Speeding Tickets!!!

[ronald_smail]

A few of us have gotten them, a few of us havnt. I always get them, when its my fault I'll admit it, when its their fault, I'll fight it. This was a little of both and I kinda want your take on it:
Here's the ticket! (Personal info blocked)


Help me read this, it says "Alleged:61 Speed Limit: 30"
but under my violations, it says "Speeding 10% or more above the posted speed limit (#). 61/40"

So is the speed limit that Im at 30? or 40? they dont even match, is it cause im reading it wrong?

I'll admit, I was passing a truck, the two different speed limits on that road are 40 and 35 mph and I was doing about 60 when I finished passing him, so I was going over the speed limit.

Lets move to the Warnings:

1. Fail to maintain financial responsibility.
WHAT THE FUUUU?!?!? Now I know im a 20 year old college student working as a waiter. I know Im broke. But is the court system really calling me out on it??? I have insurance, no late payments on anything at all, ever, I dont even have a credit history to my knowledge, how do they know (or assume) I dont have any money????? Maybe due to the

2. No valid Inspection Certificate - Expired
Yea, this ones my fault too, it expired two days ago (The end of April). But $15 for a new inspection sticker? Cmon that doesnt mean im broke! I could go beg for that money under the bridge!!! But that'd be illgeal too I guess.

Finally, he asked me to sign for the warnings, but he didnt have me sign the ticket he handed me, will that play a part?

Anyone think its worth it to fight it?

[CARMAGEDDON]

Well i know here in Canada. If theres something wrong on the ticket, it can be fought and won. I was driving my parents van awhile back, and it failed its inspection, so i had to two weeks to fix it up, and the rejection sticker is put on the outside, so it ofcourse fell off. I got pulled over for a burnt out tail-light, and ended up leaving with a $1200 no insurance ticket.... that was him letting me off easy..... i forgot my license, and couldnt find the registration (was with the insurance). Anyways i have my license, and the vehicle is legitimate. He charged me with vehicle not insured, but it was, i just wasnt insured under it, so its worth going to court and fighting if possible. If it were here that misprint would get the case thrown out. Sorry for the ramble, but goodluck!!!

[Fireman2118]

He got you fair and square.

Yes, you're interpreting it wrong. The violation is 10% "OR MORE"....You violated the "OR MORE"

Financial responsibility? That means liability insurance. If he wrote you for it, it's because you must not have had proof of insurance.
(You should get this dropped if you can prove that you had coverage at the time of the ticket)

As for signing the ticket, It means you'll promise to appear. As far as validity of the ticket, it doesn't change anything.

I know you're young but if you're old enough to be driving, you certainly should know the rules/laws.

[NC-SXT]

slow down

[Fireman2118]

slow down

I forgot that part^^^

[waldo]

Looks like the officer got ya dead to rights on the speed, however on the warnings, as Bill said, they'll most likely be dismissed if ya bring in current insurtance and inspection certificates.

In California, "warnings" are verbal and not officially noted on traffic citations. If an individual couldn't produce a valid insurance certificate, I'd cite them, but let 'em know that if the show a cert valid on the day of the citation, the court would dismiss the charge.

[shane93nc]

I am one of the ones who has got a ticket. He said I was doing 63 in a 45. But I know I was doing 53. Since I was speeding and I knew it I didnt try to fight it. I paid an attorney to get the ticket changed to a non moving violation.
Speeding is speeding. No matter if your doing 5 mph or 30 mph over the posted speed limit. You may wanna get an attorney to handle this for you. Being only 20 and already having speeding "tickets" is not a good thing for your insurance. As mentioned just slow down.

[ronald_smail]

I talked to a buddy of mine who works for DPS and he said that the information is miss matched but he'd have to do further research to see if its a valid argument, so I guess the same rules might apply here as in Canada.

