Speeding Tickets

Megalith

Megalith

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Got owned today. Was doing 68 in a 45.

Apparently, there are ways to keep points from going on your record, such as showing up at court and agreeing to pay an additional surcharge on top of the speeding fine.

Has anyone been successful at keeping points off their license? I don't mind paying extra (assuming it doesn't exceed $500), as long as it doesn't involve hiring an attorney or anything grand like that.
 
[quote name='Megalith']Got owned today. Was doing 68 in a 45.

Apparently, there are ways to keep points from going on your record, such as showing up at court and agreeing to pay an additional surcharge on top of the speeding fine.

Has anyone been successful at keeping points off their license? I don't mind paying extra (assuming it doesn't exceed $500), as long as it doesn't involve hiring an attorney or anything grand like that.[/quote]

Depends on your state/county.

You were going 68 in a 45 zone and you expect NOT to get punished?

Pay your fines and take your points/punishment like a man and DON'T SPEED AGAIN!!
 
It does depend on the state. If it's your first offense or at least your first speeder in at least a year, you should be able to get some type of supervision for either a higher fine or going to traffic school.
 
I'm in NJ.

I figure that paying the fine (and possibly a surcharge) is punishment enough, which is also particularly preferable since it goes toward the state. The ultimate goal is to avoid an insurance hike, which doesn't do anybody any good other than helping the company get even richer.

My last ticket was over a year ago, so I should be able to do something.
 
In some states you can do traffic school to avoid a point but you still pay the fine. Just wait till you get the letter in the mail and it usually has all your options listed.
 
[quote name='Megalith']I'm in NJ.

I figure that paying the fine (and possibly a surcharge) is punishment enough, which is also particularly preferable since it goes toward the state. The ultimate goal is to avoid an insurance hike, which doesn't do anybody any good other than helping the company get even richer.

My last ticket was over a year ago, so I should be able to do something.[/QUOTE]

You have to go to court. You can plead it down to a lesser charge and you will avoid points. The fines will be high though. You will be paying around 400-500 but it's better than points. You can only do this two times in a 5 year period. If you try and do it more than twice, than you will get the higher fines and the points. I am from Jersey as well. Hope that helps.
 
I was in the same boat about a month ago, in NC. I went to court for 81 in a 65 and I couldn't find a reasonably priced lawyer (insert joke). Got to court about 1/2 hour early, tie and jacket, asked to get it reduced by the district attorney. Said he could get it 74 in a 65 which in NC, will keep you from getting points on your insurance. My driving record still shows the conviction, but not my insurance.

If you go to court and you aren't able to do that, or the DC says no, or whatever, what you can probably do is get a continuance which means they push the court date back and allow you to get a lawyer.
 
Good luck, in Arizona you can take a driving class every 2 years or so and no points go on your license, but, anything 20 MPH or more over the speed limit is considered criminal speeding and there's no way around that one here.
 
Speeding laws are implemented purely as a money maker. Its one of those things that people obey solely because they fear punishment.

There is no reason why anyone should care how fast you are driving. All speed "limits" should be changed to speed "recommendations", with signs stating the maximum safe speed.
 
I care because if you are driving through my kid's school zone I "recommend" you rethink your idea of not limiting your speed to a safe reaction time in case my kid's kickball goes flying in the street.

You're an idiot if you don't realize why we have speed limits.
 
[quote name='Zing']Speeding laws are implemented purely as a money maker. Its one of those things that people obey solely because they fear punishment.

There is no reason why anyone should care how fast you are driving. All speed "limits" should be changed to speed "recommendations", with signs stating the maximum safe speed.[/quote]Yeah, those 20 MPH school zones are only there for the $$$!

My first speeding ticket was actually in a school zone. So, yeah, my first ticket was for going 30 MPH. Awesome.
 
My one and only speeding ticket came when I was driving in my small, gray car back in high school... Some douche (also driving a small, gray car) went flying past me on the right hand side and went speeding in and out of cars all the way down the road ahead of me. A motorcycle cop going the other direction hopped the median and proceeded to drive right up on my bumper for 3 blocks before finally hitting his lights. I pulled over and he said he was citing me for speeding and driving recklessly. I protested that it wasn't me (really wasn't!), but he wasn't listening. He said he knew what he'd seen and wrote the ticket anyway... I went to court over it, but the judge just listened to the cop and sided with him.
 
This seems like a good thread to bring up Trafficare. I'm afraid it can't help you now, OP (as it only works if you are enrolled in it before getting a ticket), but the basic premise is that you're buying insurance against moving violations.

