Hey everyone.

Finally got a speeding ticket tonight. It's been almost ten years. The feeling is still horrible though. Got caught doing about 60 in a 35, and then I had to take off my belt to get into the g-box, which won me another citation. incredible. I'd like to think it was worth it, but it just wasn't, especially after the seat-belt thing. You would think that I was being a jerk to the officer or something, maybe he was having a bad day, I dont know. Nonetheless, here I am $192 lighter, wishing that I stayed at home to watch the darn eclipse. All I can do to keep from completely breaking down into a stooper is think to myself, " Its better than an accident!" Although this is true, it doesn't ease the rub.

I write this to all fellow motorists who have not had the experience of autographing a citation in the comfort of their own Mini, and for those that have had the pleasure already, I feel your pain.

Any words of encouragement will be greatly appreciated.

 

I want my click back

 

LOL now that is funny.

 

Glad to see you edited the post to actually add words.

Sorry about the tickets. The officer actually gave you a citation for driving without a seatbelt because you took it off to get your POI and Reg out of the glove box ??!!

That's odd.

I would eat the speeding ticket but fight the seatbelt violation.

 

unless he took his seat beat off prior to the officer seeing him with it on. Then yes, a seat beat citation will probably happen.

I feel your pain, but look at it like this. 10 years/192.00 = 19.20/yr, that's not too bad over all.

 

When I was pulled over recently (for a missing registration tag that had falled off somehow from my plate), I made to sure to ask the officer if I can take off my seatbelt first, before taking it off so I can get out the license and reg. That way he won't hit me with the silly seat belt citation.

No, I didn't get a ticket for the registration--my other plate has the right sticker on it, and he was understanding.

 

It always stinks. Just hope that it's another 10 years, then keep motoring fun and safe.

 

Hang in there. This bad feeling will pass with time. It was a hard hit for sure, but sounds like you knew you were in the wrong about the speed thing anyway. If you go to court I'd surely fight the seat belt part since you had to remove it to get to the glove box. I'm sure many pulled folks do the same thing.

I was so glad to see that you're not a VA resident when I read this. Look at that as being a good point here. We just had ridiculous fines for speeders go into effect, at the tune of $3,500. Being nice about it, it sucks living in VA owning any kind of fast type car. You feel like you're under the gun even when you're obeying the law.

 

Maybe this will help: You paid $19.20 per year for 10 years to have a heck of a lot of fun.

 

It'd probably be funnier if I knew what it meant.

 

I don't know what the laws are in HI but here in NC 60 in a 35 would get in some trouble. I would try to have the ticket reduced (a call into the DA's office usualy works) pay the fine and move on. Anything 20 over here is court time and a possible DL suspention-unless you can get it reduced prior to the court date.

 

Now that's funny ! ! !

 

That's only $1.60/month to drive as fast as you want...only $0.053 per day...that's a pretty good bargain! Just consider it a driving tax.

How much would you be willing to pay to be able to drive at whatever speed you wanted for an entire year?? I'm sure it would be more than $20

 

In California anything 20 MPH over the speed limit can be considered "reckless driving" which I think is 3 points.

 

....orrrr, since we're splitting hairs - $0.002 an hour, or basically $0.00 a second. So, in essence, your ticket somehow ended up being free.

 

I got pulled over on the way to work one morning about eight years ago.. I knew I wasn't speeding, so when the officer came up to my window, I asked her what she was pulling me over for. She said, "seat belt violation". I just about sh.t..

Then she asked me for my drivers license and registration. I looked her right in the eye and said, "ok, watch this" - as I reached down and released the lock on my seat belt.. She made some comment about me putting in on after I saw the blue lights - I told her she was full of Bovine Scatology - she said if I wanted to continue the discussion we could do it downtown. My blood pressure was about 210 over 175 by then, so I looked at her and said, "Write the ticket.." - which she promptly did.

I wanted to take it to court - but our local system does not hear seatbelt violations. At that time it was a $25, no-point violation, so I paid it. Now it's something like $200 and 2 points..

My love for law enforcement officers went down a couple notches that day.

 

I don't think you should be too upset over getting caught doing 60 in a 35, that's really not cool, friend..........save that kind of speed for the track or the freeway, please. Pay the fine and hope the lesson sinks in.........

 

Not accurate.

A charge of reckless requires more than simple speed. It's generally a combination of three moving violations committed within a short time of each other. And that's oversimplifying things just a bit.

Reckless is 2 points in CA.

 

Earlier this year Iowa increased the tax on cigarettes by $1 a pack and some troopers have been hanging out by the Missouri border trying to nab Iowans who go there to avoid the tax (Good on them as far as I'm concerned, screw all those busy body tax hikers.) I went to Lineville to drop some stuff off at my brothers house and came back across the border about ten minutes after I'd crossed it heading South. A trooper stopped me and inquired if I'd purchased cigarettes while in Missouri. I told him no (the truth) and he asked me if he could look through my car. I said no. He said he could get a warrant to search it and I replied "Go ahead, I have nothing better to do today than stand on my Constitutional rights and keep you occupied." He frowned, said "have a nice day" and waved me on. They have set up the system to make it as inconvenient as possible to fight them when they are in the wrong. But if you appear willing to make it equally as miserable for them they will often back off.

 

Either your a cop or you have been there before .

 

Truer words were never spoken. Just be right...

 

It also helps to have a "family member" card from the State Police.

 

Reaching into the glove box wasn't a smart move. What if the officer thought you were going for a gun? My advice would be to sit there & wait for the officer. If the your license is in the glove box say so & ask if it's OK to get it.

You may think I'm being paranoid, but my brother in law was an officer & was shot 3 times in a routine traffic stop. Thankfully he didn't die, but it was a very close one. You don't know what the officer will do, will he be calm & rational or will he be an SOB? He doesn't know what the driver he has pulled over will be like either. There is a lot of tension in a traffic stop on both sides.

You got screwed on the seatbelt for sure. If you were going 60 in a 35, well you know.

 

Ya know you could have something there about the glove box, since I retrieved the paperwork before the officer approached. However, the seatbelt was removed so as to place the envelope back into the glove box after the officer took the insurance and registration. Oh well, Im sure the movement to get in there before the guy approached was a bit unsettling, forgot how uncomfortable that could be for an officer.

 

I've found that the more comfortable the officer is during the stop, the more smoothly things go. For me, that means that I have the windows rolled down/engine off before the officer approaches the car, dome light on (if it's a night stop), and my hands are on the steering wheel. When they ask for my license/registration/paperwork, I tell them that I'm going to have to reach into my wallet/glove box/console, and wait for a response. *I* know I'm not going to cause any trouble, but as far as the cop knows, I could have a kilo of cocaine and a dead hooker in the trunk (not likely with a convertible MINI, but you get the point).

The last stop was even more interesting than usual, because I was carrying a concealed pistol. Rather than mention it and have him fixate on the word "gun", I just handed my concealed-carry permit over along with my driver's license. He asked where the pistol was, I told him, and he said "That's fine - just leave it there".