Glad to hear it. 
Bad Day
- Thread starter Brent
- Start date
J
Jetfire
Guest
Great news Brent! 
Success!
The violation was successfully reduced to an Improper Equipment violation, which means no points on my license, no spike in insurance, and I won't lose my license for 30 days. Cost a pretty petty, but worth it. Thank goodness.
Thanks for the support everyone
The violation was successfully reduced to an Improper Equipment violation, which means no points on my license, no spike in insurance, and I won't lose my license for 30 days. Cost a pretty petty, but worth it. Thank goodness.
Thanks for the support everyone
Awesome. There's a tendency for some people not to hire a lawyer to represent them in court, esp. considering that lawyers might cost more than the ticket they're fighting! That makes sense, too. You just have to factor in what's at stake.
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
This is wonderful! I'm glad it all turned out well for you. I was quite worried.
That answer sounds bad in court. It implies you were careless about monitoring your speed. The best answer is "I thought I was going the speed limit officer."
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
You too?! I didn't want to bring it up and look like the only one. I also haven't eaten much at all for days.
No, that's worse! As a result of that remark the officer could report the reading from his radar equipment, report your lie and destroy any credibility you have. Note that indicating you didn't know your speed when you in fact knew your speed is a lie too.
Better to provide your identifying information, registration and or proof of insurance (where showing proof is required) and politely decline to make comments about whether you committed any violations the officer is or is not accusing you of.
If there's anything you shouldn't have in the car you've nothing to gain by giving the officer permission to search your car. If you have something to hide you will probably be arrested anyway, so what difference does it make if you wait a while for the K9 team?
If the officer doesn't want to wait he might just write the traffic ticket and allow to to leave. If he does call the K9 team in without a good reason your attorney might be able to argue that your rights were violated.
How could they possibly know what speed you thought you were going at? Saying you didn't realise you were speeding isn't the same as denying it.
Although i'd agree the best course of action is not to say anything.
16 and a girl, huh? Well, when she gets her lisence suspended for going 15 or more over the limit (and that will happen), wait for her to call you. Then reply:
BUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!! and hang up.
When I went to court, the judge made it very clear, there were only 3 answers you could give when your name was called: Guilty, Continuance and Court Appointed Attorney. If you chose Continuance then the Judge would decide if the case needed a re-trial, if not, he would render judgment on the case there. If you said Court Appointed Attorney then you'd have to pay for a court attorney. So the only option I was left with was Guilty.
What I should have done is hire the traffic attorney BEFORE the court date, but I didn't know any better. I learned my lesson on that one. Anyway, its all taken care of now, so no biggie, I'm thankful for that, but it did cost me a pretty penny, $350 for the traffic attorney and $160 to the court. So all in all, a very expensive speeding ticket, but at least now I won't have the points on my license, I won't lose my license, and I won't have it on my insurance.
I'm watching my speed much more closely now!
Is your auto insurer really that forgiving? Yes a speeding conviction might not make your premium leap the way a reckless driving conviction would, but it would still be an indication you are more likely to cause a collision. Think about how many autos you see on freeways/interstates driving ten or more miles over the speed limit. A small fraction get caught. All are increasing the chance they will be in a collision and/or the severity of any damages or injuries that would result. The insurance companies must believe people who admit to or are convicted of speeding are more likely to be necessitating a claim in the future. They might disguise the increase by disqualifying customers from receiving a "good driver's discount" for a few years.
Those who provoke the greatest risk of collision are those traveling at a different speed than the majority, actually, even if they're the only ones actually sticking to the limit. Anyone frequently changing lanes or causing others around them to frequently change lanes is increasing the chances of an accident more than those who are merely going a bit fast.
Being in the majority doesn't make it right. At a higher speed your vehicle will travel farther between your spotting a hazard like an earlier collision or congested traffic in front of you and your being able to stop (or slow to the lower speed). That becomes a factor when there's a curve or hill (including overpasses).
As your vehicle travels faster it gradually becomes harder to control. A swerve to avoid a hazard in front of you is more likely to result in a skid or rollover. A momentary lapse in your attention is more likely to result in a hazard escaping your attention in time for you to safely react to it. At the higher speed any resulting collision will result in higher damage costs and an increased probability of people getting injured or killed.
The laws of physics aren't subject to the whims of a majority. If drivers weaving around vehicles obeying the speed limit are dangerous it IS the speeding drivers that are causing the problem!
There's some truth in that view, but intentionally going much slower than everyone around you is still dangerous. The safest option is, as usual, a compromise.
In most cases, the majority are not going so fast as to be "unsafe for the road". If they are, you stick to a speed you're comfortable with.
On most multi-lane roads, traffic works best when each successive lane is moving slightly faster than the one to its right. So choosing a comfortable speed is just a matter of picking the appropriate lane.
In most cases, the majority are not going so fast as to be "unsafe for the road". If they are, you stick to a speed you're comfortable with.
On most multi-lane roads, traffic works best when each successive lane is moving slightly faster than the one to its right. So choosing a comfortable speed is just a matter of picking the appropriate lane.
This is quite right. When you are traveling 10-15mph slower than the surrounding traffic, you ARE the hazard.
Similar threads