You pay $13 a month for a membership in this program. It's run by an ex-cop who says he knows how to work the system, which he says is a huge multi-billion dollar industry. If you get a ticket, they handle everything for you. They pay the ticket, any court costs, etc. Then they send you a letter confirming everything is taken care of.

The break-down I saw that accompanied it is that the program costs $156 or so for a year membership. If you get two tickets, you're already looking at (most likely) $200 or more in violations, to say nothing of insurance premiums going up (which Trafficare also keeps from happening).

So you can think of it as being paid for itself after 2 tickets, with a bonus of securing your insurance costs, keeping you out of defensive driving classes, etc.

Keep in mind it only works for - as I understand - moving violations, such as failure to yield, running a red light/stop sign, speeding, etc. It won't cover anything like a wreck, failing to have your license on you if you get stopped, your taillight being out, etc.

Any have any opinions on it? Almost sounds too good to be true. I drive like a grandpa, though, so I tend to think of myself in the clear. But the peace of mind alone might be worth it - I get a huge adrenaline rush and freak out if a cop pulls up behind me, even if I know I wasn't doing anything wrong.
 
[quote name='Megalith']Has anyone been successful at keeping points off their license? I don't mind paying extra (assuming it doesn't exceed $500), as long as it doesn't involve hiring an attorney or anything grand like that.[/QUOTE]

If you go to court, you might get the judge to reduce the ticket...but given how far over you were, I wouldn't count on it.
 
[quote name='Strell']This seems like a good thread to bring up Trafficare. I'm afraid it can't help you now, OP (as it only works if you are enrolled in it before getting a ticket), but the basic premise is that you're buying insurance against moving violations.

You pay $13 a month for a membership in this program. It's run by an ex-cop who says he knows how to work the system, which he says is a huge multi-billion dollar industry. If you get a ticket, they handle everything for you. They pay the ticket, any court costs, etc. Then they send you a letter confirming everything is taken care of.

The break-down I saw that accompanied it is that the program costs $156 or so for a year membership. If you get two tickets, you're already looking at (most likely) $200 or more in violations, to say nothing of insurance premiums going up (which Trafficare also keeps from happening).

So you can think of it as being paid for itself after 2 tickets, with a bonus of securing your insurance costs, keeping you out of defensive driving classes, etc.

Keep in mind it only works for - as I understand - moving violations, such as failure to yield, running a red light/stop sign, speeding, etc. It won't cover anything like a wreck, failing to have your license on you if you get stopped, your taillight being out, etc.

Any have any opinions on it? Almost sounds too good to be true. I drive like a grandpa, though, so I tend to think of myself in the clear. But the peace of mind alone might be worth it - I get a huge adrenaline rush and freak out if a cop pulls up behind me, even if I know I wasn't doing anything wrong.[/quote]

I found Trafficare interesting, so I gave it a search.

#1

Here's how it works: pay the $12.95 monthly membership fee and you're allowed up to seven moving violations a year. That means you never have to pay the fines or increases in insurance premiums! The creator, Troy Simpson told me, "you would pay around $12.95 to be covered for speeding, red light, seat belt, stop sign, yield sign, illegal lane change, anything considered hazardous."

Is it worth it?

We crunched the numbers. The average speeding ticket in Pennsylvania is about $100 (probably more). TraffiCare costs about $13 bucks a month so that's $156 a year.

If you only got two tickets adding up to $200, TraffiCare would pay for itself, save you an extra $44 AND any jump in insurance! Simpson explained, "if a person receives a ticket, insurance company gets wind of it, they're gets raised $15 per month well TraffiCare steps in and pays that $15 per month for the life of the contract."

Remember this only works for moving violations. If you get a parking ticket or a ticket for not having your drivers license or insurance, that's on you.
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#2

As I recall, I think you can only get up to 7 tickets per year.
Click to expand...

if you get more then like 5 moving violations in a year you'll lose your license anyway.
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Call me crazy, but it seems a lot easier to just follow the law, or go a wee bit over the speed limit ("go with the flow of traffic").

I have had my driving license since I was fifteen years old and never got a ticket or into a car accident.

But maybe I'm just crazy.
 
in my state you take it to a lwayer, they go to court for you and no points on your drivers license and no traffic school

i got a 74 in a 35 with no seat belt and it only cost me $260

dont take it like a man, let the man take it for you
 
I'm skeptical of that trafficare thing but I don't know anything about it.

Anyway as others have said this varies by state. You were going a good bit over the limit but if it's your first offense there is probably a decent chance the judge will at least reduce the points. Ah I see you had a ticket but it was over a year ago. At any rate I've heard it's always better to go to court and hope the judge cuts you a break.

