Rolled through a stop sign...
04-25-2007, 01:39 PM
#31
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Here in NJ, the customary approach is to show up early for court, stand in line like everyone else and speak to the prosecutor about reducing the ticket (of course mentioning your "good boy" behavior). The cops here have no authority to reduce or squash tickets after they are written. That's the job of the municipal prosecutor. They quite often lower the violation to one that carries no points. They invented a new violation here called "unsafe driving" and they love to reduce tickets into its scope. It's no points but much more expensive than the original ticket so basically you buy your way out. The money is what they want anyway. Keep that in mind if pleading not guilty. Judges do not dismiss many without levying a fine.
04-25-2007, 03:30 PM
#32
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Originally Posted by wdonovan
Here in NJ, the customary approach is to show up early for court, stand in line like everyone else and speak to the prosecutor about reducing the ticket (of course mentioning your "good boy" behavior). The cops here have no authority to reduce or squash tickets after they are written. That's the job of the municipal prosecutor. They quite often lower the violation to one that carries no points. They invented a new violation here called "unsafe driving" and they love to reduce tickets into its scope. It's no points but much more expensive than the original ticket so basically you buy your way out. The money is what they want anyway. Keep that in mind if pleading not guilty. Judges do not dismiss many without levying a fine.
In the third case I was technically over the limit, but along with everyone else doing the flow of traffic. I just happened to be driving a bright yellow S4 and the cop was training a rookie. That one went to court and as mention above got knocked down to the unsafe driving or whatever without any points. Just had to fork over $400.
As for our speed limits in NJ, I will respect them more when they are truly enforced or really mean something for safety. I am regulary pushed out to the way by unmarked State Police cars cruising to work at 90mph. (How do I know that - I see the same guys a couple of times a week and even pass a couple of their house and have seen them leaving the house to drive to work. My route heads right to the SP offices.)
And if you have a close relative on the force, you can basically walk away from most traffic violations. Drive the GSP or the TPK and you will see no one can safely drive the speed limit. You will be run over by just about everyone else.
Now if they would just enforce the no passing on the right and not yielding the left lane to faster traffic, I would be much happier and probably much safer.
04-25-2007, 04:01 PM
#33
Why, after you make a mistake....just roll over and play dead for the occifer ( I mean officer)......traffic cops are the lowest of them all!!! USELESS!!! ( no I didn't wait one second before I pressed the transmit button!!) When did a traffic cop EVER save a life?? 
Cops are a necessary evil, but please mister police man....go and fight CRIME!!
prevent school shootings....and prevent theft, rape, murder etc. Writing a speeding ticket...because I have a porsche and am following traffic....meaning everybody is driving 80MPH and so am I.....why do I get the ticket??? right....envy!!! And why do black people get pulled over more than white people?? And I can name a couple of other examples (but know that I am going to get a lot of hate mail for this reply already!!) I guess when people get older (Porsche drivers are not the youngest) they get more lawbiting (is this the right spelling). Anyway, I am trying to be a lover not a hater
....but just paid a speeding ticket ( I forgotten all about it until I read this post!!...THANKS!!!) and had to appear in court today...like that is going to happen..waist my day with a bunch of losers and cops and other idiots in a stinky courthouse!! Insurrance up?? who cares..points on your license??? it is expired anyways!!
Have nice day and don't speed!!!
04-25-2007, 07:46 PM
#34
Nordschleife Master
Nicolaas - I'm impressed. I find myself agreeing with you in most aspects and you held in your inner rage. 
Most speeding tickets are covert taxation. It's a pity that those that have to enforce it are the ones that take the brunt of the abuse that the lawmakers caused.
That being said, I also agree 100% with Chuck and Bruce - it's one big scam - tickets for taxation, double punishment from the insurance company, but also the stance that if you play, then you have to be prepared to pay.
Most speeding tickets are covert taxation. It's a pity that those that have to enforce it are the ones that take the brunt of the abuse that the lawmakers caused.
That being said, I also agree 100% with Chuck and Bruce - it's one big scam - tickets for taxation, double punishment from the insurance company, but also the stance that if you play, then you have to be prepared to pay.
