R50/53 The famous ticket history
well dont get me wrong i have never asked to see a radar, i usually ( ok always know ) when and if im speeding. but ive also talked my way out of about 10-15 tickets by being respectful, i went to school to be a cop ( got turned down) , and have a coousin who is a well known & well respected LT. for the OKCPD.
although i dont usually speed more then 10 anyways just incase i get a ticket it keeps it off my insurance
although i dont usually speed more then 10 anyways just incase i get a ticket it keeps it off my insurance
My first ticket in 20 yrs and was it good, I had a friend in need and emotions took over sanity. So needless to say when the cop told me I was doing 108 in a 55 I was surprised. I couldn't argue and had no idea. Cop didn't care why I was rushing to my friend in need and that was fine. Did I mention this was a $500 fine.
I go to court with my attorney and the judge saw I never had a ticket and reduced it to $200 and 40 hrs of community service,plus no points and drop the charges once the community service is done.
Lesson learned! I now am very observant and will go no more than 5-8 mph in a 55.
I go to court with my attorney and the judge saw I never had a ticket and reduced it to $200 and 40 hrs of community service,plus no points and drop the charges once the community service is done.
Lesson learned! I now am very observant and will go no more than 5-8 mph in a 55.
My last one was in November on the freeway through town...I was in the 2nd lane from the left and some guy to my right cut me off and then proceeded to go much slower than me. I got irritated and rather than just relaxing, I floored it around him as we came over a slow rise and slight bend in the freeway.
On the other side of the bend sat an officer with his laser, and I watched him get me (85 in a 65). I saw him get in his car and I just pulled over; I knew he'd gotten me so whatever. He didn't even have to turn his lights on
He wrote the ticket for 78 in a 65 and I paid the $200-whatever-it-was and just finished my online traffic school last week to get it off my record. Not too big of a deal.
On the other side of the bend sat an officer with his laser, and I watched him get me (85 in a 65). I saw him get in his car and I just pulled over; I knew he'd gotten me so whatever. He didn't even have to turn his lights on
He wrote the ticket for 78 in a 65 and I paid the $200-whatever-it-was and just finished my online traffic school last week to get it off my record. Not too big of a deal.
that's what i did! i just pulled over to save that awkward time when you get followed and watch your rearview mirror for the lights haha
You got pulled over going those speeds?? What was involved and how did it go down? Do share!
I drive back and forth from LA to Phoenix quite a bit, and let's just say my car sees some quick speeds sometimes when its clear out there in the desert
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I drive back and forth from LA to Phoenix quite a bit, and let's just say my car sees some quick speeds sometimes when its clear out there in the desert
.
Reading this thread about everyone else's problems is almost as good as going to therapy or rehab. And cabriopilot, I completely agree with your advice and attribute several of my get-off-easy warning tickets to applying those skills.
I've had a rather boring ticket history until recently.
2003: (The first month that I owned my Mini) 75 in 45: in Vonore, Tennessee: $175 and driving school.
No tickets for over 4 years, then the HELL month
1. September 2 2007: 91 in 55: Columbus, Ohio: Court date scheduled.
2. September 5 2007: I was driving at night on a one way street and mistaken a police bus (aka patty wagon) for an ambulance and didn't pull over immediately when he turned his lights on. Long story, but my car got impounded, visited jail for 3 days, and got a $4500 ticket. I hired a lawyer, went to court, explained to the judge what happened, and everything was dropped including court fees. It basically cost me $600 to explain that I made a mistake.
3. September 22 2007: 63 in 20 (school zone): Went back to jail for 8 hours, car was impounded again, charged with "Driving with the intent to kill" (Felony) with up to 3 years in jail. Both speeding tickets were merged into one court date. Hired my lawyer back and $2000 later came out with "Failure to comply" (a non-moving violation that won't affect insurance rates), 6 month suspension, and court fees.
My friends all got a good laugh at my ticket; fortunately it was dropped. I plan to eventually frame this.
Moral of the story: drive responsibly, obey posted speed limits, always immediately stop for any sort of flashing lights behind you, and hire a good lawyer for bad situations. And taking a dump in a jail is an absolutely horrific experience.
I've had a rather boring ticket history until recently.
