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Speeding Ticket Question.

Discussion in 'Questions and Answers' started by TiP54, Mar 23, 2010.

  1. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    Long story short, I got pulled over doing 69 in a 50. The guy was an older gentleman, maybe in his 50s, he was straightforward and polite. He ended up citing me for going 9 over, and only a $150 or so dollar fine vs $300+ dollars and 4 points.

    My question is...
    Should I take this to court?
    You might say that I am a moron, because he cut the ticket in half and I should be thankful, for which I am, but I see an opportunity here. From what I understand the police officers have to present the copy of what the radars showed when they clock speeders. So if I go to court, and he wrote me up for 9 over, while I was going 19, he will be wrong? I might be illogical here, but im assuming he would not show up in court if that was the case? Or am I wayyy off on this?
     
  2. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    thats odd. usually they drop the ticket down once you GO TO Court.......not at your car window. iam not sure however about the rest of your questions.
     
  3. Alex44

    Alex44 Boshosaurus Rex

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    Just pay the ticket. The guy cut you a break and now you're seeing if you can take further advantage of it? I mean you did break the law, which you can't debate as you've admitted as much. So just pay the ticket.
     
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  4. azfinfanmang

    azfinfanmang Premium Member Luxury Box

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    I honestly don't think I would test my luck.
    How about this scenario:
    The cop does indeed show up, he then produces the accurate radar reading and of course the judge has no choice but force you to pay the real fine and lose points.
    Honestly, the guy did you a favor. Don't mess with karma, and never ever try to dick a cop. Not gonna work out good in the long run :wink2:
     
  5. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    Well he told me that I was polite, respectfull and didn't try to lie or get out of it, I don't have a long previous recrod, because of that I guess.
     
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  6. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    I'm not a dick, I just see an opportunity here, you say I broke the law, so I have to pay the price, but I guarantee you that the only difference between you and me, is that I got caught, because I'm sure you went over the speed limit whenever YOU drove last time. And if the cop does show up, I'll end up paying, and learn a good lesson.
     
  7. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    It's my understanding the officer only has to show proof of your speed at the scene, when/if you ask for it. Radar guns do not have a month long history to be able to show what you did in court, at least to my knowledge.


    I also got a speeding ticket recently (within past year at least), and while I felt I was wronged to a degree my grandfather (who is a lawyer) informed me it would be in my best interest to pay the ticket. In court he said, it will simply be my word vs the police officers in a case such as this, and I will waste my time going to court only to have to pay the fine anyway.


    If you want to try your luck, by all means do so. I am not saying you shouldn't, just that I don't think it would be the most prudent thing.
     
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  8. azfinfanmang

    azfinfanmang Premium Member Luxury Box

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    If this is directed at me, and after re-reading my post, I could see how it could be, I truely apologize. I honestly wasn't calling you a dick, nor would I ever, just a bad choice of phrase on my part brother.
     
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  9. pennphinfan

    pennphinfan Stelin Canez Arcade Scorz

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    only way you win this is if the officer doesn't show in court. now, i have known people that get out of tickets bc the officer doesn't show, but I can tell you that the officers I work with LOVE court. it's paid overtime afterall, and on something as easy as a cite for speeding, no reason for them to not want to go really.
     
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  10. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    No, it was not directed at you,and I am sorry if I did come off as a dick.
     
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  11. azfinfanmang

    azfinfanmang Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Well its tough to tell. I see lots of things that "Kindve" look like *****..

    OMG- PEPPER (Dick)
    OMG- CARROT (Dick)
    OMG- Sam (Dick) :shifty:
     
  12. Skeet84

    Skeet84 New Member

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    Did u not get the option do go thru a class? Thats what I did when i got caught in a speed trap. Marik Everyone speeds but Alex is saying is that he gave u a break and u wanna screw the cop? Wow... That cop might be chewed out by a superior for giving u a break than alot less likely to ever do that for anyone again. However u could always go to court and hope the cop doesnt show cause than the case is thrown out.
     
