Ok, guys....
I was on my way to work (late, of course:impatient ), when I got pulled over . I was on I-95, exit 108ish. The cop gave me a ticket for $207.50 , and 4 points. I need some advise on what to do.

Please Help.

 

Ouch!

This is a whole big can o worms....and everyone's going to have an opinion. Hell, you may have just created the next "big thread" on NAM

Well...were you speeding? Did you get hit with radar or laser? How many other vehicles were near you at the time? Radar can be subjective if several cars are in close proximity. If it was laser (much more acurate) it's harder to argue. Did you ask the Officer to see the read-out of the speed he/she claimed you were going?

You could try disputing it in Court. Or, if you were speeding and can't argue it (i.e., laser tagged), then is Traffic School an option in your area? Usually Traffic School will reduce the fine and/or prevent the loss of points on your record.

I wouldn't be as concerned about the $207 as I would be about the increase in insurance premiums.

You could also get a free consultation from a lawyer in your area if you feel strongly that you were in the right. But based on the preface in your post - that you were late for work (I know how I am when I'm late...and get a little heavy on the accelerator), then perhaps it was a legit ticket and your focus should be to mitigate the impact to your insurance premiums by pursuing Traffic School.

Just my $0.02

 

Well, I guess I should have put some more specificas on this one, so here it goes:

It was at 7:28AM, I had not slept in 24 hours, so I was a bit tired. When I get tired I have to drive a bit faster to stay awake (don't ask, it works). I was alos late for work. He "tagged" me with radar but there were only a few other cars in the area. And I was deffinatly the fasest in the area. I did not ask to see the read out, but if I had it would have proved nothing, He wrote me up for less then what I was really doing.

Traffic school is an option, but I want some other ideas on how to handle this.

 

Tough luck man, I would take the school, and buy a good detector

i barely ever go over 80 (kills my mpg) I bought a cooper to stay out of the trouble a S would get in.

 

Good reading on this site:

http://www.ticketassassin.com/

it is CA centric, but some of it may apply to your state.

 

Well...um....uh....yeah...what gas milage?

And first chance I get... Valentine here I come!

 

Thanks!

 

How about slowing down. You were speeding and endangering everyone else on the road. That's what cops are for. Send him a thank you note for the rest of us. Take your medicine and learn a lesson. If you want to go fast, take it to the track.

 

Posting about excessive speeding is not permitted per NAM's Site Guidelines.

5. LEGAL
Posts relating to street racing, excessive speeding, or violations of other laws are prohibited. If you want to race, take it to a legal venue.

The posts stating the excessive speeds need to be edited or the thread will be closed. If not done in a timely manner, I will edit them. If this thread becomes a flame war, it will be closed.

Edit: I edited out the excessive mph references in this thread.

 

I would say the best thing to do is to pay your speeding ticket and try to slow down a bit from now on. I learned my lesson the hard way- 4 speeding tickets in the span of 3 months. My insurance was through the roof! It's all clear now though thank goodness.

 

#1. In most places you can either sign the ticket and pay the fine .. or .. not sign the ticket and take it to court (assuming you can come up with some kind of argument that could conceively hold water). In many areas of the country, including here, the officer often doesn't show up in court and thus the judge dismisses the ticket.

#2. If #1 isn't viable, take the school. In most areas of the country if you take the school the insurance company doesn't hear of your infraction. As was pointed out earlier, the increased insurance rate will usually turn out to be greater than the fine. You want to keep that insurance record as clean as possible because if you get another ticket in the not too distant future your insurance company would probably take steps that that you definitely wouldn't like.

Oh .. And get on the internet and find out if your area has correspondence courses that can be taken in lieu of going to class. Chances are good they do.

 

Online traffic school would be the best way out of the ticket . I've done my share of speeding but that was a bit excissive. Slowing down a bit will be the best way out of many more serious things that could happen if you don't.

 

Sounds like school might be your best option. Same insurance companies will not increase your premium if you go, at least for the first time.

But going that fast without sleep for 24 hours... sounds like really poor judgement to me. You were not only endangering yourself, you were endangering everyone around you. Ever heard of LeMans and Daytona? They drive in shifts so they can get a bit of rest.

 

ok... so I know it wasn't the smartest thing to do.... and I have to pay for my poor judgment one way or the other.