2003: (The first month that I owned my Mini) 75 in 45: in Vonore, Tennessee: $175 and driving school.
No tickets for over 4 years, then the HELL month
1. September 2 2007: 91 in 55: Columbus, Ohio: Court date scheduled.
2. September 5 2007: I was driving at night on a one way street and mistaken a police bus (aka patty wagon) for an ambulance and didn't pull over immediately when he turned his lights on. Long story, but my car got impounded, visited jail for 3 days, and got a $4500 ticket. I hired a lawyer, went to court, explained to the judge what happened, and everything was dropped including court fees. It basically cost me $600 to explain that I made a mistake.
3. September 22 2007: 63 in 20 (school zone): Went back to jail for 8 hours, car was impounded again, charged with "Driving with the intent to kill" (Felony) with up to 3 years in jail. Both speeding tickets were merged into one court date. Hired my lawyer back and $2000 later came out with "Failure to comply" (a non-moving violation that won't affect insurance rates), 6 month suspension, and court fees.
My friends all got a good laugh at my ticket; fortunately it was dropped. I plan to eventually frame this.
Moral of the story: drive responsibly, obey posted speed limits, always immediately stop for any sort of flashing lights behind you, and hire a good lawyer for bad situations. And taking a dump in a jail is an absolutely horrific experience.
Last edited by cooper99; May 30, 2008 at 12:05 AM.
Vendor & Moderator :: MINI Camera and Video & c3 club forum
iTrader: (6)
You have to be careful here---this is very near to where I live. There is a police station on the corner of Centinela Ave. and Culver Blvd. just a couple miles from Sepulveda, lol....As for Venice, there are plenty of speed traps here.. I had a friend that got a speeding ticket in his "just days old" MCS on Venice as well.
My last ticket in a MINI was on Temescal Canyon near Pacific Palisades and was doing 68 in a 45 in my old Cooper..up a hill--the cop knew I didn't have an S and asked if I had nitrous instead. I got a Valentine after that, have been ticket free for 3 years--had many close calls including today--as I did something similar to MLWagner--pushed pass a slow mini van that cut me off on the freeway that finally moved out of the way after a couple miles, and as I sped past him, looked up to see a very fast moving motorcycle cop coming from behind in the car pool lane. Normally I just let off the gas and down shift so my brake lights don't go on, but I was accelerating too hard for that, lol, and had to hit the breaks several times--but he had bigger fish to fry and didn't even look back.
My last ticket in a MINI was on Temescal Canyon near Pacific Palisades and was doing 68 in a 45 in my old Cooper..up a hill--the cop knew I didn't have an S and asked if I had nitrous instead. I got a Valentine after that, have been ticket free for 3 years--had many close calls including today--as I did something similar to MLWagner--pushed pass a slow mini van that cut me off on the freeway that finally moved out of the way after a couple miles, and as I sped past him, looked up to see a very fast moving motorcycle cop coming from behind in the car pool lane. Normally I just let off the gas and down shift so my brake lights don't go on, but I was accelerating too hard for that, lol, and had to hit the breaks several times--but he had bigger fish to fry and didn't even look back.
Never gotten a ticket (knock on wood!), but been pulled over 3 times in my old MINI. My Valentine 1 has saved my butt from probably going to jail numerous times though. 
1) Was doing probably 65-70 on a straight road, but speed limit was 35. It was considered "residential" but it is a pretty major road (Culver Blvd, in LA near Sepulveda)......
2) It was about 1am, was NOT speeding at all, and was dead sober, had just turned onto Venice Blvd (a 35 zone)......
Other than those fun stories, I've been pretty lucky!
1) Was doing probably 65-70 on a straight road, but speed limit was 35. It was considered "residential" but it is a pretty major road (Culver Blvd, in LA near Sepulveda)......
2) It was about 1am, was NOT speeding at all, and was dead sober, had just turned onto Venice Blvd (a 35 zone)......
Other than those fun stories, I've been pretty lucky!
1st Gear
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: Ft. Worth TX
No tickets in the Mini. Wierdest speeding ticket was 42 in a 30 on a bicycle. I contested it, the officer showed and the judge found me not guilty; didn't believe someone could go that fast on a bicycle. That ticket is framed and displayed.
