My luck ran out...now seeking answers

“:-)”

“Mutt...winning the hearts and minds of America one person at a time! 8)

Last time I got pulled over was for 73 in a 55. I was wired on coffee and rushing to the trailhead.

The cop came up to the window and ask, "Do you know why I pulled you over?".

I said, "For driving with my head up my ass.".

"OK, just making sure you knew why."

I knew I was hosed and wasn't even going to try and get out of it. I had it coming.”

“I take the bar exam late July. You offering me any help?”

“Pay the fine you simpleton.

If you are facing assault charges, hire an attorney.”

“an attorney for a traffic offense would
1) cost more than paying the ticket or going to traffic school
2) Upset the judge, who just wants to roll through the docket as fast as possible.

If Tn is anything like Ky, you can mail in a fee for traffic school, usually cheaper than the fine itself. This will keep the ticket from affecting your insurance. A subsequent check of your license would say "referral to traffic school" instead of "speeding 16-25 over" or whatever the offense was.

Also, don't count on the officer or trooper not showing up for court. I was at court the other day and a local officer was issued a show cause order for not appearing, and was fined $100. Also, alot of police get overtime for court.”

“LOL, Chips, you don't want my help...unless, of course, positive vibes help, in which case I send you all of mine...”

“In MI you can appear in court,which is always a great idea because if the officer who issued the ticket isn't able to make it you get off, with no fine and no points, and ask the judge to please take the ticket under advisment. Taking it under advisemnet means you spend one afternoon in a class, pay the fine for your error and do not get any points on your license. In MI the points remain on your license for three years, and if you're lucky the insurance co won't have any reason to look at your record. It's always a good idea to not switch companies in that time (only if you get the "good driver" discount though, otherwise who cares?!).

Yam, you are doing really well if this is the first time you've not gotten off! =) You must have gotten a highly ethical officer this time. I'm sure it had nothing to do with your cuteness, lol.”

“Two weeks ago I got pulled over for doing 72 on an freeway stretch that was marked 55. He didn't give me a ticket (there was only one other car in sight). I was totally amazed. I think he was kind to me because of my congenial personality.

You should be able to find out if you can go to traffic school. If so, do it and that will keep it off your record. The total cost of the ticket and the traffic court is probably your lowest cost alternative at this point.

Don't go to court if you are guilty. He will show up and have his notes of everything you both said. Also, since it was in a residential area they are NOT going to err in your favor.

One ticket shouldn't affect your insurance. However, you want to keep your record clean in case you happen to get another ticket or have an accident in the next two years.

My son got two tickets on his record and our insurance increase was much more than the cost of traffic school.

Best Man at my wedding now lives in Brentwood and works for Saturn. If his driving hasn't improved since our college days, he may have a lot of experience to share.”

“Always, always, always go to court.

You have NOTHING to lose. Pleading guilty is like going to court & losing. What more harm can you do? (Don't get nasty/cute with the judge)

If the officer doesn't show up, the judge MAY dismiss the ticket. Many do.

Many times the officer will play "let's make a deal" & reduce the charges if you plead guilty. Saves him time & trouble and he still meets his non-existant quota. Even if he lowers it to "10" over the limit, it's a good deal for you.
If he lowers it to broken equipment (broken speedometer) I'd kiss him. It may cost you a few bucks for the fine but NO points.

I doubt that your insurance co would bother you for one ticket. Get more tickets or an accident & it will skyrocket.

Personally, I'd drive 30 in a 30 residential section. Hitting, maiming or killing one child will be far more consequences than most of us can bear.

I drive (or ride shotgun) a state (usually unmarked) vehicle with a badge & a gun. I drive the speed limit & wear my seatbelt. I admit that I'm occasionally guilty of "irregular" parking in cities, which is kinda necessary with my clients.

Leave 15mins earlier everyday & take a relaxed drive to work etc.

Believe it or not, traffic stops are HIGH risk. It doesn't really make the news, but lots of cops die in traffic stops. With terrorismn, it can only get worse.

