Spring Break Speeding Ticket
 

The family and I drove from Cincinnati to Florida for Spring Break. Visited the newer Star Wars areas at Disney. Went to the beach....all that kind of stuff. We drove a rental mini van. On the way home my right foot got heavy and I got a speeding ticket in Georgia. I was going 86 in a 70. I apologized. I don't have the ticket in front of me but it said something like "more than 15 mph over the limit" puts me in the Super Speeder category. Which equals another fine to be determined and paid later....I don't remember exactly. I wanted to ask the brain trust here if there was anything I can do about it.....or forget about it and pay it?

Thanks in advance,
Chris

First I'd call the court and ask about defensive driving to get it dismissed. If that doesn't work, I'd do a traffic lawyer search for the county you received the ticket in and see what they can do for you.

I got one in Mississippi and one in North Carolina last year on a road trip and used each of these to handle them.

I agree...a few phone calls can't hurt. I know you know, but be polite. You won't be her first call of the day.

Before everyone piles on with the "don't to the crime if you can't afford the fine", it happens: Those mini-vans can flat tear-up the super slab.:D

At 16 over on I-95 .... you were holding up the flow of traffic ;)...

Call and pay the reduced amount they agree too ... it just wasn't yer day :D.

MI does the same....15 over is a big step up in fees.
A few times I've been told that I was over that...but they always say "I'll cut it down to just below 15 over today."
I've taken the online driving program when my points were too many. It's a lengthy watch...but worth it. You can stop and restart the next day or more until you've done the whole thing.

One mile per hour outside the "15 over" range? This policeman was a butthead.

Sure, you can ask about deferrals and defensive driving courses and....options. Like someone said, be nice.

Just taking your lumps is also an option.

In my area, there are traffic attorneys....one in particular....who basically guarantee your citation will go away. I paid something like $350 to make one go away, but that was more than a decade ago.

Were you on the interstate? I haven't seen an issue on the interstates with travelling at 10-15 mph over the limit. (NJ to NC I-95 corridor)

85 is the new 55...

"79 is fine, @ 80 your mine"
Says my California Highway Patrol friend

Back in January I was rolling down the 5 south from the Newhall Pass. I saw a motor CHP in my rearview mirror where the 5 hits the 210.

We roll along for a good 4 miles and as I am coming up where the truck bypass hooks up with the 5 after the 405, I'm in the far right lane and a semi is merging into my lane. There's a car next to me so I give it a little gas to give the semi room to move over and the CHP lights me up.

I've got all my papers in order, registration, insurance. I explain to him that I was making room for the semi to merge. He hands me a ticket anyway. I asked "What did you write me up for?". He says "70 mph". I told him "70 in a 65? YGBFKM!".

I go online and the ticket still isn't posted even though it says to give it 30 days to show up. It's one of those computer generated jobs. Do you think he might have reconsidered and deleted it from his digital "ticket book"?

No kidding. Today, if I were a state trooper looking to write tickets, I'd wait for someone driving a ridiculous speed. I would not expect to wait long.

Once upon a time, state troopers were in the business of promoting public safety.

I took defensive driving for a ticket 26 over, years ago. The key is to be nice: to the cop, to the trooper, to the judge, to the random court house person on the phone, etc.

That ticket I got last year in North Carolina was for "exceeding the speed limit". The trooper clocked us well over the speed limit. After the initial "extreme" anger he had for all us Porsche drivers, we were very nice to him and about an hour later he gave us our tickets and off we went. Be nice!

How much $ we talking about?
Time is money.

Nothing wrong with ~5mph over. More than that and you're asking for it.

I'm confused...your foot got heavy...you asked for the ticket.

How many folks that live north of Georgia and speed going to/from Fla? Way too many, stop sihtting on drive through states.

You got popped, pay up.

Btw, do some math on your arrival times using different speeds. You'll see the difference is tiny and quite frankly, not worth the risk...as your Super Speeding fine with reiterate soon enough.

Call the poor sod attorney that is a prosecutor in the municipal court. You may be able to get them to reduce it to a 'normal' ticket if your record is otherwise clean. Then just pay it quickly.