3rd Gear
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 289
Likes: 0
From: Peoria IL
So I posted yesterday my list of tickets.. well lets add another one this morning well not so much a ticket but warning. I live 1/4 from my work so sometimes I ride a moped. And when I say moped I mean a 1975 Puch (oh yeah you know it's too hot to handle ).The cop did no even bother pulling me over, just followed me to work. I was very polite and he gave me a written warning for my tailight and then told me if I went to the north end office with a new bulb in it, it would be 'expunged'. lol
).The cop did no even bother pulling me over, just followed me to work. I was very polite and he gave me a written warning for my tailight and then told me if I went to the north end office with a new bulb in it, it would be 'expunged'. lol
You have to be careful here---this is very near to where I live. There is a police station on the corner of Centinela Ave. and Culver Blvd. just a couple miles from Sepulveda, lol....As for Venice, there are plenty of speed traps here.. I had a friend that got a speeding ticket in his "just days old" MCS on Venice as well.
Vendor & Moderator :: MINI Camera and Video & c3 club forum
iTrader: (6)
Haha well welcome to the neighborhood--I've lived here since 1995, so I know the areas pretty well--but I realize we are straying OT... =)
Haha yeah, I realized that shortly after that pull-over on Culver, it's a pretty big station too, always cops coming and going. I live right near there in Marina Del Rey, and I don't even think about going more than 5 over in that area anymore. Like I said though, I had just moved there so I didn't know!
As a former LEO I can offer only this little bit of info:
When you get pulled over it is much easier for the officer to give you a verbal warning
than it is to start writing a ticket that may cause him to go to court on an off day.
So with that in mind, try not to be a smart a** and don't mouth off.. It's not going to get you anywhere but in trouble.
Don't point out that there are other more important crimes being committed.
Don't argue that you didn't run the stop sign when you know you did.
Don't demand to see the radar readings and records right away (the officer may not being giving you a ticket but if you act all cocky about it, then you probably will).
Treat the officer with the same respect that you would show your grandmother and you should get the same in return.
If you're not clear as to why you got pulled over don't guess, just ask.
When asked for your drivers license, registration and proof of insurance just get it first before you start asking questions.
I have never given anyone a ticket that treated me nice and at the same time I have nailed them for everything when they treated me like trash.
I haven't been a LEO for over 20 years but I can tell you that I myself have gotten out of tickets by following some of my own advice.
After all it is very hard not to get a little squirly in your MINI once in a great while.
When you get pulled over it is much easier for the officer to give you a verbal warning
than it is to start writing a ticket that may cause him to go to court on an off day.
So with that in mind, try not to be a smart a** and don't mouth off.. It's not going to get you anywhere but in trouble.
Don't point out that there are other more important crimes being committed.
Don't argue that you didn't run the stop sign when you know you did.
Don't demand to see the radar readings and records right away (the officer may not being giving you a ticket but if you act all cocky about it, then you probably will).
Treat the officer with the same respect that you would show your grandmother and you should get the same in return.
If you're not clear as to why you got pulled over don't guess, just ask.
When asked for your drivers license, registration and proof of insurance just get it first before you start asking questions.
I have never given anyone a ticket that treated me nice and at the same time I have nailed them for everything when they treated me like trash.
I haven't been a LEO for over 20 years but I can tell you that I myself have gotten out of tickets by following some of my own advice.
After all it is very hard not to get a little squirly in your MINI once in a great while.
Cabrio Pilot, The officer that stopped me was very polite but I could tell right away that he had pretty much made up his mind about writing me a ticket. In fact he had 2 cars stopped (Including mine) and was doing the paperwork for both. When he was finished, he stopped 2 more and so on. That morning he stopped about 10 cars total.
I was very, very nice to him but that didn't get me off the hook.
Another time I was stopped (53 on a 35) but the officer was polite and he asked me if I had been given a ticket before and I said not a single one in more than 20 years. He said "that is probably a very good thing. With me is 2 warnings and after that I'll write you up".
I guess it all depends on the officer and how they approach their duty.
I was very, very nice to him but that didn't get me off the hook.
Another time I was stopped (53 on a 35) but the officer was polite and he asked me if I had been given a ticket before and I said not a single one in more than 20 years. He said "that is probably a very good thing. With me is 2 warnings and after that I'll write you up".
