Michael

If I wanted to go to court and waste a lot of time, I suppose there is always the possibility that I could win that case since it took him about 5 minutes to catch up to me and pull me over. Although I previously stated that I was doing at least 90 mph, I was probably doing over 100 mph. So by him writing the ticket for only 75 mph and trying to convince the judge that I was only doing 65 mph (speed limit at that time on I-80) would likely have been real difficult if the officer stated that he really thought I was driving in excess of 90 mph.

Sally Redux

Don't agree with that myself. People exceeding the speed limit are often trying to cut around other traffic and can cause dangerous situations. Of course they all think they're fantastic drivers who can handle anything.

SultanOfSwing

Then the rozzers should do the people who are weaving, not those who just happen to be driving fast with a clear road ahead of them.

E3only

I will always have a problem until the law is consistently applied. Everyone in california does 80 in 65...almost everyone. So it makes me feel bad when I get booked that's all. Doesn't mean I am not punishable with a fine it just makes me fee unfair.

Bob

Makes a difference. 10mph over or less is a much less of a penalty than being over 20mph for instance.

Though in most places, it probably doesn't get serious till you hit the 30mph over limit or are in a school zone, up in Maine that's a automatic 30 loss of a license, but for anyone under 21 or with less than 3 years experience, it's a 90 day loss.

So with that in mind, you'd think they would be great drivers up there

Giantaxe

I don't agree that "almost everyone" does 80 in 65 limit. I do think "almost everyone" exceeds the posted limit, but most keep within, say, 10 miles of the limit. They're still breaking the law, of course, but staying within the threshold of where they are unlikely to get stopped.

And some people get away with far more serious crimes too. Does that make it unfair on those that get caught?

And, yes, I know speeding is not a "crime" per se...

Bob

The speed limits on the motorway are a joke here...parts of the Mass Pike are 55mph ffs.

Drive to the safety of road conditions, but seriously, it's just an easy money earner other wise.

Probably doesn't help that road conditions are crap and it doesn't matter what speed a lot of drivers are doing on the motorway as they're just crap drivers.

rivit

Ah things were much simpler in the old days

In the seventies i was pulled over on I-40 in Tennessee for driving 70'something MPH in my truck, speed limit was 55 back then.
The state trooper said the fine was $25 and we take credit cards, so i gave him mine and he plonked the old hand operated slide machine down on the hood of his car, printed out the invoice and that was that, on my way again hammer down

No points, no mailing anything in and no haveing to go to court

Charles

Poppy girl

One of todays headers on Yahoo

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/cities-w...eed-traps.html

materialcontroller

Can't help but think that those who've said speed limits are too low or enforcement is inconsistent have all majorly missed the point.

Bob

No, no they haven't. Getting a ticket because you've broken the law is one thing, but ranting about how stupid those limits are set and how inconsistent they are handled is fair game.

Every mother I know has managed to get out of a ticket all by the virtue of having tits and or screaming kids in the back of the car...whilst every dad in the same situation has never gotten out of one.

Except my FIL, who has firefighter plates, despite not being the fire chief for the last 30 years

cindyabs

I always talk outloud when I have some jillpoke tailgaiting me- listen bud, I'll speed up and break the speed limit IF YOU pay my fine. The other thing I speak to is while on the interstate, my comment is-not going fast enough for ya? No problem, pass me, you won't hurt my feelings.

rivit

Well, the kids are all grown up so it sounds like i'll just have to get IMPLANTS

Thanks for the tip

Charles

RoadWarriorFromLP

You already have the official ticket -- that was given to you at the side of the road by the nice officer with the big sedan and (I am assuming) larger mustache.

On your ticket, there should be a date that is the latest date by which you must appear for your arraignment. I would contact the court by phone (prepare to sit on hold for ages), tell them that you want to attend traffic school, and ask whether it is necessary for you to go to your arraignment in order to attend traffic school.

If you must go to court, then if it proceeds as I would expect, then you will begin by waiting, waiting, waiting, and waiting. This will be followed by additional waiting, which then may require a bit more waiting.

Following that last bit of waiting, it will be your turn. You will be notified of the charges against you and asked for how you plea. Instead of entering a plea, tell the judge that you would like to attend traffic school. (Many people will say "guilty with an explanation", but that isn't a real plea -- guilty is guilty -- and it's preferable that you not enter a guilty plea into the record.) The judge will probably allow you to do it.

It may not go exactly as described above, but you have the idea. Namely, it takes awhile to get your turn with the guy in the robe, but the actual proceeding should be short and swift.

If you can do mail order traffic school, that is ideal -- you can complete the course in a matter of minutes, and no one will be the wiser. Next best is doing it online, although that is more of a time suck. Attending an actual class is the very worst alternative, and you should avoid that with every fiber of your being, unless you have a strong masochistic streak and feel the need for true penance.

Next time (assuming that there is a next time), try to be nice for the cop. Since fines vary by the amount by which you were exceeding the limit, it's preferable to negotiate down the speed. Shaving 5-10 mph off of the ticket will save you some real cash.

RoadWarriorFromLP

To correct one point above: According to this, the courtesy notice will state whether you are eligible for traffic school and presumably will describe whether you need to go to court in order to attend:

http://www.cc-courts.org/index.cfm?f...ge&pageid=1817