  13. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    I did, but you are allowed to take it only 3 times in your lifetime.
    Again, I am not trying to screw the cop, I just figured I could get out of it. Why pay 150 when there is a chance not to pay at all? I understand that I got a break and I am great full for it, I wasn't sure how the system works so I asked for some input.
    I think thats what I will do.
     
  14. 2socks

    2socks Rebuilding Since 1973

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    simple question will answer. Right or wrong will it cost you more to take off work to fight the thing or just pay the fine?? Probably gonna have to go at least 2 x's because the first time you will just be pleading guilty or not guilty.
     
  15. Skeet84

    Skeet84 New Member

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    Let us know how it turns out bro.
     
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  16. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    Well, court date might be set up on my day off, and I don't know if there will be a plea. To be all that honest with you it is not about the fee, it's about tue points on my license, therefore the increased insurance payment. School is always an option, but that also costs money and the limit of how many times ICANN actually do it.
     
  17. anlgp

    anlgp ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

    I'd pay it. Cop cut me a break = win for me.

    Take what's behind door #2 I'll end up getting a $300+ fine and points off..
     
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  18. texanphinatic

    texanphinatic Senior Member

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    Pretty much if you go to court and the cop shows you pay anyway. Both my parents got lucky getting off tickets that way, but doubt the majority do. :)
     
  19. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    From what I understand, it's completely random. My sis got out of 2 tickets like by simply showing up in court,however many people I know told me that they went to court and the officer was there,so I am still debating.
     
  20. Tone_E

    Tone_E Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I have some personal friends that are cops, and when things like this happen, you are put on a "list" of people who . .. . . . . I won't finish that one. Next time you are pulled over, you may not be treated so politely.

    The guy reduced your fine and was nice enough to put you within the bracket where no points are taken if you pay. So, pay the fine as that is already your best case scenario.

    That is as good as it can get.

    IMO, pay the fine and be done with it.
     
  21. HardKoreXXX

    HardKoreXXX Insensitive to the Touch

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    Not true. I've been pulled over several times where they dropped it.

    Basically, if you go 15+ MPH over the speed limit the fine jumps WAY up. Most cops will be cool if you don't have any priors or a history of tickets and lower it. Not always, but a lot of the time.

    And no, Mark, you shouldn't fight it. Pay the $150 and go to traffic school.


    EDIT: Just saw another post...have you already been to traffic school 3 times? You need to settle down on the roads dude. You're in Ft. Myers, not Moscow.
     
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  22. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    **** you :lol:
    I took the school once, got a ticket literally the first time i drove my car.
    I know...
     
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  23. anlgp

    anlgp ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

    :sidelol:
     
  24. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Dude, think of it this way...youre already getting out of the points and the extra fine. Youre already in the under 25 bracket so insurance companies are already looking to hit you over the head with the mallet for more money. Dont test karma. Pay the 150, take the defensive driving crap if you want and be done with it. Seriously, if I was a cop I would show up just to be a **** and make you pay what I should have made you pay.

    And no, you wont get out of the ticket because the cop cut you a break and only bopped you for going 9 MPH over. If anything if the judge hears what he did he may get in trouble and you may get the fine you should have gotten in the first place. When people like you try and work the system the next guy who gets pulled by that cop suffers. $150 is water under the bridge. I mean I know you'd rather use it to spend on something meaningful but when put in perspective here it could be a lot worse. You could be looking at double the fine and a 10-15% rate hike in your insurance. Do the math and take the gift youre being handed.
     
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  25. 54Fins

    54Fins "In Gase we trust"

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    over there
    You DO NOT fight this ticket! Do you hear me,young man? :lol:

    Listen to experience,learn from the experience,pay the fine and move on.There is no other answer. :knucks:
     
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  26. late again

    late again Senior Member

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    Something not brought up yet...The cop actually has discretionary power. What he did was perfectly legal and well within his discretionary power.
    Another thing to consider, policemen do receive notice when they're needed for testimony in traffic court. Should he see your name and remember that he gave you a break, what do you think is going to be his response?
     
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  27. DOLBET

    DOLBET Active Member

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    I can give advice on this... my experience when I was 18 years old, a long time ago : 13 speeding tickets within 6 months in Illinois and was suspeneded for a year.