I say 'poor sod' because no one sees themselves as working in as a DA in a municipal traffic court while they are in law school. But someone ends up there...

Make a deal with the prosecutor. He wants the money, you want no points on your license. Those deals can be made, they’re made every day.

In Texas the key words are "deferred adjudication". It doesn't go on your record and more important to the county/city, it doesn't go on their record. Thank you Governor Bush for clamping down on speed trap money grabs!

Better Call Saul!!!

Georgia is the worst when it comes to speeding tickets. There used to be a member here that was LEO in Georgia and sat at MM5 all the time. I always waved when I went by on the chance he was there.

I used to have a vacation home in NC, cannot even count how many times I drove from FL to NC.

I got popped once and it really pissed me off, I pulled out to pass on a 3 lane, I saw some cars coming up fast behind me so I sped up to finish the pass and get out of the way.

I got popped by a cop with a laser in the bushes. Cop was all excited that he nailed me and was radioing ahead. I came up on an overpass, saw the 20 cruisers waiting there. One was getting ready to pull out to chase me, I pulled off in front of him, I knew I was nailed.

He asked me why I was going so fast, I told him to finish and pass and get out of the way of the faster cars coming behind me. He did not like my answer.

Full ticket. It was just before the super speeder law passed. I was super pissed and vowed to never spend a penny in Georgia after that.

I called that stretch of I95 120 mile of hell. Many many trips through there, I stopped in North Florida for gas skipping Georgia's cheaper gas, and drove straight through the state not stopping again until I was in SC.

We used to stop in Savannah all the time on both the trip up and back, we spent many $$$ in Georgia on our trips. Not anymore.

The lost revenue was satisfying, I know the state does not give a crap.

Over the years I met quite a few people that have the same rule, no money spent in Georgia. It was good to see others share my disdain for the state and its over the top speed traps.

The law was passed to generate a lot of revenue, bend over and prepare for getting one up there dry.

You are right about the almost nonexistent time savings from speeding, but if you don't go more than 5 over then I sure hope you stay all the way away from the passing lane.

Typically you deal with a court magistrate.

I had a 96 ticket in NC coming back to my house from the Tail of the dragon in my Porsche 911. I was coming down a long sweeping hill, and was booking it enjoying the Smokey Mountain Expressway.

I was actually being passed by a woman in a Mini Van with kids jumping around inside, I remember glancing up as she passed me thinking, man, that lady is crazy going that fast in a Mini van.

Just as she passed me my V1 lit up. A cop on the on ramp hit us with instant on radar.

I was satisfied that this lady was going to get in trouble not only for speeding but no car seats.

Nope!!

The Red Porsche was getting pulled over.

Barney Fife comes walking up laughing at my fuzz buster, and gives me the 96 in a 60 ticket. Mandatory court date.

I did not show up.

I called the day of the court date, asked to speak to the magistrate and told him I was not in NC and was home in Florida. I told him I would be happy to pay the fine plus court costs and asked if there was a way to avoid the points.

He changed the charges, I paid some ungodly amount of money, avoided jail time and points.

Everyone was happy.

Because it is all about safety. That is why the Mini van got away with 90+ MPH with kids bouncing around in it and the Red Porsche got pinched.

Good thing you weren't driving the Porsche. You would have paid the Porsche tax on top of the ticket fees.

I've done so many NC-Fl trips over the past 40 years (lived in Jax in my 20s).... had one So. GA deputy let me go with a warning for 16 over (and that's lose yer license here), and I got one for 11 over just north of Columbia when a 5.0 Mustang did a U-turn and chased me down .... in a speed trap area.... drop the speed 10 mph and "fish in a barrel".

I know the I-95 "catch 'em" zone around Brunswick too... one car with a radar, clocking, and 25-30 patrol cars just ahead with every car writing a ticket .... illegal as hell I might add... but I digress...

When I came through in a line of about a dozen cars .... we'd been cruising at around 110 mph for many miles... low traffic, rather safely in my Supra Turbo (it was planted to the road at 140 fwiw), I just got lucky. The last available patrol car pulled the car in front of me :D....

Sometimes ya win, sometimes ya lose.... I've gotten a few, been let go with a warning twice as much.

