any advise on how to handle a speeding ticket?
08-22-2006, 02:15 PM
#16
Pro
One of the problems with your speed is that it was significantly higher than the posted speed limit. Here in Arizona, going 21+ MPH over the speed limit is considered 'criminal speeding' and the officer has the right to impound your car and put you in jail till you see the judge (which could be the next day. They don't usually do this, but they can if they want to). As a result, once they write the speed on the ticket, you cannot go to traffic school as a way out because of the excess speed. The choices are to pay the fine, take the points and pay the insurance premiums hit, or to get a lawyer and have him represent you to get the speed reduced and hopefully get you to take traffic school. Given that the fines, insurance cost will likely be more than lawyer fees, that would be a better choice.
08-22-2006, 07:26 PM
#18
Burning Brakes
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No joy here...
Times are a-changin', my friends...
I'm in the Western suburbs of Chicago, and my village just spent a fortune on speed cameras (and laser guns!) that are being installed this week (as school is starting). The speed cameras / displays are mounted on speed limit signs (many of which have been recently reduced from 45 and 40 to 35 mph!), these devices emit a massive blast on k-band, and send the V1 into conniptions for miles. Hard to miss. Even better, some of the devices are just speed indicators while others sport cameras. My police buddies tell me that the camera-bearing devices are only marginally larger in size, but the box behind the readout is painted white, and the speed-display-only boxes are black. They will be rotating the cameras around to various locations on a weekly basis.
More insiduous are the VASCAR-like devices that stretch two hoses across the roadway... from what I've been told (by a local officer at a village "night-out" event) these devices measure your speed across a five foot span - the spaces between the hoses - and activate a camera placed on a pole ahead. I thought that they were traffic counters, until I brought it up to the officer and he gave me the scoop. BTW, I've seen these timing devices on I-94 in Michigan, in the single lane construction zones... of course, Michigan uses k-band drone transmitters in speed zones (Safety Warning System, remember that?), so you're a fool to speed there with the V1 blaring at you...
Don't know if they're using these things anywhere else around the country, but they're hard to spot and even harder to fight (no false radar reflections, no issues with human timing variables, etc).
Even if he got you with regular old stopwatch VASCAR, and you were that far over the limit, you're probably screwed. The only defense is that the officer deliberately / accidentally tripped the clock waaaaay early - and that's going to be a fight.
A buddy was in DuPage County traffic court last week for a speeding violation, and the judge told everyone: "If you received your ticket in a construction zone or a school zone, YOU ARE GUILTY. Don't subject yourself to my wrath - plead guilty and we'll get you out of here quickly..."
Of course, the first case was a young female driver, accompanied by her mother. John said the conversation went something like this...
Judge: "Young lady, you have been cited for 62mph in a 45mph construction zone. How do you plead?"
Mother: "Not guilty."
Judge: "Mom, didn't you listen to my speech? This citation was issued in a 45mph construction zone!"
Mother: "She's not guilty!"
Judge: "Young lady, were you speeding?"
Girl: "Yes, but there was a guy right behind me on my bumper, and he wouldn't back off!"
Judge: "Guilty as charged. The original $375 fine will now be $1,400 with six months license suspension."
Be glad you weren't in a construction zone, First 997! Good luck with this...
-don
I'm in the Western suburbs of Chicago, and my village just spent a fortune on speed cameras (and laser guns!) that are being installed this week (as school is starting). The speed cameras / displays are mounted on speed limit signs (many of which have been recently reduced from 45 and 40 to 35 mph!), these devices emit a massive blast on k-band, and send the V1 into conniptions for miles. Hard to miss. Even better, some of the devices are just speed indicators while others sport cameras. My police buddies tell me that the camera-bearing devices are only marginally larger in size, but the box behind the readout is painted white, and the speed-display-only boxes are black. They will be rotating the cameras around to various locations on a weekly basis.