Last edited by Wellardmac; 04-25-2007 at 11:45 PM.
04-25-2007, 07:54 PM
#35
WRITTEN DECLARATION!
I could type why but you could just go to www.ticketassassin.com (no affiliation, yadda yadda yadda) I just got a BS ticket for not yeilding to pedestrians at a crosswalk (there was a bum standing on the side of the street not moving or wanting to cross but thats another story)
I'm not sure about other states, but here in CA, I am fighting it with it.
I could type why but you could just go to www.ticketassassin.com (no affiliation, yadda yadda yadda) I just got a BS ticket for not yeilding to pedestrians at a crosswalk (there was a bum standing on the side of the street not moving or wanting to cross but thats another story)
I'm not sure about other states, but here in CA, I am fighting it with it.
04-25-2007, 09:19 PM
#36
I used to live in Santa Monica and regularly drove up and down Wilshire Blvd to get the the freeway - this is one of the most frustrating laws that we have. The police are abusive in the coastal cities about ticketing for this infraction. That is a great example of a well intended law being enforced very poorly and outside of the spirit of its original goals.
04-25-2007, 11:38 PM
#37
wellardmac....I guess there is still hope for me...
JC3D.....I normally do the ticketassasin.com thingy...but was to late...forgotten all about the ticket and had to show today!!...so I had to bite the bullit and pay...luckily it was only 150 bucks! I just hate to be singled out!! because everybody was really going the same speed and another car was even passing me!! we were in the carpool lane on the 605 south (this is a double car pool lane) and a traffic jam was caused because the cop had to stop traffic to get me all the way to the right lane (another 6 lanes over!!) endangering a lot of others.....go figure!!
JC3D.....I normally do the ticketassasin.com thingy...but was to late...forgotten all about the ticket and had to show today!!...so I had to bite the bullit and pay...luckily it was only 150 bucks! I just hate to be singled out!! because everybody was really going the same speed and another car was even passing me!! we were in the carpool lane on the 605 south (this is a double car pool lane) and a traffic jam was caused because the cop had to stop traffic to get me all the way to the right lane (another 6 lanes over!!) endangering a lot of others.....go figure!!
04-25-2007, 11:47 PM
#38
Nordschleife Master
Yup, now that's a dumb move. It's funny, I remember the days when the CHP used to stay away from the freeways during peak traffic time, as they knew that it would cause backups. I guess they don't care what kind of traffic snarls they cause nowadays - pity. 
04-26-2007, 04:52 AM
#39
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Originally Posted by Mfletch
Chuck, Thanks....I'm sure you aren't surprised....I agree 100%.
flash80, when I was working at Lennox Station in South Central Los Angeles, I had lots of better things to do then bust people's ***** for no reason. There was never a lack of crime to fight. 99% of the time when I stop someone for a traffic violation, I give them a warning.
Pretty much the only violation that I will write a ticket for is failure to stop for a stop sign or light (even then I will almost always give them a warning rather then a ticket unless they argue with me and tell me that I'm full of sh#t or I'm just harassing them because of whatever ethnicity they are). I will never forget trying to comfort a young lady who was attending El Camino Junior College as she was breathing her last breath. The man that hit her and launched her body over the top of his vehicle like a rag doll missed stopping for the stop sign by about 10 feet. Over the last 22 years, there have been several others, mostly children.
When my wife got a speeding ticket a few months ago, she plead guilty. She had a problem going into court and pleading "not guilty" when she knew that she had been speeding. I was proud of her for being honest. She paid the fine and got traffic school...no points on her license.
Sorry to rant. I had to jump on Chuck's bandwagon after I saw the comment about cops busting people's ***** for no reason. For what it's worth, one of the ways that we catch those murderers is by stopping cars for vehicle code violations.
flash80, when I was working at Lennox Station in South Central Los Angeles, I had lots of better things to do then bust people's ***** for no reason. There was never a lack of crime to fight. 99% of the time when I stop someone for a traffic violation, I give them a warning.