As far as knowing the laws I knew I was speeding, I knew my inspection sticker was out, I didnt have my insurance on me, you're correct, he (the officer) said he'd look it up, I guess he didnt after all or regardless the warning still stands, but in any case, I'm saying the ticket is possibly invalid and either the Officer or the Officer's computer system is at fault for that. Yes, the ticket says I did the "Or more" but if the Officer or his computer system is putting random numbers in random spaces that dont match up, how do I know he's not "cheating" to make a quota or how do I know his radar isnt disfunctional just like his computer system might be? Also if the ticket doesnt clarify the posted speed limit and the ticket rate depends on the amount of mph over the posted speed limit, how will I know how much to pay? Do I get to Pick? Do they get to pick? Obviously I'd pick lower and they'd pick higher.

[FROST]

Use that cruise control if you need to. The few minutes you trim off your commute by speeding isn't worth the price of the ticket.

[Wexy21]

I talked to a buddy of mine who works for DPS and he said that the information is miss matched but he'd have to do further research to see if its a valid argument, so I guess the same rules might apply here as in Canada.

As far as knowing the laws I knew I was speeding, I knew my inspection sticker was out, I didnt have my insurance on me, you're correct, he (the officer) said he'd look it up, I guess he didnt after all or regardless the warning still stands, but in any case, I'm saying the ticket is possibly invalid and either the Officer or the Officer's computer system is at fault for that. Yes, the ticket says I did the "Or more" but if the Officer or his computer system is putting random numbers in random spaces that dont match up, how do I know he's not "cheating" to make a quota or how do I know his radar isnt disfunctional just like his computer system might be? Also if the ticket doesnt clarify the posted speed limit and the ticket rate depends on the amount of mph over the posted speed limit, how will I know how much to pay? Do I get to Pick? Do they get to pick? Obviously I'd pick lower and they'd pick higher.

Hey man...sorry you are about to pay some money out to deal with this...but even if he is "cheating" (which making a quota isn't cheating by all means), even so, if he was making that quota...he gave you a ticket that was warranted. You admitted to speeding and also said you get lots of tickets. Ya gotta slow down man. Truth is, everyone on this board cares about each and every member. I'd absolutely hate to read that someone here died or got hurt in their car, especially if it was because they were driving too fast. I've never been pulled over in my Mag. I keep it that way because I don't speed. Shoot, I've barely broken the tires loose once or twice! That's what race tracks are for man....go there, get all the fun you want out of your car and go home without tickets.

I don't know how old you are...but when I was in my early twenties and first got my GN, I got pulled over in that car ALL THE TIME. But....I never once got a ticket. True, I was being profiled. It's a black car, black rims, had "VETKILR" on the plates. I'd get pulled over for stupid things like not using my blinker, or no front plate (sometimes I forgot to put it back on after a show), etc. But I also made a reputation of being a pretty safe driver. They will see that, if you can slow it down a bit and work your way back up to a good record. Speed is addicting, I got hurt LOTS because of it! But I'm serious....The day I read that somone here was hurt or worse in their magnum is the day I leave. This is my favorite board online (others have heard me say that often), Nobody here likes hearing crazy racing or reckless driving stories.

Sorry...I try not to post my opinion on tickets or the law. But I just wanted you to know that everyone on here is trying to tell ya the same thing. Maybe next time you're in your magnum, if you find yourself going the speed limit, you'll stay there because of Custommagnums.

[znanney89]

Speeding tickets are fun, I've had a few of them before. They were my fault, and I paid them, despite people telling me loopholes and the ease of getting them dropped, (70 in a 65, 63 in a 55) I was caught straight up so I paid the price. Now when I was caught "drag racing" I fought that and got it dropped. That was a bogus call on the officer's part. Now I just keep it a lil slower, cruise control is something I love in my Magnum, something that I didn't have in my Caprice(the car I got my speeding tickets in) Besides, slowing down makes the road safer for everyone, earns respect, and great in times like these, better fuel economy! Stay safe friend.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

[Chutsk10]

Since there is no penalty assessed for the "warnings" there is no real need to dispute them. The fact that he has the limit at 30mph and then states yo are doing 61 in a 40mph zone might be enough mismatched information, in a Canadian court, to have the ticket dropped. I am not sure about the American system.

[Ghost]

Use that cruise control if you need to. The few minutes you trim off your commute by speeding isn't worth the price of the ticket.

Extremely well put

[waldo]

I talked to a buddy of mine who works for DPS and he said that the information is miss matched but he'd have to do further research to see if its a valid argument, so I guess the same rules might apply here as in Canada.