I guess it all depends on the officer and how they approach their duty.
In some cases, there is a certain speed (for example 10 mph over limit) that would get a person stopped, but not necessarily a ticket. Then there was another speed (say 15mph or more over limit) that would result in a ticket just about every time. In that case, being nice probably won't help, but it sure can't hurt. Either way, why talk yourself into a ticket?
It used to amaze me how many people would say something like "I'll see you in court" when they got a ticket. Is that supposed to scare me? That goes with the territory of being in law enforcement. I wasn't big on going to court, but it sure didn't bother me.
Last edited by Mishka; May 30, 2008 at 11:24 AM.
4th Gear
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 563
Likes: 0
From: Calgary, Canada
As a former LEO I can offer only this little bit of info:
When you get pulled over it is much easier for the officer to give you a verbal warning
than it is to start writing a ticket that may cause him to go to court on an off day.
So with that in mind, try not to be a smart a** and don't mouth off.. It's not going to get you anywhere but in trouble.
Don't point out that there are other more important crimes being committed.
Don't argue that you didn't run the stop sign when you know you did.
Don't demand to see the radar readings and records right away (the officer may not being giving you a ticket but if you act all cocky about it, then you probably will).
Treat the officer with the same respect that you would show your grandmother and you should get the same in return.
If you're not clear as to why you got pulled over don't guess, just ask.
When you get pulled over it is much easier for the officer to give you a verbal warning
than it is to start writing a ticket that may cause him to go to court on an off day.
So with that in mind, try not to be a smart a** and don't mouth off.. It's not going to get you anywhere but in trouble.
Don't point out that there are other more important crimes being committed.
Don't argue that you didn't run the stop sign when you know you did.
Don't demand to see the radar readings and records right away (the officer may not being giving you a ticket but if you act all cocky about it, then you probably will).
Treat the officer with the same respect that you would show your grandmother and you should get the same in return.
If you're not clear as to why you got pulled over don't guess, just ask.
3rd Gear
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 190
Likes: 0
From: Houston, TX
Speeding
I just turned 18 and have been pulled over 5 times and have recieved 7 tickets (NO WARNINGS)
This is how it usually goes:
officer- Can I see your license and Insurance please?
me- yes, sir
officer goes back to car and brings back a ticket
officer- This ticket says you were going blah in a blah blah, you need to sigh here... this is not a plead of guilty, but blah blah......
the end
before I begin this I want to point out that one of my friends has been pulled over 8 times and issued one ticket (which was dropped) and he doesn't just go 5 over, he usually goes a solid 15 over i.e. 70 in a 20 school zone---the cop looked at his license, threw it back at him and told him to slow down
The first time i was pulled over I was going what he said "LOOKED like 55 in a 45" (it was a 40, I had been going 90, but saw the front of the cop car sticking out from a bush and braked... hard I probably went in front of him doing 45-50)
this one stuck somehow, i knew nothing
Second- 86 in a 65
didn't try to fight it, got put on probation
third- (still on probation)- small town, on my way home from a MINI fun-drive, the car in front of me basically stopped to turn right, so i gave it some gas, topped out first gear then coasted) speed limit was 35, unfortunately in the far end of a parking lot were 2 cops (Dodge chargers too)
this one stuck stuck, but somehow didn't affect my probation
fourth- deserted highway (3 lanes in 1 direction, 3 the other), in my dad's navigator... i topped it out just for fun, but i cought up to 2 other cars, and just drove at the same speed as them (75 in a 60) 2 min later, a cop pulled up behind me out of NOWHERE, i think he had his lights of in a ditch or something
ticket was for 74mph and on the ticket it said "pack speed 72mph"