Pretty much the only violation that I will write a ticket for is failure to stop for a stop sign or light (even then I will almost always give them a warning rather then a ticket unless they argue with me and tell me that I'm full of sh#t or I'm just harassing them because of whatever ethnicity they are). I will never forget trying to comfort a young lady who was attending El Camino Junior College as she was breathing her last breath. The man that hit her and launched her body over the top of his vehicle like a rag doll missed stopping for the stop sign by about 10 feet. Over the last 22 years, there have been several others, mostly children.
When my wife got a speeding ticket a few months ago, she plead guilty. She had a problem going into court and pleading "not guilty" when she knew that she had been speeding. I was proud of her for being honest. She paid the fine and got traffic school...no points on her license.
Sorry to rant. I had to jump on Chuck's bandwagon after I saw the comment about cops busting people's ***** for no reason. For what it's worth, one of the ways that we catch those murderers is by stopping cars for vehicle code violations.
I was not implying that ALL police officers are out to bust ppl's *****. You certainly sound like you are a responsible, intelligent cop; but not all are. I had one cop follow me for 15 minutes on an empty street. He hallucinated that I swerved in my lane (I was watching him in my rear view mirror the whole time), pulled me over, made me sweat it out for 20-30 minutes and let me go. He had no probable cause;it was late and he was bored.
I've seen plenty of people die after car accidents (almost all were alcohol related) and I understand your concern. It's the speed traps and tickets being handed out in the middle of rush hour that **** me off--I can't count the number of times traffic has slowed down on the freeway, I creep along expecting an accident, instead I see some guy getting written up. This slowdown has to be more dangerous than one guy moving a couple mph above the speed limit! Just like any other profession, there are ppl good at their job, others that are not so good. The bad police officers just have a bit more power to ruin other people's days.
04-26-2007, 06:36 AM
#40
Three Wheelin'
Flash80, thanks for your kind response. You are right... we are entrusted with the power to seriously ruin people's days. It is up to us to make sure that we don't abuse that trust. I have always tried to treat people that I stop the way that I would want my mother or wife to be treated if they were stopped. Sometimes that isn't possible. When a driver gets belligerent during a traffic stop...I have to react accordingly. I don't know if they have had a bad day, or they just robbed a convenience store and are trying to escape.
As a Deputy Sheriff (K-9 handler), traffic enforcement has never been my primary function. When I stop a car, I'm looking for criminals (felons), not trying to write tickets to hard working law abiding people.
If I stop someone in a nice car for speeding, the encounter usually ends with both of us laughing and me recommending that they not see how fast their Ferrari, AC Cobra, etc. will hit 100 mph without looking for cop cars first. I would be a serious hypocrite if I wrote speeding tickets.
As a Deputy Sheriff (K-9 handler), traffic enforcement has never been my primary function. When I stop a car, I'm looking for criminals (felons), not trying to write tickets to hard working law abiding people.
If I stop someone in a nice car for speeding, the encounter usually ends with both of us laughing and me recommending that they not see how fast their Ferrari, AC Cobra, etc. will hit 100 mph without looking for cop cars first. I would be a serious hypocrite if I wrote speeding tickets.
04-27-2007, 11:37 AM
#43
Rennlist Member
Ever wonder why P-car owners are considered A-holes? It's for the same reason that cops are A-holes: One person has a bad experience with one, and then BAM, they are all A-holes.
With regard to breaking the law & cops, it's really quite simple. Some cops are good people, some are A-holes. Just like P-car owners. I respect a cop until they prove to you that they are A-holes. Until then, I have to assume that when a cop pulls me over, they have a good reason to do so.
Regarding tickets, I always go to court. It's part of the law, and I might as well take advantage of it.
With regard to breaking the law & cops, it's really quite simple. Some cops are good people, some are A-holes. Just like P-car owners. I respect a cop until they prove to you that they are A-holes. Until then, I have to assume that when a cop pulls me over, they have a good reason to do so.
Regarding tickets, I always go to court. It's part of the law, and I might as well take advantage of it.