More insiduous are the VASCAR-like devices that stretch two hoses across the roadway... from what I've been told (by a local officer at a village "night-out" event) these devices measure your speed across a five foot span - the spaces between the hoses - and activate a camera placed on a pole ahead. I thought that they were traffic counters, until I brought it up to the officer and he gave me the scoop. BTW, I've seen these timing devices on I-94 in Michigan, in the single lane construction zones... of course, Michigan uses k-band drone transmitters in speed zones (Safety Warning System, remember that?), so you're a fool to speed there with the V1 blaring at you...
Don't know if they're using these things anywhere else around the country, but they're hard to spot and even harder to fight (no false radar reflections, no issues with human timing variables, etc).
Even if he got you with regular old stopwatch VASCAR, and you were that far over the limit, you're probably screwed. The only defense is that the officer deliberately / accidentally tripped the clock waaaaay early - and that's going to be a fight.
A buddy was in DuPage County traffic court last week for a speeding violation, and the judge told everyone: "If you received your ticket in a construction zone or a school zone, YOU ARE GUILTY. Don't subject yourself to my wrath - plead guilty and we'll get you out of here quickly..."
Of course, the first case was a young female driver, accompanied by her mother. John said the conversation went something like this...
Judge: "Young lady, you have been cited for 62mph in a 45mph construction zone. How do you plead?"
Mother: "Not guilty."
Judge: "Mom, didn't you listen to my speech? This citation was issued in a 45mph construction zone!"
Mother: "She's not guilty!"
Judge: "Young lady, were you speeding?"
Girl: "Yes, but there was a guy right behind me on my bumper, and he wouldn't back off!"
Judge: "Guilty as charged. The original $375 fine will now be $1,400 with six months license suspension."
Be glad you weren't in a construction zone, First 997! Good luck with this...
-don
08-22-2006, 07:41 PM
#19
Three Wheelin'
Man, I don't have all that time to keep showing up at a courthouse. My time is to valuable so you can pay a lawyer to do it for you. They will do the "dockett duty" (schedule and reschedule the court day) for you. It usually runs arount $150-200 for their services. If that doesn't work you can also cop a plea of no-lo contentre (no contest) and ask for deferred ajudication. This ticket will be kept in safe keeping for the stated fine, but if you don't get another one for 12-18mos, they dismiss it. I do this all the time. I drive through different municipalities and it's unlikely to get popped twice. If you do get nailed again in that period, they will financially crucify you--the fine doubles or triples!
08-22-2006, 08:13 PM
#20
Intermediate
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thanks for the responses very helpfull!
It was hand timed vascar. 2 white painted lines.
its is not a suspension in pa. and insurance comp. is not notified by the state they must request specific info. and the state is not willing to supply in a public data base.
I am sure I will hire an attorney after and its a local district justice who handles case. love the idea of driving my mothers car!!!!! maybe all my cars will be moms!
Is vascar picked up in v-1? just watch for white lines!
realy bums me out.....
It was hand timed vascar. 2 white painted lines.
its is not a suspension in pa. and insurance comp. is not notified by the state they must request specific info. and the state is not willing to supply in a public data base.
I am sure I will hire an attorney after and its a local district justice who handles case. love the idea of driving my mothers car!!!!! maybe all my cars will be moms!
Is vascar picked up in v-1? just watch for white lines!
realy bums me out.....
08-22-2006, 08:39 PM
#21
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Not to hi-jack the thread or anything, but I got pulled over the other night for doing 63 in 45 and my V-1 never made a sound!!! When the officer came up to my window I politely argued with him when he said that he radared me. He went back to his car and did a test on the radar unit and the v-1 screamed bloody murder. He came back to my window and I said "yeah that time it worked but you did not clock me at 63"! He wrote me a ticket anyway. I told him that I would see him in court. Should I go to court and plead not guilty?
08-22-2006, 09:47 PM
#22
Pro
Photo radar has become much more prevalent here in Phoenix over the last 2 years. Many of the busy intersections have cameras to catch red light runners. A good stretch of the major freeway in Scottsdale has photo radar over a 8 mile strech, camera every 2 miles. They have the ground sensors, so no radar detectors will save you, and they offer a 10 MPH grace (there is still contraversy of the city imposing jurisdiction on a state highway). They have mobile 'vans' (which are hidden behindf trees, bends in the raods etc) all over that DO use radar (thats where the detectors help).