Leave your seatbelt on (so you don't get a ticket for that too) Put your hands on top of the steering wheel in plain view. Don't fidgit around, reach under the seat or glove compartment which will raise stress levels tremendously.
Yes sir, no sir him/her. You're probably guilty so don't cop an attitude. This will only hurt you now or in court. Ask before you reach for your wallet or glove box.He/she have probably heard EVERY excuse 100 times, though originality is a plus.”

“This is what I have done in the past.I have done this more than once.And it has been a long time but will attempt again if needed. Don't ask where. Go to court or call the court clerk and find out when the Judge is out of court during the day. Go into his office or chambers just depends on the time of day, when you know he is in. Don't try this during session or just before you would be appearing. Explain the facts explain that you are guilty. Explain that you know this will be a bad mark on your driving record. Which will be reported to the DMVR. And it will. He could dismiss the case if you would agree to pay court cost. Just depends on how you come across at the moment. If this happens, no record of the offense to report. Except in the clerks records. Or appear in court plea gulity and explain all the facts and ask the same. Do you have any friends who can fix the problem for you. If so don't be bashfull, you need help if you want to be sucessfull in getting this reduced or even dismissed. I don't know your age, but if you are young you need for this to be kept away from the DMVR. It could be worth several thousand dollors to you. Legal help might be worth looking into. Don't be fooling around with this. Good luck.”

“Ive never gotten a speeding ticket. Heck, I've never been pulled for one.


Neener neener neeeener!”

“Why don't y'all try obeying the law instead of finding ways to get out from under your responsabilities?

If you get pulled you get pulled. You knew what the consequences were from the start. Live up to your mistakes and move on.

And yes, I do drive fast and yes I have gotten tickets before.”

“catskhiker - In California she would have a lot to lose if she goes to court. Here if you go to court you lose your option to go to traffic school and not have it go on your record. She needs to check how it is done in TN.

The cops here are pretty savvy. They write down all the particulars and have their notes with them in court. They rarely miss showing up and the judges have seen everything. If it is related to kids (residential, school zone, crosswalk, etc.,), they are not very sympathetic.”

“Careful Treebait! Birch often said the same thing. As a matter of fact he was busy nee-ner'ing moments before an Ohio State trooper pulled him over and issued him an $83 ticket. =D”

“i got nailed last month for doing 82 in a 55. The #&%!$ty thing was there was no sign saying where the 65 ended and the 55 began, and i was in the process of passing a truck on the outside of a corner. Since I had to go to court in my home town, and I don't live there 9 months out of the year, i just paid the dang thing.”

“Hi,

My name is Tarp Rat...

I have been on this board since it began... I started many a thread and helped many people with choosing the right gear (TNF). And I left the board in 2001 because many of the threads became racist after 9-11 and I felt that I no longer wanted to associate with these people. I recently came back and started to voice my opinions about the current crisis in Iraq. I know many people disagree with me, and that's fine! However, I should be allowed to state my views just as everyone else. I was recently banned from the board, my IP disabled. I was told this was because of my off-topic posting, but this is a false claim because the threads I was posting to were completely off topic and unrelated to backpacking in the first place. I just wanted to say that this is unfair. Have a nice day… and let the games begin!

;-o”

“Thanks everyone for posting your thoughts/experiences. I have taken everything into consideration, I just needed some advice. I have never been 'in trouble' with the law before, and I wanted to see what the best route on dealing with this was, and my main concern was my insurance.
It always seems like there are people out there who never have to pay for when they are driving break-neck speeds or obvious reckless driving and I was wondering how is that possible?

I know I will have to pay a fine, and I can accept that.
Thanks again!”

“happend to me in TN before. Had to take that class and listen to the crab for a while.

They told me that it would not go on my records if I attend the class. I think I had to pay only $50 and that was it.

If I remember correctly they will tell you the same thing one more time the day of the class.

Pay the $50 and go to the class.
oh, and buy a radar detector. :D. Does't help alot but at least it will give you some notice.”