YES SIR, NO SIR, how may I kiss yer azz SIR ;)?

As a youngin'.... college age kid .... I ALWAYS got the damn ticket .... three of them for less than 10 over.... nowadaze never ....grey beards matter :D.

Over 85mph in VA is a felony. I'd get a lawyer.

In parts of Oklahoma the legal limit is 80. Most of the interstates at 75 outside of towns.

Parts of Texas have 85 MPH speed limits. It really sucks going back east and poking along at 65 or 70 legal limit. Especially when virtually no one is going the limit, but way over.

75 legal here....most go 85

My LEO acqaintances won't light someone up for less than 15 over .... 'cause EVERYONE is at least 10 over ;).

And I've been told to "slow it down" at least a half dozen times for 15-20 over....

I was brutal when the Interstates had 55 signs too :D

West of San Antonio to El Paso is 80. It's wonderful. People drive in right lane, pass on left, then get over after the pass. It's like unicorns magically appeared and people began driving like the rules state.

Here in town on I-10 yesterday I saw a guy change all 5 lanes at once. No turn indicator either. That's the kind of dodo that causes wrecks. I'm sure he was thinking 'I'm good at this and it's ok".

Ive heard good things about the ticket clinic.

If you call the clerk, they will have you write a letter and you will be fine. Just write a better letter than I did, it was terrible, but still got me off.

Maybe in WA. But not so in CA. There was an article in the AAA magazine years ago that explained how the CHP was specifically created to enforce the traffic code across the myriad of municipalities in our large state. I suppose one could define enforcing the speed limit as a safety issue. But in the OP's case and Craig's case, that likely wasn't the true motivating factor of the officer. OP got the 15 over ticket because he's an out-of-towner. Craig got it because the officer was itching to write him up for something/anything.

Oh I'm there if I need to pass someone, fo sho.

And everyone, please please please keep sharing stories of speeding and then "the unreasonable and mean/happy lawman" had the nerve to cite me and not the other vehicle doing xyz.

*eatingpopcornemoji*

I'll keep reading and laughing...

Bring it.

^^^^ I speed along with the VAST majority of cars, including LEOs, on the local roads ... usually 12-13 over. No cops ever citing for doing 58ish in a 45, or 68ish in a 55.... that's the flow of traffic... it just is. I've never complained about legit tickets .... ya pay to play. Selective enforcement and illegal speed traps are bogus revenue revenue collection streams imo. What they do "once in a blue moon" on I-95 with one car clocking and 25 cars writing tickets is not legal either. Dropping a speed limit down 10mph and targeting folks passing through used to be common in Mayberrys back in the day .... and "rich" college kids from out-of-town.... yeah.... I used to ***** about those too :)

If you don't occasionally go a bit fast in a 911 .... well... might as well drive a Prius :D...

Sometimes ya lose ;)

I speed every time I drive.... haven't been cited in over 15 years....

Back during our senior years of high school (1977) myself and a friend in another car got pulled over by four cops in Fla, one of them off duty, because they said we were playing games on the highway. We had just pulled out of the beer store, so we could’ve been playing games for too long!😂

In 2000, I got pulled over in my 930 at 10 PM in SC going 70 in a 60 mph zone. There was not a soul in sight, but he gave me a ticket anyway. I called a local attorney, he fixed the ticket and wouldn’t even take payment.

Lmao!! I can afford my tickets and play the game. I have a "safe driver" certification on my license due to no points yet have been pulled over and ticketed many times. I am a speed deamon.

Hell, on my trip back from St. Augustine this past Sunday I cranked the R53 up to 120 on an empty stretch of I95 just to see how it did. It did well.

From door to door from my house in Florida to NC was 730 miles. Garman & Google maps both said it was a 11 hour drive. I once did it in less than 9 hours in my 911 averaging 80+ MPH the entire trip with 1 gas stop and traveling over 100 for long periods.

My RX7? Lmao!! I raced a CGT on an empty stretch of 95 in North Brevard County from 70 to 175mph. We were neck and neck.

When I get pulled over for mundane BS just droning along I laugh at the stupidity of it. It's not about safety, if it was as I posted several posts back, a Mini van with kids jumping around in it would be getting a once over.