The city has been so overwhelmed with the number of speeders they catch daily that collection rate is only 20-30%.. The 'rule' is that you have to be served by an officer to declare the ticket legal. Therefore the citation that you get in the mail, you can throw away and claim that you never received it, but make sure that no-one accepts/signs any mail by a police officer, or accepts registered mail for 210 days. If you acknowlege receipt, they you have to pay the ticket.
Many people believe that this is just a revenue generating mechanism, and it does not affect accidents/fatalities because of speeding. Time will tell if it makes a difference.
The city has been so overwhelmed with the number of speeders they catch daily that collection rate is only 20-30%.. The 'rule' is that you have to be served by an officer to declare the ticket legal. Therefore the citation that you get in the mail, you can throw away and claim that you never received it, but make sure that no-one accepts/signs any mail by a police officer, or accepts registered mail for 210 days. If you acknowlege receipt, they you have to pay the ticket.
Many people believe that this is just a revenue generating mechanism, and it does not affect accidents/fatalities because of speeding. Time will tell if it makes a difference.
08-23-2006, 10:13 AM
#23
Banned
Originally Posted by dstrimbu
More insiduous are the VASCAR-like devices that stretch two hoses across the roadway...
08-23-2006, 09:44 PM
#24
Drifting
I would also encourage everyone here to join the National Motorists Association - traffic laws, fines and penalties are getting more severe across the country. and I would bet some of the homeland security grants going to locales where terrorism really isn't an issue, is flowing into enhanced speed enforcement equipment.
08-23-2006, 10:13 PM
#25
Rennlist Member
I have only contested one ticket,...and I got off it.
While the number of citations I receive has declined exponentially over the last 20 years, I have always just paid the damn things (since I was always guilty).
I did receive a stop sign ticket last year that was clearly bogus in my mind: I absolutely had stopped - period. The cop was a total jerk to me so I told him that I would see him in court. Thus I eventually appeared at my "Magistrate Hearing" (this is how MA starts the ball rolling). I answered a few questions about where and when the allegation happened and the magistrate dismissed the case stating that "the officer was out of his jurisdiction."
After telling the story to a number of people where I worked, I learned that this cop has issued many tickets and even follows people into the parking garage! Weird. I never go through that intersection now.
While the number of citations I receive has declined exponentially over the last 20 years, I have always just paid the damn things (since I was always guilty).
I did receive a stop sign ticket last year that was clearly bogus in my mind: I absolutely had stopped - period. The cop was a total jerk to me so I told him that I would see him in court. Thus I eventually appeared at my "Magistrate Hearing" (this is how MA starts the ball rolling). I answered a few questions about where and when the allegation happened and the magistrate dismissed the case stating that "the officer was out of his jurisdiction."
After telling the story to a number of people where I worked, I learned that this cop has issued many tickets and even follows people into the parking garage! Weird. I never go through that intersection now.
08-23-2006, 10:19 PM
#26
Drifting
the issue isn't "I was guilty". everyone is "guilty", because the speed limits are set artificially low to encourage ticket generation. go onto any road or interstate - is ANYONE going the posted speed limit?
08-24-2006, 12:51 AM
#29
Burning Brakes
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Originally Posted by OCBen
Hey Don, looks like you missed my post where I described this (Post #7).
08-24-2006, 06:48 AM
#30
Racer
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oh, you can get a repair order saying your speedometer was inaccurate as we all know there is no way u could be going that fast in a pcar. but seriously go to the shop u got the v1 at and get a repair order. don't drive the pcar to court and get a lawyer if you can. usually if you go to trial and the officer doesn't show your case gets dismissed, not sure about PA though... they won't open up your car and check to see if the repair was done but make sure the guy at whatever shop u went to has your story straight and whoever answers the phone does or just doesn't give info out on customers. and make sure u get a competant honest attorney. some lawyers will just take your money and do nothing to help u that u can't do yourself...