OldGuy

I am not getting worked up just trying to figure out what to do.
Already have a call in to the Law office

am722

Good choice and good luck. Lots of speculating going on here. I'm naturally biased against pacing tickets because the one time my friend was ticketed the officer conveniently "estimated" his speed at least 10 mph higher than he was going (I was in the car). Regardless of all that, though, at the end of the day all that matter are the consequences for your son's driving record and insurance rates. Hope both come out unscathed.

OldGuy

A little update. My lawyer found the curfew ticket was written wrong. It will be a autodismiss.
The code was written against a juvenille with a permit NOT a real license.

The ticket was not paced. I made an error based on my sons description, it was marked Radar.
My Lawyer said this is better-more technicalities to get this dismissed. He also said
he may be able to get the DA not even to file the charge.
The cop asked my son if he has stolen the truck. That pissed me off too.

340Elise

I have not read all of the posts, but I have a few comments.

Cops in CA can be made experts in judging speed without a radar gun? Yikes; scary! That was my first thought, but radar guns can be off too. I guess if the speedo has been calibrated and they are pacing, then it is not much different than a calibrated radar gun.

2nd observation. With all due respect OG, but who passes other Californians at no more than 80? I have driven in CA, and although they are no better drivers on average than anywhere else in the US (actually below the already very low driving skills of most Americans), I do find the average pace in CA to be quite a bit higher than in most places I have driven. If your son was even able to pass other cars at 80 mph, it must have taken him a looooooooooooooooong time to pass them. If we are talking about a 2-lane road, then passing as quickly as possible is the safest thing to do anyway. You need to make sure the coast is clear, signle, and then hammer the accelerator as you pass. Have you driven your X5 lately? It is a very fast car/SUV thingy and will get up to 102 in no time when accelerating from 80 or 75 or even 70. It will do it quickly and smoothly, and you won't even know it. It is no different than our GT3's at 102. Makes you want to open the door and check to see if you are actually moving.

If your son was not doing around 102 while passing, I would get on his case for passing unsafely. You either do it right, or you don't do it at all!

My guess is that your son was most likely going well over 80, and the cop is a dick.

I'm on you and your son's side. Fight the ticket, fight the system; do whatever it takes. And keep passing the right way; the safe way.

OldGuy

Stephen
You havent driven on 395. on 395 anybody doing over 85 on a friday nite sticks out. Typically
I pass semis at 75 on passing lanes where Ryan got caught. Again the first thing out of the cops mouth
was an accusation that Ryan stole the X5.

flash1034

OG, with all due Porsche respect, you sound like a big whiner. Your son f'd up, got caught. Why not teach him to be a man and take responisibility for his actions instead of teaching him to be a wussy that hides behind his daddy and daddy's attorney. That's whats wrong with society today...its ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE'S FAULT. It must have been the cops' mistake, the speedo was off in the cop car and in your X5, the cop's radar was faulty and not calibrated, the road wasn't properly posted for speed, it was a downhill stretch of roadway, the cop asked whether the car was stolen and made you mad... blah blah blah. Basically, everything and everyone must have been conspiring against your kid that night. Your son couldn't possibly have actually been speeding on the 395 (No one does that ). Come one, Man. Stop posting this whiney crap on the forum. We all speed here occasionally and we all know the consequences if we get caught. **** happens...that's life. In fact, I'd rather have the speeding kid take the bus from now on so he doesn't plow into me head-on while he's going 102 mph on the 395. Sorry but all this "feel sorry for me and my kid" crap has gotten to me.


Flash

StickShift964

you should have stopped there.

flash1034

Ive said my piece and stand by it. If he can post it...I can comment and give my opinion on it too.

Flash

SpeedGeek

Just to try defuse the time bomb here, might I suggest that OG and Flash are both correct. If you read Flash's post as a general statement, not aimed at OG or anyone in particular, it rings very true in principal.

OTOH, OG is fighting his individual case, which he has every right to do as a citizen and parent. I haven't read anything here that proves the case one way or another. We all know that 18 yo boys in fast cars don't behave like angels. And they lie to their parents sometimes too. We also know that cops often get things wrong, either by error or prejudice. That's why we have lawyers and courts and jurisprudence.

Flash, I completely aree with you. OG, best of luck with your case. Hopefully the kid will learn some important lessons regardless of the final outcome.

drh

Dayum, I've been pissed at my kids before, but "chewing our your 3.5-year old daughter so loud that the neighbor came over"...for dropping a morsel of food on the table?

I've raised 2-kids and I now have 2-grandkids. And one thing I do know is that a child that young does not have the dexterity to keep food on the plate all the time.

And as far as "get the kid back and then BEAT the **** out of him" goes, that "kid" will remember that little gift from daddy and one day daddy will get some payback one way or another.

Discipline is one thing, but humiliation, mental anguish and physical abuse are another. Your words suggest the later.


flash1034-
StickShift964 sounds like one of those soft and sensitive guys who feels anyone speaking the truth to be a hater.

Ronan

Sounds like all will end well. We often dump on lawyers, but I for one have only had good experience with good legal help when I copped the occasional speeding ticket.
Remember the old saying the a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client.

jrgordonsenior

Paul how much will you take for the X5? When your son's case is dismissed no one from your family will ever be able to drive it down the highway again.....

lawjdc

My own experience with "pacing" in California was seeing a black and white in my rear view mirror as he entered from an on ramp, his full acceleration through 4 lanes of traffic to get in my blind spot, then lighting me up. He said that he had "followed me for the last 10 miles and had me at 72 mph." (this was back in the 55 mph days). I smiled. If he had been following me for the last 10 miles, he would have had me at 90+.

Not much I could say, but any inherent notion that CHP could be trusted went out the window.

DM993tt

I got nailed for 102, was hit with laser, wasn't much disputing it. Only got the speeding ticket, no reckless, paid the fine was sentenced to 18hrs of community service - I did 12hrs and they signed me off. I took my lumps & I didn't learn a thing. A good lawyer who knows the prosecutor and or judge is your best bet. Its not a good thing to have on your DL. However, 2 years later I set the transcontinental speed record driving from NY to LA in 31 hrs 4 minutes averaged over 90mph for 2800 miles and didn't get pulled over once...go figure.

mooty

i can assure you my child has full control of her food since 3.


"beat the **** out of your kid" doesn't mean physically beat them up. it suggests, you discipline them by words, by lack of rewards, by rewards, by sweet talk, by threat.... each situation is different. it generally means that you dish out something that he will remember and learn.