Got entangled in a speed trap today
 

:mad: Man, after 4 years with no moving violations Im now ruined :( I was minding my own business strolling down the road this morning in my old E420 when out of nowhere I see the those horrid flashing lights in my rear-view mirror. I really was shocked and kinda pissed (I had no idea why he pulled me over). The cop then informs that I was doing 52 in a 40. Im thinking man I know its 45 through here. After he sites me for $150 for speeding and $25 for a seatbelt violation I figure no more harm can be done. I then state that I thought it was 45. He then reply's yes it is back about 2000ft but for the next 1/8 mile its 40:D. On my way back hes got another car in his tentacles . I'm on THIN ice for the next 2 years:(

So now you have to contest it.

You didn't have your seatbelt on?

12 over shouldn't ruin you. And having been violation free for 4 years I would think you could deal it down.

The same reason he wasn't wearing a condom.

Yeah but I'm 29 and at that age its a really delicate thing to get a 930 insured. I also believe in the state of Indiana if you receive two moving violations in the same county in a 12 month span your automatically enrolled in traffic school.

I would but now they have cameras in the cars. Theres also this little warning.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1205677611.jpg

Why? He was speeding (he admitted it) and driving without a seatbelt.

Whats to contest here? Not driving with a seatbelt is just plain silly these days as its the law almost everywhere.

He can go back and check that the lower speed limit is marked but if its posted correctly then its his fault. Not wearing a seatbelt is just plain silly and asking to be stopped by the cops.

Pay the fine and move on...

Hand the ticket to a lawyer (you must know someone who has a friend that is a lawyer) and they will get it reduced to a loud exhaust, littering or some other BS charge. The fine will probably double but no points and the ins company will not find out since it is not a moving violation. I get a ticket a year and my record is clean. 2 so far in the last 6 months. I'll bet I have had 20-30 tickets fixed. The local community only wants the money. They could care less what the infraction was. My last one was speeding in a construction zone with workers present. Pretty nasty charge since I was leaving a construction meeting. Charge reduced to loud exhaust - fine doubled.

I use the barter system - bottle of fine booze for a letter or phone call from the lawyer.

Never pay the fine - you may get a ticket the next day.

Part of the issue is that many communities around the country are increasingly using motor vehicle fines to supplement their budgets. I've noticed a drastic increase in "trap" type setups around here. If safety were the true issue few would complain, it's the revenue generation that gets folks riled.

In addition you see the same folks writing tickets "speeding" during their routine transits. Most people drive at a prudent speed most of the time, artifically low limits and "traps" are just plain wrong.

I can't believe that they can penalise you that much just for contesting it, (or more accurately intimidate/dissuade the public from contesting ticket). Seems like that would be unconstitutional.

find out if "deferred disposition/adjudication" is an option where you live.

You pay an "administrative fee" that's usually about the same as the ticket, and if you aren't convicted of any other tickets in a given period of time (usually 90 days) then the ticket goes away.

but damn, no seatbelt?

Yeah, go ahead and contest it. Lie your a$$ off, maybe you'll get away with it :rolleyes:
self respect is waaay over-rated.

Friend of mine got a speeding ticket in CT.

Was something like $150 for 10 over

She thought the rates charged were inappropriate and included her protest letter when she mailed in with a not guilty plea.

She got a letter back from the Judge. He agreed the fine was inappropriate and upped it by another $100.:eek:

When did constitutionality ever come into play with respect to traffic law?

In CA, traffic laws are subject to a completely separate standard of judicial process - not criminal (since there's no right to a jury trial), and not civil. There is no real due process, no presumption of "innocent until proven guilty" and no appeal process. I'm not making this up. You can read more about it here:

http://www.ticketassassin.com/kangaroo.html

There's more information available using that as a starting point for some google searches.

This is PURELY about money. That's all.

Joe is right you were nailed in a road tax rip off.

Georgia State Troopers did this to me 3 years ago, I got nailed by a speed trap, 18-25 patrol cars parked under an overpass with one out ahead shooting laser and radioing ahead.