“You guys must live in some messed up states if your officers aren't always in court. Also, most times you would have better luck talking to the prosecutor before court instead of the judge. The prosecutor's office actually brings the cases before the judge, therefore they have the option of dismissing the case.
Gemini--radar detectors usually only tell you you're caught. I can pull up behind a vehicle with a fuzzbuster and turn on my radar,
and it will be a good 5 seconds before the fuzzbuster lights up. They never go off if I point my laser at them.
Believe it or not, we do not have quotas in Kentucky (at least not the state troopers). I have never been told how many citations to issue--one month I only wrote 14 citations. That's not even one a day people.”

“Here in Chicago the city police "don't have quota's." But the supervisor's know "the average number of tickets written" in any given period! (Actual quote in a newspaper.) The end of the period seems to be around the 15th of the month--see many more people pulled over and a host of parking tickets plastered on cars.

BTW I have had a few parking tickets, but never a moving violation (knock on wood) in the nearly 30 years of driving!)”

“Before I became a Trooper I worked at a city dept. While I was in the traffic division, we weren't told how many to write, but the supervisors would tell some of the guys things like "Boy, you really laid down last month" or "You gonna let so and so beat your numbers like that?" Probably part of the reason I didn't enjoy traffic so much. I was always more inclined to chase DUIs and "in progress" kind of stuff like fights or break-ins or whatever.”

“I didn't mean to impugn you or your co-workers. I laud you on your priorities.

In my post, I tried to show the difference between your approach and that of the Chicago Police who denied a quota yet said they had an average number of citations. Probably a lot like you heard before becoming a Trooper.

PS Can I have your Badge Number? j/k”

“Side comment: I am a BIG believer in local police and support them whenever I can. I have lots of friends who are/were LAPD, LA Sherrif, and local PD. They are all of the highest moral character and very professional. That being said, I think that police officers giving traffic tickets with speed traps and quotas is terrible PR and the general public unconsiously gets back at them through lukewarm community support.

No comment on the California Highway Patrol. That's all they do is give tickets.

Just my $.02.”

“No offense taken. What you said about the Chicago PD supervisors reminded me of some of the ones I knew.
I enjoy chasing speeders every now and then, but I would get burned out doing it 8 hours a day every day. Plus, troopers here in Ky are responsible for criminal complaints in addition to traffic, so I respond to domestics and burglaries and junk like that. That keeps us busy a lot of times--our focus isn't solely highway patrol; hence, Kentucky State Police (full service) instead of Kentucky Highway Patrol (traffic).
Blah blah blah, enough of the cops episode for tonight, huh?”

“The title of this thread really bugs me. Cripes, just a speeding ticket?!?!?

With the thread title, I thought maybe you lost a job, or had a marriage break up, or just found out you had a terminal illness.

For Christ's sake be happy, it's just a speeding ticket. Geeeeeez... I hope nothing truly awful ever happens to you.”

“Yes, I know that there are no such thing as quota's. It's a bad word. In NYS, it's called "station averages" which vary from location to location. I'm glad that I don't write tickets & I don't mind being stuck in traffic. I do get to wander the entire state & that is nice in good weather.”

“Your mistake wasn't speeding and getting caught. The mistake was getting caught without one of those FOP stickers on your licence plate. LOL!”

“I just wish I would have been on a couple of days ago to get in at the beginning of this thread. I have a s s h o l e s speeding like that by my house (25 mph residential - main road back into the rest of the subdivision). It's inconsiderate and thoughtless. It pisses me off to no end to see that.”

“I'd talk to your town/city & be patient. There are a lot of remedies but they usually take time. Occasionally you can talk them into speed bumps. Sometimes you can close an entrance/exit to circumvent the shortcut. Some area's use town/city vehicles to drive the speed limit which blocks these residential nightmares. If they can free up a car, the police will send one over but it wouldn't surprise me that the complainers speed too. Get together with your neighbors and or town board/city officials & see what you can come up with. A persistant individual CAN do a lot.”

“I drive up and down the street at 15 - 20 mph during peak traffic times when I get the chance. So does my neighbor. Ha. Take that a s s h o l e s.

I did learn one thing, though, and that's to look at traffic patterns when you buy a house. We're building now on a loop street, with 15 - 20 houses past us on our side of the loop.”