    Here is choices :

    1. Pay the ticket = lost 150 dollars and no points

    2. Show up court and policeman there = lose 150 dollars + court fee and no points

    3. Show up court and policeman there with ******* judge = Pay 300 dollars + court fee + points

    4. Show up court and policeman not there = No dollars and no points :)

    5. Go to school = School fees and no points

    From the list, best choice would be paying the ticket... School is not worth it as u are limited on 3 times and you are facing no points, better to save school until you are faced with points for insurance purposes.. So many people forgot that court will add court fee to ticket if the penalty is decided in court
     
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  28. Crappy Tipper

    Crappy Tipper AKA Hero13

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    My vote is you caught a break by getting a officer that did his job in a fair manner by you. Return the favor and take your lumps.

    I was clocked in the high 90's (truth be told I was over 100 right before I saw the CHP) in a 65 and the cop knocked it down to 83. I still paid a 305.00 fine but at speeds around 100 it can throw your *** into a world of hurt.

    Considering I was driving my bosses car across the Mojave desert you better believe I was happier than a pig in **** to see that 83 MPH ticket and I was happy to pay the fine all considered.
     
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  29. Section126

    Section126 We are better than you. Luxury Box

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    Don't take the 4 points.

    Hire one of those ticket lawyers...you will end up paying the $150 anyway./..but the points will be gone.

    I am an expert on speeding tickets.
     
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  30. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    It is not uncommon for a cop to do this and no it doesn't give you an opportunity to capitalize on the error.

    The option I haven't heard here is to call the city attorney or whatever office prosecutes the traffic offenses in your area, ask what prosecutor the case has been assigned to and speak to him/her. Most offices have parameters for what they'll do for you. In Reno they'll drop the fine down to $ 75.00 but won't take off the points. In Sparks where I live, they will take off the points and make it a non-moving violation. The last time I got a speeding ticket, I called the prosecutor in Sparks. He kept my fine roughly the same but amended it to unpaid parking tickets instead of speeding. It was a legal fiction b/c I had no parking tickets, but it kept the points off my record. He was willing to do that b/c I had a relatively clean record (one other ticket in the last ten years or so).
     
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  31. Paul 13

    Paul 13 Chaotic Neutral & Unstable Genius Staff Member

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    Well i would probably just pay it because I'm lazy and don't like going to court for anything... :shifty: I will tell you my wife got a ticket for going 40 in a 40 zone but there was construction that had temp lowered the zone to 25. She was quite pissed because she felt the signing was off. Not enough space between the sign and the first cone, those types of things (it was a four lane highway, two lanes either direction and one of the lanes was blocked off). She ended up going to court, hoping the officer wouldn't show, well he did show... she was quite nervous about the whole thing. Well, they first go thru the names of all the cases and the officers that are there say they are present and everything, when they got to her case, the officer stood up and said he was dismissing the case. I reckon he had busted a bunch of people that same day and she was not the first one to contest the ticket.
     
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  32. anditsgood

    anditsgood Active Member

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    the only opportunity you have is stopping future speeders from getting a break.

    count yourself lucky and pay the fine, you know you were guilty

    its time to man up
     
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  33. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I'll give you a little additional insight here.

    The police officer was doing his job...no more or no less. He pulled you over and you were cool with him, so he cut you a break. It's at his discression to do so, and this happens often (especially with the older guys who easily recognize repeat offenders from people who occasionally goof up).

    Your first job it to read the ticket thoroughly and make sure everything is correct. Did he cite you for going nine over the speed limit, going 64 in a 55, or just speeding in general? Does the code of the infraction cited reflect this (a Google search will verify)? Did he properly check the boxes for the surroundings and such (dry, light traffic, etc)? Is your name, license number, and all the other information correct? If anything is incorrect, then you have something to fight BESIDES the speeding violation itself.

    Last but certainly not least, every time an officer writes a ticket he is required to appear in court to defend it. This is not included within his salary and is overtime pay, meaning the police officer wants you to fight it! If nobody shows that morning once the dockett is read, then he has to go back to work empty handed. If even one person shows, he's paid a minimum of four hours overtime to state the facts. Now, sometimes the department is short and can not let him go to court because of a dozen different scenarios, or maybe he's on vacation or forgets completely. This happens.

