop say you were going?

And in what speed zone? That's a hell of a ticket.

[neoteric lefty]

8. he said

it was 70 in a 35. The thing is that I have a Mustang GT with 3.72 gears in it. That mean that the power arcs in my car are lower (More power at lower RPMs so I get quicker starts). The problem is that as I accelerate the RPMs rise much quicker, I have to shift gears at lower speeds. I know I was in 4th gear while driving on that road and if I had been going 70 mph, I probably would have been running near 4500 rpm. I never drive at that high an RPM unless I am racing.

Also, the guy who clocked me was not the guy who pulled me over. The officer who pulled me over was quite nice and we spoke for a few minutes. Then the motorcycle cop pulled up and he came up to me and started spewing the crap, "Are you trying to kill someone, boy?" I was so ready to be sarcastic and say, "Yea, I was going for small children and the elderly but they don't seem to be out during rush hour."

I know I was speeding and I am just gonna do the driving school thingie and pay the $241 fine. No more taking out the girlfriend for a month or so. :toast:

[JaySherman]

17. Sounds like you've got a case.

I would fight this, especially if the cop issuing the ticket wasn't the guy who clocked you.

Talk to a lawyer. Most will provide you a first time consultation free of charge.

[neoteric lefty]

20. I think I will speak wit ha lawyer

You guys have been boosting my "Fight the man" mentality. BTW, great avatar. I sure miss that show.

[JaySherman]

25. There's a reason I can't stand cops.

At least in my experience dealing with them, the great majority are arrogant jerks who look for ways to screw people using the law instead of just upholding it like they should. In your case, from reading your other posts, it sounds like they saw a kid in a sports car (Sorry, I don't know your age) and decided you needed to be taught a lesson.

As Jay would say, "It STINKS!" :evilgrin:

[neoteric lefty]

26. I think he saw my car

and radioed his buddy to pull me over. I know I was speeding but 70 seems damn high for that road. I'm in my 20s but I got a baby face so you may have a point.

[TX-RAT]

33. Might i suggest

Considering the amount of info you gave us about the mechanics of your car.....Keep your mouth shut and hire a lower.

[neoteric lefty]

34. huh?

by 'lower' I guess you mean LAWYER. The problem is that the modifications on my car are perfectly legal. I have not taken off the catalytic converters and I have not broke any exhaust noise ordnances. I'm checking into the lawyer option but I don't see why I should keep my mouth shut.

[Skittles]

35. Um - usually after 25mph over you cannot take the class

you are lucky they didn't take you to jail.

[ringmastery]

2. you should contest it anyway

Go to a traffic attorney. Have the attorney scheldule a hearing and then re-scheldue it and then possibly re-scheldule it a third time.

If the traffic cop doesn't show at any of the hearings for whatever reason, it should get dismissed.

[Dogmudgeon]

15. Not a good idea

Some judges become abusive if you do that without a valid excuse. Your dear old gray-haired granny can only die so many times.

--bkl

[TXlib]

30. Yes, it's a good idea. Do it.

This is exactly what my attourney did.

He rescheduled once, at my arraignment. On my day in court, the cop didn't show. Apparently, there's about a 50% chance that will happen.

[Dogmudgeon]

31. Yes and No

Good show, TXlib; but I was referring to the practice of repeatedly cancelling and re-scheduling. You seem to have had a good lawyer and won out.

In general:

If your attorney reschedules once, that's usually OK.

Twice, with a Damned Good Excuse.

If you are defending yourself, you can usually get a reschedule, too, but you may have to beg the judge. Twice is probably pushing the bounds of reality. Judges are harder on individuals representing themselves.

Rescheduling several times -- even trying to -- is not advisible, even if a lawyer is doing it. A good lawyer will know what s/he can get away with, and with whom, but being a smartass-at-law is not a good idea.

Again -- good luck.

--bkl

[swag]

3. Did the cop

have an ass that was cut like a basketball?

[JaySherman]

4. Did you thank the nice policeman...

Before or after flipping him off?

[DS1]

5. tell me when you get to $450

newbie :evilgrin:

[neoteric lefty]

9. hehe

thanks for the laugh

[MotR]

6. A good radar/laser detector is much cheaper.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Why don't you fight it? Even without a lawyer, you can talk to the cop

and the prosecutor and get the ticket amended to a smaller speeding ticket with fewer points and a lesser fine.

