Well Rick,
you are probably looking at $230 for the ticket (I believe it is $10 for every MPH you are over the speed limit), $35 for traffic school signup if you are elgible, and 8 hours (times $ whatever you deem your time to be worth) for attending traffic school.
I have had my share of tix. This is usually the going rate. I like to think that when I do get a tix; it's for all the times I didn't get caught... . This makes it easier to swallow (# of times not caught / by total cost of current tix). Ex. 200 times not caught/$265 = $.75 for every time you sped and din't get caught...not bad for motoring ...look at the cost of toll roads.
For everyone in Cali; here is some advice when being followed by a CHP vehicle. You have about 7 seconds once the CHP vehicle is behind you to slow down. When you notice the CHP vehicle behind you don't tap the brakes....just ease your foot off the gas pedal...and downshift if possible. I have done this on several occassions and had great success... . I had this 7 second rule kind of acknowledged by a CHP officer ( he didn't disagree when I asked....he just smiled). Always be courteous (hands on steering wheel when they approach your vehicle after being stopped); this worked wonders...Because I was courteous and had my hands on the steering wheel the officer wrote me up for 90MPH....otherwise he would have towed my vehicle in and taken me to the precinct for the night (actually the weekend...it was on a Friday night).
Good luck if you try fighting the ticket....you never know if the cop will show up.....if you are elgibl for traffic school; take the hit and get it over with asap (this way you can keep motoring). Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

I always fight tickets in court because there is a good chance he won't show up. I saved $188 that way last month.

 

This doesn't make sense to me. Are you saying that, if the speed limit on a road is 40 mph, and the speed survey shows that the average speed on that road is 63 mph, that the state is required to change the speed limit on that road to 65 mph? Wouldn't this just result in all speed limits constantly increasing?

IB4TL...

 

Yes, they are required to change the speed limit. It's just that no one actually does it, as the state uses a lot of these tickets to generate revenue, and is not about to spend money on more speed surveys and on the hours needed to fix all the speed limits. It is because of this that it's a good idea to fight a ticket on these merits.

 

regarding "the other guys were going faster than I was" argument.....
my friend, the state trooper, summed it up this way....Did you ever go fishing and catch ALL the fish ? Pretty much says it all !

 

I agree - no excuses - my number was up.

 

And note the enforcement levels while surveys are in progress

 

I also know those you use the classic "The sign doesn't say keep up, it says XX MPH Limit"

 

I'm going to try something a little different this time since there is some decent information in here.

The excessive speed posts (and all of those related to it) have been removed. Please avoid the 100+ MPH (and reckless driving) posts. This has been a reprieve, but that doesn't mean the lock won't come if it starts down that road again.

Just a reminder from the site guidelines

 

There's more to this than the scope of this thread covers, but the way it's supposed to work is that traffic engineers set the speed limit on a road based on the flow of traffic. It's called the 85th percentile rule, and it actually works pretty well.

The catch is, when you artificially lower the speed limit below the 85th percentile, you don't improve safety, you just increase the number of violators. If you have a road where the 85th percentile speed is 40, and you change the limit to 25, the average speed of traffic won't change much. Likewise, if you change the limit on that same road to 55, it also won't change much. I know that won't make much sense to most people here, but it's pretty much true.

Sure, you'll get the occasional person taking advantage of the higher limit (just like you'll get the occasional slowpoke obeying the 25 in the other scenario) but for the most part, the 85th percentile speed will prevail.

 

I have read this too and believe it mostly true. The exception, though, is on on/off ramp speeds where I think they do take into account the radius of the curve and the angle of embankment.

 

Thanks for not locking the thread. My post was not intended as a platform to brag about how fast I was going or about getting a speeding ticket. It was intended to say, "Damn, I screwed up and now I need some advice."

 

Just for the record, I NEVER thought you were bragging about speed. I took your meaning exactly as stated. I was just being a wise-a$$ with the IB4TL bit. And I'm still sorry you're going through this.... regardless of the circumstances. Having to deal with the courts on any issue can be.... bothersome. Cheers L8R

 

So what exactly do you get from going to traffic school? No points? Lower Ticket cost? A smile? lol

 

You get to pay more (traffic school costs), no points on your "public record," and 18 months probation (another infraction within this period and you will NOT be able to attend traffic school).