    So if you go to court and he is not there, plead innocent on the grounds that your accuser is not present. The judge will sometimes schedule a continuance, and it is your responsibility to speak up saying you already lost one day's pay appearing and should not be forced to put it off (say this as respectfully as possible, of course).

    If the officer is there, have an idea of what pleas your state offers (yes, they vary...in Florida no contest is probably your plea). Before entering a plea, ask to see the officer's radar calibration. If he does not have it, you're back to not guilty and a quick dismissal. If he does, and the ticket information is 100% accurate, then no contest is your plea. Explain why you were in a hurry and state that you didn't realise the speed you were travelling, and the judge will likely sentence you to a fine with no points and possibly driving school (note-you can elect for driving school 3 times, but can be sentenced by a judge to driving school unlimited times).

    Last but not least, you can also take your vehicle to a mechanic and have the tires balanced/rotated and have your speedometer calibrated. Changing tire size throws your speedometer off and it is a legitimate defense. You could have this done and state that when the officer stated the speed it alarmed you, and being a responsible citizen you paid to investigate so you could prove your innocence. Show the calibration reciept and the case will likely be dismissed outright or with a minimal fine.

    Either way though, the officer will not be upset if you show up to defend yourself. He/she likes four hours of free time and a half, and they are hoping someone will show (usually very few people go to court). As a teen in Florida I picked up a ticket a month, always fought it, and never gained a single point on my license or paid the full amount of the ticket. When I pushed my luck the judge would force me to go to driving school, but since they always "withheld ajudication" it stayed off my permenant record and the next judge never saw it. There is no reason not to go to court, unless work demands otherwise. There's just too many free out's that could happen, and it's a part of our legal system for better or worse.
     
  34. unluckyluciano

    unluckyluciano For My Hero JetsSuck

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    mark:
    In mother russia cop would be in siberian oil field by now.
     
  35. anlgp

    anlgp ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

    in russia speeding ticket pays you

    ps. mark i still say pay the original ticket the cop gave ya man :)
     
  36. Muck

    Muck Throwback Uniform Crusader Retired Administrator

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    Pay the ticket.

    I've got a fair amount of experience in Florida. Unless you can prove the officer screwed up (good luck), you're going to end up paying the fine anyway.

    It's really not worth your time to go to court unless you're trying to keep points off your record. Since you said this offense won't carry points, don't even worry about it. $150 is on the low end for tickets now days.

    If it's bigger than that (like my 76 in a 50 this morning), you call the Fix a Ticket guy.
     
  37. Tone_E

    Tone_E Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    This thread reminded me of an urban legend told here in Toronto based on the fact that Mario was cool with the cop and all.

    One day this cop was on the left shoulder of the highway and flagged a speeder to the side for, well, speeding.

    The cop approached the driver and said "I've been waiting for you all day".

    The driver then responded "I got here as fast as I could".

    The cop then had a laugh with the driver and let him go, just like that. Not sure if the story is true, but many know it here.

    PS. Pay the fine. :)
     
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  38. femalefinfan

    femalefinfan Phillies fan Luxury Box

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    I've had 2 speeding tickets in my life. Both times I went to court and payed fines with no points attached. Neither time did the cop produce any record of the radar. In Pa you can plead guilty to 3111A. Its a standing violation worth about 100.00 with no points attached to it. I;m sure other states have similar codes. Google it for your state. If you go to court, hopefully your "trial" will be right before lunch. Most "cases" go longer then expected and when you get close to lunch, the judge is more likely to let you off.

    All that being said, I personally wouldn't press my luck.
     
  39. TokyoFishFan

    TokyoFishFan New Member

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    Overthinking it.

    You did the crime now pay the fine.
    Yes, we all know we speed from time to time but you were the unlucky one who got caught this time.
    It always amazes me how much time and energy folks waste trying to get out of something that they're guilty of.
    You want to reward the officer who cut you some slack with a slap in the face. Don't fool yourself because that's what you'd be doing.

    Take responsibility for your actions. It's a step towards a better life and self-respect.

    /end sermon
     

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