Trust me. This is done every day. The only time you run into trouble is when you have a sheet of prior motor vehicle convictions, especially speeding. If you are otherwise "clean", then plead not guilty RIGHT AWAY and DON'T MISS YOUR COURT DATE. Otherwise, the judge will issue an arrest warrant for you.

A good traffic attorney is worth the investment BTW.

Good luck.

[neoteric lefty]

10. this is my first speeding ticket

but if I take the driving course are the points totally taken off? It just happened earlier and I haven't looked into it too much yet. The money isn't the big thing, it is the points on my record.

[neoteric lefty]

12. nevermind

I just read that the points are waived if you do school. How much would a lawyer cost?

[ringmastery]

18. Did you get stopped in Gainesville?

Which intersection?

[neoteric lefty]

19. yep

On Archer just west of Shands. It was during rush hour. You may know that it is pretty hard to be able to speed up that much on Archer Road during rush hour. It is usually bumper to bumper.

[JaySherman]

14. If you plead not guilty

The prosecutor will usually knock a first-time offense down to a 0 point violation, although your fine may go up. But the amount of money you save on insurance in the long run makes extra $100 you pay up front worth it. That's what happened to me last year.

FYI, when you show up for your court date, make sure you talk to the prosecutor FIRST. Arrive at least an hour before the schedule time, because these guys are usually swamped with people doing the same thing you are.

[JaySherman]

11. Sometimes you can also postpone the court date several times.

If it's been long enough the cop either forgets or doesn't bother to show up. Then just plead not guilty to the judge and if the cop isn't there as a witness they can't do anything about it. A good lawyer will make this much easier.

[Dogmudgeon]

13. If you decide to fight

There are a number of good legal self-help books for dealing with traffic violations. Call legal aid or a law school. You may decide you want a lawyer anyway, but it's always good to understand the law.

In most places, if you are prepared to challenge the ticket, they will try to get you to accept a no-points citation and payment of the ticket. Then you can schedule payment of the ticket over 6 months or a year, depending on your circumstances. Mainly, they want the money, or at least a legal debt they can sell to a collector.

Or, you can fight it all the way ... but understanding the law first is a must. Generally, you'd be challenging the technicalities of the ticket -- were the officers certified in using their speed-detection equipment, was the equipment inspected and calibrated by a licensed engineer, were they stopping and charging at least 65% of similar violators, etc. It varies from state to state, so be sure to read up on it.

Either way, it may be a very instructive $286, one that will profit you in the future, win or lose.

Good luck!

--bkl

[eileen from OH]

16. Next time (hopefully, there won't be one)

before the cop can say a word, ask him how to get to a local funeral home. My mother did this for YEARS. She'd act like the reason they stopped her was because they somehow knew she was lost, like they were doing her a favor. You would not believe how many times this worked. Especially compared to my penchant for the smart ass remark.
(which did not work AT ALL with the cop from Buttonville, Ontario.)

Hope you figure out how to pay and I am in complete sympathy.

BTW, in the other-tricks-that-work-dept. . .do you know that if you microwave your checks it screws up the scan and they have to process it by hand, thereby giving you a few more days to get your balance up so the check doesn't bounce?

eileen from OH (not that I've ever done it)

[Jack_Dawson]

22. Chix get away with stuff that Dudes wouldn't

Trust me.

[neoteric lefty]

24. yeah,

my tata's aren't that spectacular

[eileen from OH]

28. don't talk about my mother's tatas!

Cuz it is REALLY creeping me out. I mean, major "EWWWWWW". Geez, why not just bring up the time my grandpa dressed up as a freakin' CLOWN for my birthday? Do you have any idea how many years on the couch I spent over that?

Ah, crap, now I'm thinking about clowns again.
Bastard white-faced pervs.

eileen from OH (The Fragile One)

[Jack_Dawson]

21. You got off EASY

Had you had a couple beers, it would have been $12,000 + a tripling of your auto insurance. (Whew!)

[neoteric lefty]

23. being that it was at 5:30 pm on a tuesday

if I would have had a few beers in me that early, then I would have far more important problems than just my speeding.

[Jack_Dawson]

27. Ever been to Happy Hour?

It happens. Seriously it could've been much worse. But by all means fight the ticket. You have a 50/50 chance of the cop not even showing. OK maybe a 25/75 chance but it's still worth it. And go to ticket school or whatever itz called.

[TXlib]

29. Read my thread from yesterday; I got one dismissed.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=918354

[Zinfandel]

32. What's the tallest tree in the world?