Thanks for all your input!

 

So I have decided to take the traffic school. Does any one know of an online that is truley acredited? I did a google search but they all seem ify.

 

Check with your State's DMV and they may have info on "legit" schools.

 

+1...I did online traffic school for a ticket issued in Los Angeles, where I live. When I went to pay the ticket and let the court know I'd be doing traffic school to keep it off my record, I received information which included a list of traffic school websites. And a friend in the FL Panhandle did online traffic school earlier this year, so it is legit. However, at least in Cali, if you are ticketed for excessive speed, it may not be something you can clear with traffic school, especially if it is 20 miles over the posted speed limit. That is considered reckless driving and is a much more serious offense. Contact your local traffic court to see what your options are.

 

Ouch you got 4 points for a speeding ticket. Man o man...

 

When I got a ticket in JAX back in '04, Duval county mailed me an "option" when I got my copy of the ticket. Being from out of state, I could a.) pay the ticket at full price, b.) show up for court to get it reduced, c.) pay $50 plus the reduced fine, and take a "Video School" course and not have them report it back to my state. I took C and everything was good.

BTW the school was setup that you had to watch it. Take notes and watch for the "stuff that they put in there to mark on the "test". Worst 4 hours of that day and a few weeks after that. J/k, I did learn a couple of things.

[Rant]
Also, what qualifies as excessive speeding? 10 over? 15 over? 20 over is considered wreckless driving in SC, but so is crossing a parking lot ( not in the lanes ) going 5 mph. My point is, is everyone around you is going at least 10 over (very common on an Interstate), and you are going 15 over, then is that excessive? I think it is VERY subjective when it comes to determining that. I DO have a heavy foot (as I'm sure a lot of us do), but I do not think I'm wreckless. Think about how many people have mentioned getting tickets.

[/Rant]
PS I'm NOT trying to "start anything", I'm just giving my opinion. Please take it at that.

 

Typical 10+ over in SC is $175 and 4 points.

 

Ouch.. I guess I was lucky in 2002. I was doing 20 over and got 2 points.

I know this is close to illegal chat on NAM but isn't it sharing experiences?

 

[quote=FL_blue_MINI;1501929]Well, I guess I should have put some more specificas on this one, so here it goes:

It was at 7:28AM, I had not slept in 24 hours, so I was a bit tired. When I get tired I have to drive a bit faster to stay awake (don't ask, it works).
quote]

Driving faster may mke you feel like you are more alert .... but I suspect that your reaction times are not nearly as good as when you are rested.

 

I see you're in the FLL/Vero area. My sister got a speeding ticket in Miami a few years ago and did the online course to keep the points off her license, which I think is the absolute best option. Sorry, I can't remember where she found the particular course she took, but check with the DMV, or I'm sure they will start sending you all the junk they send you when you get a ticket - can't hide from the parents if you live at home, haha.

When I was in college I got a speeding ticket and 3 points on my license while driving on the FL Turnpike from Orlando to Gainesville at 2:00 am. The trooper gave me a break on my actual speed (much like you), but it seems like my ticket was more expensive. I goofed up and missed the deadline for the traffic school, so I ended up with the points on my license, but I never got any repercussions from that, and they go away after (I think) five years. I am point-free now, since I somehow managed to avoid tickets ever since.

Good luck, and slow it down a little!

 

*beginning of rant*

You can't fight the gub-men when there is profit to be made printing money on the side of the road.

Do not even think about somehow fighting it in their kangaroo courts where you are guilty until proven guilty. You'll lose your $$$ and your time.

Traffic school may help the points and long term insurance premiums, plus they get to make a bit more $$$ selling the class to you. . . .

If increasing public safety instead of profiteering was the concern of "law enforcement", you'd hear about people getting tickets for not properly yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks.

The peace officer has become extinct, replaced by "law enforcement".. . . . . . sigh. .

*end of rant*

 

I have to agree with this. My dad was a cop for 18 years. He got out of it for some of the reason that you listed, and other as well.
Some of them are out to see how many tickets they can write. Some are just on the power trip, so they can excersice their authority over you. Yada, yada,.... I'm not saying they are all bad. I have a few police friends so there are a few good ones out there "protecting and serving".


I think everyone has different observations that they make, so we could go on and on like this for days.