Speeding Ticket
 

I got a speeding ticket last month and got the bill/bail today. I was going 61 in a 45 - too fast I know, but on a six lane wide boulevard headed for a freeway on ramp. Broad daylight and no traffic. The bail amount is $283. I cannot believe it. How in the world does the fine fit the crime.

I CAN pay it - but it just seems wrong. And what if I was poor, a student etc.?

Pathetic!

i think different counties have different fines. 75 in a 65- $280 in one county. same speed in another county was only $71.

Know what you mean. Got one a couple back. Some old fart was doing 45 in a 55 so I passed him. Cop said I was clocked at 67. Went to court and it was reduced.

If the speed limit is 55 doesn't everyone do 60+?

http://www.ticketassassin.com

Total load of schit. It's quasi-legal revenue-generating bull$hit. I say fight it tooth-and-nail whatever it takes.

I hate it when cops get reduced to being revenue-collecting patsies for the gubmint and the insurance companies that own it. I'm sure the cops would rather be out arresting criminals and honest-to-goodness bad guys too. I feel for the officers actually. Traffic detail has to be kind of demeaning. You put all that time & training in and you become a glorified tax collector. I'd be pretty irked.

Ever notice that in CA they "made up" a new legal system for traffic law? Yep. That's right. It's not civil, it's not criminal, it's another entire classification of judicial action with its own set of rules, exempt from due process and appeal. In other words, it's all about money.

Word to the wise - warm weather is here and city revenues are down. That means the tax collectors are out. A girl in my office just got busted Tuesday for 53 in a 45 (8 over, for those who can't do math). Power up the V1s and keep your eyes peeled, cause the dicks are out to get your money.

EDIT: Just to clarify, when I say "the dicks are out to get your money", I'm not referring to P.D. in general, I'm referring to the a-holes that put them in the unenviable position of having to do this kind of menial revenue-generating goon work. I actually support the P.D. - when they're doing "police" things and laying it out there keeping crackheads and gangbangers at bay on behalf of the rest of us.

Yeah, sad to see our police force reduced to a money making business.

I don't know how I can fight it. He had me dead to rights on radar. I have a new car - a Lexus - whereas I used to drive a truck based SUV with 200K miles on it. The new car just doesn't give you the feeling of speed like a bumpy SUV. I suppose that's my only defense.

I did not argue my speed - I, like every other driver in So Cal, deserve a ticket once in a while. Last one was probably 5 years ago. But $283? Give me a break!

Excuse me!? You were speeding, you admitted it. WHY FIGHT IT? YOU WERE SPEEDING!!!

Pay the money and either be more careful next time or SLOW DOWN!

If you are pissed at the amount, then get ahold of your politicians and have them reduce the fine amounts.

Geez dude - yes I admitted I was speeding - from the start. It's the fine!

if you can't get it dismissed using ticket assassin, you can still go to court and ask for a reduced fine and traffic school.

Ticket Assassin is mostly an advice/guidance/testimonials site - lots of good info. there about different strategies to explore (trial by written declaration, prima facie speed limits, etc.) It alone won't save you (you have to put forth the effort yourself) but there's good info. there.

Far as I'm concerned the gloves come off when it comes to B.S. revenue generation. I don't buy the "just pay it" nonsense at all. If I was driving drunk the wrong way down a one-way street at 90 mph mowing down kids, I'd definitely say "man up and take your lumps", but in a victimless crime like driving the speed of traffic and busting an arbitrary law that exists solely to generate revenue, I say fight it at all costs. You don't have to answer to anyone in terms of "morality" here. It's your call. If you decide to fight (I would) best to you and you should have all tools to keep YOUR money.

Geez dude, you are GUILTY!

Sorry but I seem to have a problem understanding this. You knew the law, and the fines were not hidden from you beforehand.

Pay the fine and slow down. If you do not like the cost, fight it in the legislator, not try to get out of it in court! You are guilty and under the law today, and the law on the day you broke the law, you owe the state the fine!

This is not rocket science!

Remember, Kali is going to be $11-15,000,000,000 in the red next year. You just got to do your part to help...:p

+1

Sorry, Joe. I too have a problem with the fine amount. Personally, I paid significantly less for doing 79 in a 55 on a two lane un-divided highway up in Shafter County. Do you not think his fine should have been less than mine? I do.

He said he was going to pay, but he's puzzled at the unusually high amount. I would be too, if I were him. Is he supposed to be happy? C'mon, get off your really high horse, Joe.

Around here the courts are either overloaded or overloaded and screwed up. A few hundred for a lawyer could save thousands in insurance. Right or wrong has nothing to do with it. It's a game. Even the judge plays.

If you put aside the premise that its a revenue issue (and it is) for a moment and consider that a fine is meant to be a punitive device, it is accomplishing that intended purpose. Had the fine been $25 you likely would have said "Chump change", patd it and never thought about it again. Aroundhere that ticket would have been in the $175-200 range.

I was in court today with a young woman who got caught shoplifting a $40 item. I spoke with the store manager prior to court and considering some mitigating circumstances, he agreed to drop the charges if she would pay the court costs of $246.00. Thew judge refused to allow him to drop the charges and hit my client with an $1100.00 (reduced from $1800.00) fine and three days (reduced from 15 days) in jail. Seemed excessive for a first offense. Nevertheless, I guarantee it was viewed as punitive by my client.

every ticket i get, i just giggle about all the other times they didn't get me

if i would get one ticket a month, that would mean they missed me at least 61 other times ( averaged at 2 drives a day)

and i don't even get 1 ticket a month
why bother fighting it, i'de rather save my bullets for when i really need to get from under it, like when they would get me at real excessive speed and are after my license...

I don't drive fast in urban areas, housing estates, city centre
i let others pass, stop for ped's, i'm courtious

i just wanna go fast when the road is open, and that's what i do... ain't no silly one off ticket going to stop me from doing that either

fight it if you have the time; they add up and then bye bye license; for what?

I'll chime in as I got one in NY state last fall. I called the county clerk, explained I couldn't easily get to court as I'm out of state. She said to write the prosecuter a letter, (WITHOUT admitting you did anything). I did this because I have a Co. car and the points would have hurt both my insurance rate and my Co. point system. I called back and the prosecuter reduced the fine to $150.00 and changed it to a parking violation, no points. Pretty high parking ticket but I was going 70mph in a 55 in a construction zone. But that's a whole nother story. My point being the courts don't want to be clogged with traffic ticket stuff. Let us know how you make out & good luck.

Scott,

This has changed in the last few years around the country. Anytime someone is caught going 15 mph or more over the limit, they are throwing the book at them. Get caught going 30 mph over the limit and in many areas you are heading to jail, no questions asked.

Do I like it? Hell no but come on guys, you all know the law, you know the fine rates or could have found out before hand. There have been several threads about people getting speeding tickets on the OT forum and all were people pissed at the fine or penalty.

If you want to skirt around this, go and get your speedo calibrated and take the results to the judge and plead that you were speeding but going 14 mph over the limit and pay a lower fine, but thats it.

The horse may be high, but guess the older I get the more I realize that doing anything that is not correct, not saying the truth and so on, is not being truthful to myself. If I am man enough to push the gas pedal down and drive over the speed limit, I am also man enough to pay the fine. If its excessive, then contact the legislators and start a movement to lower the fine, not protest it in court after the fact.

Do I feel its a lot of money? Hell yes but its the law. If you are not happy with the law then either change it or pay up. Trying to beat it after someone got caught IMHO is not being fair to anyone, yourself included.

Joe