fifth- complete and utter BS i was driving w/ two of my friends (one drives an acura RSX, the other had gotten a MINI just like mine the day before) pulling out of a neighborhood onto a road w/ 2 lanes 1 direction and 2 the other, speedlimit was 35, we knew it was late and there were cops around so we were going the speed limit, in the intersection my tire chirped (not a burn out, just a little chirp), then i pulled into the right lane, the others were in the left (RSX in front) Supposedly a cop flashed their spot light at us, but none of us saw it (unlikely that we all missed a 20k candlewatt light) the RSX's 1st gear was messed up so he had to start in 2nd, so he had NO power, so a got in front of him going about 37, as i pulled further left into the turning lane, the light turned green, so i started going through the intersection, then i see flashing lights beside my car-- the cop drove side be side w/ me into the intersection yelling at me to pull over ( once pulled over she said "Enjoy your little speed run?" then she gave me a speech about ruining my life by speeding around town), the other guys said that she didn't even have her lights flashing 'till she entered the intersection, so i pulled off the road into the first parking lot, which i was followed into by 3 police cruisers, the last one turned around, stopped traffic and used the loud speaker to tell the other guys to pull over too
each of us were issued 3 tickets, the other MINI only got 2
she didn't even write the court date on mine, i pulled into another parking lot to wait for the other 2 guys when I noticed it. about 5 min later, one of the other officers sped over to me and wrote in the court date
RSX-excessive noise (when he asked about it the officer said, it can be whatever i think is too loud) they said it was tire squeal (remember he has no 1st gear, w/ a honda engine w/ NO torque)... speeding (i guess 35 in a 35 is speeding when u don't use a radar gun to check... following too close (i'm not really sure how they managed that-- there was no one in front of him
friend's MINI-excessive noise, i guess a stock MINI revving to 3k rpm is loud... speeding-while following the RSX???
Me-excessive noise-1 tire chirp... following too close (I was the only car in that lane for the next half mile in front of me, and behind me... and speeding, i was going about 37, maybe 38 in a 35, but they were at a 90 degree angle to us, so even if they did use a radar (which they didn't) it wouldn't have worked.
All charges were dropped just by showing up in the court room
... I had hired a lawyer for tickets 5-7 and ticket #4... He didn't give me the court date (even after calling) I was told they hadn't been given one yet, so I assumed they would contact me when they found out...months later I got a call from the courthouse saying that my court date was scheduled that day, but would be moved to another date... The month the date was moved to, the entire law office was on vacation (for the whole month) or something, so the lawyer didn't even show up
EDIT: ADDITION: 10/06/08
Court date for ticket #4 was set for 3 days after hurricane Ike hit, it tore straight through the area that the courthouse was (not far from Galveston) I have yet to recieve a call about the new court date (and I'm not about to call about a ticket)
This is how it usually goes:
officer- Can I see your license and Insurance please?
me- yes, sir
officer goes back to car and brings back a ticket
officer- This ticket says you were going blah in a blah blah, you need to sigh here... this is not a plead of guilty, but blah blah......
the end
before I begin this I want to point out that one of my friends has been pulled over 8 times and issued one ticket (which was dropped) and he doesn't just go 5 over, he usually goes a solid 15 over i.e. 70 in a 20 school zone---the cop looked at his license, threw it back at him and told him to slow down
The first time i was pulled over I was going what he said "LOOKED like 55 in a 45" (it was a 40, I had been going 90, but saw the front of the cop car sticking out from a bush and braked... hard I probably went in front of him doing 45-50)
this one stuck somehow, i knew nothing
Second- 86 in a 65
didn't try to fight it, got put on probation
third- (still on probation)- small town, on my way home from a MINI fun-drive, the car in front of me basically stopped to turn right, so i gave it some gas, topped out first gear then coasted) speed limit was 35, unfortunately in the far end of a parking lot were 2 cops (Dodge chargers too)
this one stuck stuck, but somehow didn't affect my probation
fourth- deserted highway (3 lanes in 1 direction, 3 the other), in my dad's navigator... i topped it out just for fun, but i cought up to 2 other cars, and just drove at the same speed as them (75 in a 60) 2 min later, a cop pulled up behind me out of NOWHERE, i think he had his lights of in a ditch or something
ticket was for 74mph and on the ticket it said "pack speed 72mph"