I moved from the center lane to the left lane to pass, I was doing 78 MPH and sped up to 85 to make the pass fast and clean.... at the exact wrong moment.

I paid my fine and vowed to never spend another penny in Georgia again. 3 years running, now, I will not buy gas, I will not stay in a hotel, I will not buy food in Georgia.

When I cross into Georgia on I-95 I call it the 120 miles of BS. I put my V1 volume all the way up and always follow someone. 1 hour and 45 minutes later I am out of Georgia and on my way.

I never received another ticket there again and I have not spent thousands in the state that could have been spent there. I go back and forth between Florida and NC a lot to my vacation home.

In my book the State Patrol in Georgia has helped them loose lots of revenue due to their speed trap practices. I encourage all my friends and family to do the same as I and not give them any business.

I was on 80 @ 0600 and saw 3 CHP's on the hunt; not passively driving with traffic, but hiding on on-ramps, engines running, brakelights on, ready to pounce.

Imagine what would happen if this revenue stream were removed.

Seems a stupid waste to me. All the manpower and equipment likely costs more then they mnake in fines.

Most of the equipment is bought & paid for by insurance companies. Geico (Warren Buffet) is one of the biggest providers. Google it and do your homework.

You will have to prove to me that State Patrol cars, weapons, training, and salaries are bought by insurance companies...much less that of court and DMV personnel. Radar equip. is just a drop in the bucket.

Fair enough, but all of the other stuff you mention is also used for other (more legitimate) police work, not just SPECIFICALLY for revenue-enhancement duty. Radar guns (bought by ins. co's) are specifically for this kind of work.

When you have speed traps with many cars sitting there...just like in any business...the costs of all that crap and manpower should be directly attributed to the revenue generator (speed trap). It is not being used for more legitimate purposes. Not many cops in speed traps without guns or cars...working on their off-duty time.

In MS., Harley-Davidson gave just about every local city PD at least 2 of their brand new cycles. They sure do get the use of them in their little speed traps they seem to be constantly running now. Little towns that barely had a couple of cars now have the cars plus the 2 new scooters. I am still wondering who the heck they were trying to grease up with the free scooters dealings?

Noted that six cars got snagged yesterday while on a 200 mile trip - at all the usual places. I conjecture the officers wrote tickets continually during their shifts. People either seem to have no common sense or they're really not paying attention to their driving. There must be no concept of optimization of risk/benefit - a side result of the rampant innumeracy in our society? About eight and a half minutes are gained driving a 50 mile stretch at 95 mph versus 75 mph; not much of gain given the time lost at random arrivals at stop lights and the traffic congestion at each end of most trips. I wonder if these people are a subset of the buyers of state lottery tickets - a tax on those citizens bad at math.

You were not wearing your seatbelt? I think you should be thankful you got a ticket if it forces you to change that behavior.

And if you were to contest the ticket, that little fact will potentially attract more attention than you need.

Just did around 500 miles on the highway yesterday. Had a funeral to go to out of town. Picked up a friend for the trip and set the cruise control at 5-6 mph above the posted speed limit once we got on the highway. Did I ever exceed it? Yes, several times but that was my option and I was ready and willing to pay the fine should I have gotten a ticket. Saw several LE cars out on the highways, and a couple of times they had someone stopped.

We did not get stopped, no tickets and made the journey safely, WITH our seat belts on. You want to drive fast without your seatbelt, then its your choice but to come on any forum after getting caught breaking the law and complain about it is just silly.

We all try to be the parent or responsible adult and tell our kids and family to "always tell the truth and do the right thing" but how can someone square it with behaviour like this? You admitted that you were speeding and stopped while driving without your seatbelt. Going to court and fighting it is lying to yourself and everyone around you.

Remember "A man is only as good as his word"...

I don't know where you get that from, but seeing as I just recently had to write a proposal for 3 laser guns, I can tell you for a fact that they were bought and paid for by our department. Actually paid for by my station, because the money to pay for that type of item is paid for at a station level. Often times the City will buy the equipment.

Can't you just plead guilty, pay the fine, and go to traffic school? That's how it works in Illinois and the ticket is off your record in 6 months.