It's about revenue, which makes it a rich man's game I enjoy playing.

F- Georgia

There... laugh some more. .

Btw - I pissed off the CGT owner, he thought he was going to wax me and I hung with him all the way to 175.

We came up on traffic. I backed it down and cruised. He drove like a bag of dicks weaving in and out of everyone cutting people off etc...

When the road was empty? I blew his mind in a 560hp 1987 RX-7. I miss that car....snifff.sniffs..

Now laugh some more.. and get more popcorn, I have stories for days.

I also have local attorney that kicks ass and has beaten every stupid ticket I have gotten locally in the last 20 years.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

I just remembered 2 funny ones.

#1

A cop was hiding in a bad neighborhood, he had his patrol car up behind some bushes looking at a stop sign leaving the bad high crime hood.

My wifes GF lives in there and has a teenage daughter that was having car problems, I went over with a code reader to see if I could figure it out. (Bad cam sensor) I saw the cop coming in, I forgot about him on the way out.

I rolled the stop sign, several seconds later he was behind me and lit me up. I pulled into a parking lot, windows down, engine off.

He walked up asked what I was doing, I told him, he saw the code reader on the passenger seat. Asked to see my license. I pulled it out and put my wallet on my thigh and he saw this.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...pX4PCSX-X2.jpg


He busted out laughing and asked to see it, I took it out and handed it to him. He told me to stop for stop signs from now on and let me go. He was fishing for warrants, I was not the droid he was looking for.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...zsqFpwf-X2.jpg


#2

I was driving in my work truck to my first job site in the morning, I was driving about 10 over as I usually do. A kid in a ricer Honda complete with fart pipe blasts past me at an easy 30 over. 35 MPH zone he had to be doing 65 at least. I as doing 45 and ripped by me.

Around the bend was a cop with a laser gun, I saw him turn and nail me. The road behind me was empty. He was turning to the cops just ahead to give them my speed, when I pulled up next to him and said "You got me!! Where do you need me to park?" He laughed and told me to pull on the side road.

He walked over at that point and started chatting, saw the "Don't New York My Florida" bumper sticker and laughed at that. I asked how the stupid fart can Honda got past him and expressed my disappointment in them not nailing him. He said he had his back turned and missed him.

I was let go with a verbal warning to have a nice day.

DonDavis...

https://blog.codinghorror.com/conten...ntertained.jpg

My conundrum is that you can go online to lacounty.org to pay your ticket or extend your appearance date. It searches by ticket number or DL number. It says to "give them 30 days to post info after violation".

The thing is it's been close to 90 days and nothing shows up. I was thinking of calling but don't want to "tip them off" in case the officer realized he was being a dick and deleted the ticket. I don't know if they can do that after the fact on those "iPad" style ticket books.

...meh, not really. That's because you apparently missed my point.

I don't give a crap how many times you've dangled your dick on public roads.

Leeme 'splain

I get enjoyment when a person whines about getting a ticket they have clearly earned.

Make no mistake, I'm not a fan of BS speed traps, but way too many offenders throw out the "it was a completely BS speed trap that got me" reason for getting popped.

Just simply not true.

Like it was said, "you play, you pay"...just keep your pie hole shut and don't complain about it.

It goes like this...I was driving back from Tucson on SR 79 from Oracle Junction to Florence. Its a long straight 2 way road with minimal traffic. It was probably 9 pm, speed limit was 65, I was rolling along ~72-ish.
Not a car in sight for many miles.
Listening to a podcast or music, not important which.
Approaching the outer edge of Florence, the Speed Limit drops to 45.
Was screwing with the podcast/music thingy trying to back it up or replay a song and missed the speed change.

Got popped. Engine off, windows down, dome light on, hands on wheel.

He got me at 71 in a 45. Wrote it up as 56. I put on my big boy pants and called the court looking for options.

Took a goofy online course and it was all good. And get this, I didn't go online and bicth about the fact he could fudge the numbers on the spot. Why not give me a warning? Why not blah blah blah.

Just continued living another day and left it in the past.

Crikey, I'm out of popcorn.