Even I don't know what "public record" means.... but I assume it has to deal with your insurance company. I believe points still appear on your DMV/registry record. [these statements are unstubstantiated]

PS: I believe this is only for California.

 

No Worries man, if you got a clean record, hire a traffic lawyer..
For about the cost of the ticket or driving school, you pay the lawyer, he goes to bat for you and you usually get off with some court cost or maybe even nothing at all.....
I would rather pay than sit in a traffic school that for sure...

 

Nobody in their right mind sits IN traffic school anymore: they watch TV at home, while their computer sits waiting to advance to the next online traffic school question (they are timed now, so you can't just blast through in 5 minutes).

 

Except for those whos municipalities are in the dark ages.

 

In California, the citing officer must be present to testify. If they no-show, the charges are dropped. However, if they do show, the burden of proof is on the defendant. It is basically your word against the citing officers - and guess who wins the argument???? (Hint, it is not you....) Also, if you lose, guess who gets to pay the court costs in addition to the fine???? (Hint, it is not the state....)

Net,net, with no tickets in 20 years, plead no contest and ask for traffic school. If you get the traffic school option, you should not have to pay a fine - only the fees for the traffic school and court costs (which combined are less than the fine; and certainly less than the fine plus the increased insurance premiums you will get tagged with for three years afterwards).

 

Absolutely - sitting through even a one-day session is pure torture! (Actually, it should be banned as cruel and unusual punishment....)
Thank God (and Al Gore) for the Internet!

 

I am surprised that no one has brought up the possibility of "Trial by Written Declaration". This is available to California defendants but is not well known, although it is mentioned right on the back of the ticket. I first heard about it on a motorcycle forum and, from what I understand, you have a 30% chance that the citing officer won't respond at all, which means you get off. I think that LEOs get OT for going to court but perhaps not for additional paperwork, which is drudgery for them. There is a website that describes the process and has "sample essays" that can be copied and pasted, the details made appropriate to your specific case.

It worked well for me with an "exceeding the posted speed" citation and worked for a friend of mine on another moving violation. There is no downside to this strategy and you can always request traffic school or court if the decision goes against you. If you aren't happy with the decision, it's like it never happened. Nothing you say in your essay will be used in court against you.

The website is called TicketAssassin.com. Check it out. I don't know if any other states have this program, but in California it is a very good alternative.

 

Me too, just this morning. 60 in a 35 AND passing in a no passing zone. I had to pass that SUV. I hate SUVs!! $317!!

 

Learned something new! Even if the chance is only 3 in 10, that is better than trying to convince a judge that the citing officer is not being truthful. Cops HATE paperwork. Anything that causes them to have to do paperwork is going to increase the chance that they don't respond (and as a result, you win). Here is a perfect example of why forums such as NAM are such a good resource for owners .

 

Unbelievable. Read post #34 above.

 

Was talking to a lawyer friend of mine the other day on speed tickets. She said that cops get overtime by going to court when you fight the ticket so they have additional incentives to show up.

My last ticket was off of PCH (53 in a 45), 16 months ago. I have 2 more months and I'm home free to get another ticket.

My last ticket before (57 in a 45) that was on PCH about 1/4 mile from the last one, and I wasn't in a MINI, but I had just begun to pass an SUV and move to the right when I zipped by the motorcycle cop waiting on the side of the road. Since my last ticket, I got a Valentine 1 radar detector, and atleast the odds are even now that I can't get nabbed by surprise.

Note that just about everytime I've been in Malibu on PCH in the past year, that I've passed like 5 cops using mobile radar. They shoot you from behind and in front as you drive along PCH. They aren't motorcycle cops hiding out on the side of the road, they are patrol cars moving in traffic with you.

As for Traffic School check out www.HomeTrafficSchool.com

I used them for both my last tickets. It's painless and easy. The first time I did it, I spent all day (4 hours) reading the lessons and refreshing my memory on traffic laws. The second time, I just breezed through it, and took the final test and was done in like 45 minutes.