Just figure out how you should plea for your area. I know in some states you ask for PBJ (probation before judgement)

Sometimes you hear that you should ask to have your first court date rescheduled. The idea being the cop will be all set to come to court for the crop of cases that first day, but maybe won't come for your rescheduled day. However I've heard that courts have wised up to this and they now simply reschedule you for the next day that traffic cop has a crop of cases in court. If the cop doesn't normally do traffic tickets I guess that might work, but if he was sitting at a speed trap, then that's a normal thing for him.

The gist of that strategy is that if the cop isn't there you can plea not guilty and the ticket is thrown out. At least I think it works that way.

And I'd suggest trying to keep it within 10 miles of the speed limit tops. 23 over is just asking to get nailed.
 
[quote name='Zing']Speeding laws are implemented purely as a money maker. Its one of those things that people obey solely because they fear punishment.

There is no reason why anyone should care how fast you are driving. All speed "limits" should be changed to speed "recommendations", with signs stating the maximum safe speed.[/quote]


Yeah, fuck safety! Those laws are put in place by the man to keep us down! Viva le revolution! :whee:

I don't understand how anyone gets speeding tickets. I've never ever recieved one. Pssst, come here, I'll tell you my award winning secret:
don't fucking speed you fucking morons.
:) I know, I know, how generous of me to share, you're welcome. You can thank me later.
 
Last year I got my first and last ticket for speeding. 70 on a 55 mph highway. I never had been pulled over for anything before, and I never speeded before, I just had a moment where I wasn't paying attention to my speed. The previous county was 60 or 65 mph and I just had a brain fart. My fine was $130 (I think). Since I never had a ticket before, the judge said it can be reduced to a non-moving violation and the points removed after a few years provided I take an approved defensive driving course. I paid $50, took the course which was honestly worthless. The information wasn't worthless, but the testing was. The guy pretty much made it open book. My insurance stayed the same (State Farm).
 
Oh speed limits in school zones, little children are quick and tough to hit.

My only ticket was in 2004, 6 over I was doing 61 in a 55mph zone and
the ticket was $146, screw you Oregon!
 
[quote name='chasemurata']Call me crazy, but it seems a lot easier to just follow the law, or go a wee bit over the speed limit ("go with the flow of traffic").

I have had my driving license since I was fifteen years old and never got a ticket or into a car accident.

But maybe I'm just crazy.[/quote]
cuckoofc7.gif
 
[quote name='kube00']Oh speed limits in school zones, little children are quick and tough to hit.

My only ticket was in 2004, 6 over I was doing 61 in a 55mph zone and
the ticket was $146, screw you Oregon![/quote]

Man, thats high for only 6 mph over.

[quote name='hero101']Why doesn't OP get a radar detector?[/quote]


It may be illegal in their state.
 
I've only ever gotten one ticket and it wasn't even for speeding. It was for -get this- getting in a turning lane to soon. I was stopped at a red light and needed to turn left, i went ahead and changed lanes to the turning lane. When i turned left the cop flashed his lights and stopped me, i thought i ran the light or something. Turns out he said i got in the turning lane 250 feet from the light which i find hard to believe, i didn't see his ass walk back and measure it.

Anyway, thats my one and only ticket, getting in a turning lane to soon.
 
[quote name='whoknows']I've never gotten a speeding ticket.

I'm just that cool...and I drive the speed limit.[/QUOTE]Same. I do not believe in driving even 1mph above the speed limit.
 
I admit it.. I'm a habitual speeder. I've gotten 2 tickets since I started driving about 6 years ago. Those two tickets were about a year apart. I haven't gotten any in about 4 years and doubt that the points I received as a result of those tickets are still active.

I have some tips for you.

1] Learn to be observant of your surroundings. I think I'm a pretty good driver, despite my occasionally unsafe habit. If you learn to always be aware of your surroundings, not only will you avoid accidents, but you'll be able to tell when cops are rolling up behind you. Cops usually have the same type of vehicle with a very distinct grill and pair of headlights. In the day time, it's extremely easy to spot, but if you train, you'll also have success during the night time.

2] I don't have a radar detector, maybe I should get one (too bad I'm broke right now), but I hear that they have helped a lot of people out.

3] Definitely get that court date rescheduled. I don't think hiring a lawyer is worth the money either... Your ticket really isn't THAT bad, despite what all the other CAGs are saying. If this is your first one, I think you'll get off with a fine and a slap on the wrist.
 