fifth- complete and utter BS i was driving w/ two of my friends (one drives an acura RSX, the other had gotten a MINI just like mine the day before) pulling out of a neighborhood onto a road w/ 2 lanes 1 direction and 2 the other, speedlimit was 35, we knew it was late and there were cops around so we were going the speed limit, in the intersection my tire chirped (not a burn out, just a little chirp), then i pulled into the right lane, the others were in the left (RSX in front) Supposedly a cop flashed their spot light at us, but none of us saw it (unlikely that we all missed a 20k candlewatt light) the RSX's 1st gear was messed up so he had to start in 2nd, so he had NO power, so a got in front of him going about 37, as i pulled further left into the turning lane, the light turned green, so i started going through the intersection, then i see flashing lights beside my car-- the cop drove side be side w/ me into the intersection yelling at me to pull over ( once pulled over she said "Enjoy your little speed run?" then she gave me a speech about ruining my life by speeding around town), the other guys said that she didn't even have her lights flashing 'till she entered the intersection, so i pulled off the road into the first parking lot, which i was followed into by 3 police cruisers, the last one turned around, stopped traffic and used the loud speaker to tell the other guys to pull over too
each of us were issued 3 tickets, the other MINI only got 2
she didn't even write the court date on mine, i pulled into another parking lot to wait for the other 2 guys when I noticed it. about 5 min later, one of the other officers sped over to me and wrote in the court date
RSX-excessive noise (when he asked about it the officer said, it can be whatever i think is too loud) they said it was tire squeal (remember he has no 1st gear, w/ a honda engine w/ NO torque)... speeding (i guess 35 in a 35 is speeding when u don't use a radar gun to check... following too close (i'm not really sure how they managed that-- there was no one in front of him
friend's MINI-excessive noise, i guess a stock MINI revving to 3k rpm is loud... speeding-while following the RSX???
Me-excessive noise-1 tire chirp... following too close (I was the only car in that lane for the next half mile in front of me, and behind me... and speeding, i was going about 37, maybe 38 in a 35, but they were at a 90 degree angle to us, so even if they did use a radar (which they didn't) it wouldn't have worked.
All charges were dropped just by showing up in the court room
... I had hired a lawyer for tickets 5-7 and ticket #4... He didn't give me the court date (even after calling) I was told they hadn't been given one yet, so I assumed they would contact me when they found out...months later I got a call from the courthouse saying that my court date was scheduled that day, but would be moved to another date... The month the date was moved to, the entire law office was on vacation (for the whole month) or something, so the lawyer didn't even show up
EDIT: ADDITION: 10/06/08
Court date for ticket #4 was set for 3 days after hurricane Ike hit, it tore straight through the area that the courthouse was (not far from Galveston) I have yet to recieve a call about the new court date (and I'm not about to call about a ticket)
Last edited by MINI_chili; Oct 5, 2008 at 11:36 PM. Reason: addition
RSX-excessive noise (when he asked about it the officer said, it can be whatever i think is too loud) they said it was tire squeal (remember he has no 1st gear, w/ a honda engine w/ NO torque)... speeding (i guess 35 in a 35 is speeding when u don't use a radar gun to check... following too close (i'm not really sure how they managed that-- there was no one in front of him
friend's MINI-excessive noise, i guess a stock MINI revving to 3k rpm is loud... speeding-while following the RSX???
Me-excessive noise-1 tire chirp... following too close (I was the only car in that lane for the next half mile in front of me, and behind me... and speeding, i was going about 37, maybe 38 in a 35, but they were at a 90 degree angle to us, so even if they did use a radar (which they didn't) it wouldn't have worked.
All charges were dropped just by showing up in the court room
got my $700 ticket down to $242 and almost got the driving class but they don't let you do it in a Safety Corridor. lame.
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 0
From: Madison, MS
Very first and only ticket was in 1972 in Jacksonville Florida. 45 in a 30 trying to get back to church after night classes. Cop said yea right. $17.50! Thought that was allot then. Had just opened my first checking account and my very first check was to the City of Jacksonville.
Last year, November 2007, driving through a small town in the foothills of the Smokeys going up to Gatlinburg with my wife. Got pulled over for doing 55 in a 30 along with everyone else on the road. HE picked ME!
License/Reg/Insurance, back to his car, called it in, walked back up told me I must be one careful drive, not even a warning on the books.
Have a nice day!
Last year, November 2007, driving through a small town in the foothills of the Smokeys going up to Gatlinburg with my wife. Got pulled over for doing 55 in a 30 along with everyone else on the road. HE picked ME!
License/Reg/Insurance, back to his car, called it in, walked back up told me I must be one careful drive, not even a warning on the books.Have a nice day!