As far as knowing the laws I knew I was speeding, I knew my inspection sticker was out, I didnt have my insurance on me, you're correct, he (the officer) said he'd look it up, I guess he didnt after all or regardless the warning still stands, but in any case, I'm saying the ticket is possibly invalid and either the Officer or the Officer's computer system is at fault for that. Yes, the ticket says I did the "Or more" but if the Officer or his computer system is putting random numbers in random spaces that dont match up, how do I know he's not "cheating" to make a quota or how do I know his radar isnt disfunctional just like his computer system might be? Also if the ticket doesnt clarify the posted speed limit and the ticket rate depends on the amount of mph over the posted speed limit, how will I know how much to pay? Do I get to Pick? Do they get to pick? Obviously I'd pick lower and they'd pick higher.

In your first sentence, you were being commendably honest, no claiming to have been "profiled", hassled or being stopped "for nothin". You stated, "I knew I was speeding, I knew my inspection sticker was out, I didn't have my insurance on me..."

However, later in your post, you unfortunately began making veiled allegations of impropriety on the part of the officer... going so far as to insinuate the officer was lying in order to meet a quota.

There's no sense discussing the "quota" issue, it's been hashed and re-hashed, ad nauseum. Suffice to say, no matter what the LEOs on the boards confirm, there are those who will continue to believe they exist. (Just a bit of info though... in L.A., a group of officers sued to stop the city, when it attempted to establish a quota system)

Your question regarding the radar device, if in fact, it is the means the officer used to establish your speed, is valid. You don't know.

Should you decide to contest this citation, using the process of discovery, you can subpeona the calibration and maintainence records of the particular unit the officer used.

This issue of the "conflicting" speed limit information is obviously something to raise in cross examining the officer. However, on any citation, information can be clarified or ammended. If you ask the officer about the conflict, he can answer that it was a mistake on his part and explain to the court what the speed limit is. It's been my experience that, unless there's any supportable evidence of intentional deception on the part of the officer, on either the citation or in his sworn testimony, the court will accept the "correction". BTW, this would also be the appropriate time to inquire as to the officer's training, experience, qualifications and certification in the use of Radar and/or Lidar.

Speaking of cross examination... you can only ask questions, you can not make any statements or argue the merits of the case.

At trial, you are under no obligation to testify... you can "rest" without presenting a defense. However, assuming the officer has established the Prima Facie case for the prosecution, without mounting some type of defense, the chances of being found Not Guilty is exceedingly slim.

If you do testify, I would strongly advise against calling the officer's honesty into question, unless of course, you can provide legitimate evidence that he's committed perjury. Questioning an officer's credibility, without any basis, usually "upsets" the judge. (It's not that the judges automatically side with officers, they don't... but they've no doubt, had these officers testify before them in the past and have already passed judgement on their honesty)

Keep in mind, should you testify, you will also be subject to cross examination... so be prepared for the question, "How fast were you going?" I know you wouldn't be foolish enough to lie under oath, so you can either answer the question, or plead the 5th. I imagine you know that will work out.

By posting this information, I NOT assuming that you're not an intelligent individual... it's that the legal system can be a fairly daunting place to be. But more to the point, a "mistake" on the part of the officer... unless it fundimentally fouls up the case (like putting someone else's identifying info on the citation) and can't be rectified by testimony, isn't usually going to result in a dismissal. Not saying it couldn't, but I wouldn't count on it.

Whatever happens, best of luck... hope it all works out as well as can be.

[TI 3VOM]

This thread seems to be getting a little too serious so I'll throw in some similar personal citation boo-boo humor that happened to me. The ticketing officer wrote me up for having my car parked on private property, (business). So, when I got the ticket and read it...which I was sitting in my car at the time waiting to meet up with some friends I couldn't help but laugh once he was out of hearing distance. First he got the year/make/model of my car wrong..as well as color. And for the biggest laugh of all, I am like white on rice on a paper plate in the middle of a snowstorm white and he wrote me down as being black. So, needless to say when I went to court and asked to meet up with the prosecutor ahead of time, I was still chuckling when I gave him the ticket and pointed out everything. He just crushed the ticket up in his hand and told me it's taken care of.