Jersey is HORRIBLE for car insurance laws. Go to court. Be there early. Try to make a deal to get the points removed. It will cost you in fines but it is worth it. It does not take much in NJ for an insurance company to drop you and force you to go on high risk insurance. 1 ticket and 1 accident that was not deemed 100% not my fault was enough for me. It took 3 years and about $10,000 in extra insurance cost before I got my old insurance back.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Same. I do not believe in driving even 1mph above the speed limit.[/QUOTE]

Muthafucker, you can't speed in Mario Kart. Or did you get your license?
 
I remember hearing on Dateline or one of those other news shows that radar detectors don't really work. The implication - from cops, no less (which might mean they are just trying to instill fear instead of being truthful) - was that by the time your detector goes off, you've already been gunned by an observant cop, and as such your ass was DOA.

Then there's those things that supposedly make you invisible to radar, but they might be illegal? I don't really know.
 
I was about the chastise the OP for going so much faster than the speed limit until I remembered that I regularly go 70 in a 45mph zone. Them straight as an arrow country roads don't have many houses and have even fewer cars on them.
 
[quote name='Strell']I remember hearing on Dateline or one of those other news shows that radar detectors don't really work. The implication - from cops, no less (which might mean they are just trying to instill fear instead of being truthful) - was that by the time your detector goes off, you've already been gunned by an observant cop, and as such your ass was DOA.

Then there's those things that supposedly make you invisible to radar, but they might be illegal? I don't really know.[/quote]

I don't think that's true.. obviously radar technology is constantly in battle. Consumer technology vs. police technology. But I think the way most radar detectors work is they send out a signal.. the signal either bounces off something or doesn't, and if it does, the radar also has a detector component that checks how long it took from sending component > car > receiving component. I think that that the way consumer radar detectors work is they check for whether or not the signal that they send out is refracted by a police radar detector.

Spy vs. spy kind of.
 
I pretty much always speed, but I never speed that much. If you're going to speed you just have to speed within reason and know if it's a place where people frequently get pulled. Like if it's a 35 then don't speed too much or it's just obvious and if a cop is around you'll probably get pulled. I wouldn't go (on purpose) over 40 in a 35 and in the 45s around here I usually do 50-55. If it's a place that I'm not familiar with I make sure to go the limit.

On I-95 it's a 60mph limit which is just too slow and nobody goes that speed, but I try to stay around 70 and try to never go over 75. I've gone 80 when not paying attention, but I'd never purposely do more than 15 over on the interstate and I make sure not to do more than 10 over at night.

68 in a 45 is just crazy, I'm glad you got pulled. Good luck with your insurance.

EDIT: To answer Strell: From what I've read, all jammers are illegal in every state (technically not because of how it's being used, but because it emits a radio signal and people require a license to do that legally), detectors are illegal for commercial vehicles in every state (or at least most), but for private vehicles detectors are legal in most states. Radar detectors work by detecting the signal "leakage" before the cop actually is trying to get you, so they can keep you from getting detected as long as you're not already targeted. There are lidar detectors as well, but they're not really that useful since it detecting it probably means you just got hit with the lidar. The jammers for those aren't technically illegal though, I don't think, since they're just little LEDs.
 
I'm trying to figure out what my options are as well. I recently got popped going 49 (!) in a 20 MPH school zone. Luckily the cop let me off and only wrote down that I was going 40. If he had recorded the actual speed I was going, he would have had to arrest me on a felony charge. Whew!
 
[quote name='Mr. Anderson']I'm trying to figure out what my options are as well. I recently got popped going 49 (!) in a 20 MPH school zone. Luckily the cop let me off and only wrote down that I was going 40. If he had recorded the actual speed I was going, he would have had to arrest me on a felony charge. Whew![/quote]

Just wait until he has his gun pointed and then tap X to quickly get away.
 
[quote name='SpazX']I pretty much always speed, but I never speed that much. If you're going to speed you just have to speed within reason and know if it's a place where people frequently get pulled. Like if it's a 35 then don't speed too much or it's just obvious and if a cop is around you'll probably get pulled. I wouldn't go (on purpose) over 40 in a 35 and in the 45s around here I usually do 50-55. If it's a place that I'm not familiar with I make sure to go the limit.

On I-95 it's a 60mph limit which is just too slow and nobody goes that speed, but I try to stay around 70 and try to never go over 75. I've gone 80 when not paying attention, but I'd never purposely do more than 15 over on the interstate and I make sure not to do more than 10 over at night.

68 in a 45 is just crazy, I'm glad you got pulled. Good luck with your insurance.

EDIT: To answer Strell: From what I've read, all jammers are illegal in every state (technically not because of how it's being used, but because it emits a radio signal and people require a license to do that legally), detectors are illegal for commercial vehicles in every state (or at least most), but for private vehicles detectors are legal in most states. Radar detectors work by detecting the signal "leakage" before the cop actually is trying to get you, so they can keep you from getting detected as long as you're not already targeted. There are lidar detectors as well, but they're not really that useful since it detecting it probably means you just got hit with the lidar. The jammers for those aren't technically illegal though, I don't think, since they're just little LEDs.[/quote]

You're right about i-95 man, I don't know where you're at... but in the Maryland-Delaware corridor I think the speed limit on i-95 is wayyyy too low. It's usually 55-65 but I find 80 to be closer to what everyone else does (not that that fact makes it OK, but I personally find 80 mph to be fairly safe and acceptable in the MD/DE/PA parts of i-95, sure... a collision at that speed would be much worse than at the posted speed limit, but at those speeds, does it really make that much of a difference? Either way you're gonna get fucked up, might as well drive the same speed as everyone else, hell it's probably safer that way). However, I think that those speed limits are fairer the farther up north i-95 you go. I think 65 is fair (if not slightly less than perfect) for the areas of New Jersey, New York, etc.

I think the speed limit on i-83 is ok and i-70 too. In general, I think they're all somewhat low though.
 
[quote name='jbroush99']How many Greyhound buses were you getting ready to jump? If it was more than 16, you weren't going fast enough.[/quote]

For some reason, that avatar makes me trust you on this issue.
 
[quote name='PhrostByte']You're right about i-95 man, I don't know where you're at... but in the Maryland-Delaware corridor I think the speed limit on i-95 is wayyyy too low. It's usually 55-65 but I find 80 to be closer to what everyone else does (not that that fact makes it OK, but I personally find 80 mph to be fairly safe and acceptable in the MD/DE/PA parts of i-95, sure... a collision at that speed would be much worse than at the posted speed limit, but at those speeds, does it really make that much of a difference? Either way you're gonna get fucked up, might as well drive the same speed as everyone else, hell it's probably safer that way). However, I think that those speed limits are fairer the farther north up i-95 you go. I think 65 is fair (if not slightly less than perfect) for the areas of New Jersey, New York, etc.

I think the speed limit on i-83 is ok and i-70 too. In general, I think they're all somewhat low though.[/quote]

Yeah I'm in central/southern VA and pretty much only on I-95 to get up to Richmond and it's 60 the whole way until a mile or so before getting to the bridge over the James into the city when it drops down to 55. There are some crazy fuckers sometimes doing 80-85 and some slower people doing 60 or so in the slow lane, but for the most part I think people are usually going 65-70 where I'm on it. I usually just move over to the fast lane and go 70-75, which is usually slightly faster than the people in the other lanes, but pretty much just the flow of traffic.
 
[quote name='SpazX']Yeah I'm in central/southern VA and pretty much only on I-95 to get up to Richmond and it's 60 the whole way until a mile or so before getting to the bridge over the James into the city when it drops down to 55. There are some crazy fuckers sometimes doing 80-85 and some slower people doing 60 or so in the slow lane, but for the most part I think people are usually going 65-70 where I'm on it. I usually just move over to the fast lane and go 70-75, which is usually slightly faster than the people in the other lanes, but pretty much just the flow of traffic.[/quote]

I think northern Virginia is slightly more popular than northeastern Maryland, so I guess 70-75 is normal where you live. In northeastern Maryland, 80 is just fine.
 
MAN, I SPED IN SPRINGFIELD (IL) WHICH DIDN'T HAVE A DRIVING SCHOOL PROGRAM OR ANYTHING...I THINK I ENDED UP PAYING AROUND 175 INSTEAD OF A CHEAP TICKET

IT'S NOT ON MY INSURANCE THOUGH!

*don't know why i typed in caps
 
Well, obviously... it's good to have speeding law, but here in Kalifornya it's just to get their quota as well for the money. My proof, the cop that was waiting at the bottom of a hill on the freeway and then how he pulled someone else over without looking that was "speeding" as well. Anyway, since there's not much you can do when you have to do the traffic skool make sure you pick online. It's soooo much more 1337 compared to the actual class.
 
[quote name='Halo05']Muthafucker, you can't speed in Mario Kart. Or did you get your license?[/QUOTE]I drive the speed limit in Mario Kart, yet an opponent such as Mario, Toad, etc. will go above the speed limit and pass me. :whistle2:(

I just have a permit.... for like 4 years. I need to renew it again this year, since I'm still not ready for the final test.
 
Why are there low speed limits around middle schools and high schools?

If you've reached that age and you haven't learned to not suddently run into the road, civilization may be better off without you.
 
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