Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

[jtexas]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

haven't tried it, but I've heard that picking your nose as the officer approaches could work - he won't want to let you use his pen to sign the ticket.<br /><br />One thing that has worked several times for me, though, and the only thing that ever worked, was having an expired inspection sticker and/or registration. Every time, without exception, I been stopped for speeding with expired stickers, they gave me tickets for the inspection or registration & let the speeding slide. Much cheaper that way.<br /><br />I don't do that anymore, mostly 'cause I rarely speed anymore. Found that I just don't get there that much sooner.

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

i dont even know where i should start...


got out of a 93 in a 65... trooper asked my why i was going so fast, and i replied "i dunno, im stupid i guess". it was 3am and not any other cars in sight. he wrote me up for 74 in a 65


2 days before christmas bacn in 98, trying to get to the store before they closed... ran a red light (almost hitting the cruiser who was going through his green light) at 70+ in a 35. and i wasnt wearing my seatbelt.

when he came to the car, it was "license and registration" and i could tell he was pissed. he took them and went back to his car. not 2 min later he came back, but i knew i wasnt getting a warning because he didnt have my stuff. he asks me if i have a brother... i say yes and tell him his name. he then asks me if i am related to anyone on the force. i say yes, my cousin scott. he goes back to the car, and is back in another 2 min. hands me my paperwork, and a citation. says "merry christmas from scott"

it was a written warning for red lens vio, seat belt and speeding 70+ in a 35.

i sent my cousin a nice bottle of scotch for that one. turns out the officer used to be my cousins partner, and had graduated from the academy together back in the day.

 

[woodrat]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

After I bought my V6 minivan a few years ago, I got bagged twice in a couple of months simply because I wasn't used to a car that didn't shake and scream and howl whenever it got over 60. That thing was so smooth and quiet it was scary. I learned how to use my cruise control, and got rid of that car and that's how I stay out of trouble now.

Yes, it sure the heck is about the money. Not for the officer personally of course, but for the system that he is a part of. When I got my $124 ticket for not dimming my headlights (for real!) a couple of weeks ago, no one on God's green earth is going to convince me that that was not about a massive fundraising push. After that night and for the last couple of weeks, every time I drive that section of road I see at least two state patrol cars working that stretch. There is almost ALWAYS someone pulled over for something.

I always start out calm and polite with cops, and there have been many times where the officer responded with the same and mostly in those situtaions, I've gotten warnings. Every now and then though, there is some kind of "zero-tolerance" nonsense going on, and then it doesn't matter how reasonable and polite you are, you are getting a ticket because the officer is part of a big strategy to write as many tickets as humanly possible. And that is strictly about money. $124 for not dimming your headlights? How could it be about anything BUT money?

 

[Jerico]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

My wife was following me home one night after picking my car up from repairs. The light turned yellow as I went through. She blew right on through the red in front of the cop waiting for the light to change. When he asked if she knew why he stopped her, she told him yup, was following my husband and not paying attention to the light. He shook his head and told her to pay attention next time. Didn't even write her a warning.

I taught my kids, drive legally and stay in your comfort zone. If you're gripping the wheel hard or nervous you need to slow it down no matter what the limit is. I also try to set the example and stay +- 5. The only moving violation I've had to pay was in 1982 for 38 in a 30.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

3 year old thread.................Dang....some of those names are a blast from the past. Oh and for the record, just drive the posted speed limit and theres no problem.
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....well thats what the wife says any way.

 

[EJ3]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

Now-a-days I pretty much stick around the limit. But in my younger days my foot was the heaviest part of my body and my mouth the loosest.

The question I was always asked was, "Do you know why I pulled you over?"

Once, and only once, I repied to that question "Because your a ________!" As it turns out that reply is extremely ineffective!!!!!!!

 

[rolmops]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

Yes, there are good reasons I have found for speeding. The #2 is an oldie but goodie. I stopped a waitress one night wearing white pants with a red stain starting in a private place going home on break to get some supplies, medical emergencies etc. It is good to ask first and get the answer in case so we don't waste more time.<br />It is NOT all about the money. We cops make the same no matter how many we write. the money goes to the school districts to supplement federal money. Cops don't see a dime of anything from tickets. Some large departments have a quota just to keep track and make sure the officers are doing their job. It is NOT about the money.<br />Court costs I agree are way out there. They went from $21 in nebraska to 41.50 in the last year or so. <br />As far as getting a lawyer for traffic court, most prosecutors don't like wasting time on traffic cases. If you demonstrate your intent to fight a ticket most will dismiss the case. From personal experience I can say that when someone brings a lawyer for traffic cases, the prosecutor says since you paid more for the lawyer than the ticket, you have paid your dues. The lawyer gets the money instead of the schools, but there again the prosecutor doesn't care. They are given a budget to work with and that is it. They also don't want to blow their budget on traffic. In most cases you can fight traffic tickets without a lawyer and never see a courtroom. (at least the way it is around this area.)<br />Radar detectors are only good if the officers clock a car ahead of you. A lot of them use vascar (stopwatch). This is easy to beat in court but effective for traffic. <br />Anytime you fight a traffic ticket for speeding, the easy way is to demand to see as evidence the officers RADAR certification papers. Certification that the RADAR is accurate, that the officer is certified to run the instrument, and a log to verify that the officer has checked the instrument after each citation or at least every shift. I have all of this as required, but most departments don't.

sure..

 

[JRJ]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

In our town, a special assistant DA was hired to prosecute DUI's. The other night, the 28 year old female was arrested by The Highway Patrol for, yep DUI. lol

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

2 days before christmas bacn in 98, trying to get to the store before they closed... ran a red light (almost hitting the cruiser who was going through his green light) at 70+ in a 35. and i wasnt wearing my seatbelt.
when he came to the car, it was "license and registration" and i could tell he was pissed. he took them and went back to his car. not 2 min later he came back, but i knew i wasnt getting a warning because he didnt have my stuff. he asks me if i have a brother... i say yes and tell him his name. he then asks me if i am related to anyone on the force. i say yes, my cousin scott. he goes back to the car, and is back in another 2 min. hands me my paperwork, and a citation. says "merry christmas from scott"
it was a written warning for red lens vio, seat belt and speeding 70+ in a 35.
i sent my cousin a nice bottle of scotch for that one. turns out the officer used to be my cousins partner, and had graduated from the academy together back in the day.

My father ran a verly new posted stop sign in a neighboring city and was pulled over for it. After the cop seen my father's last name on his license he asked my father if he was ken to so and so my father said yes that's my brother he said well so and so seems like a good man. He gives my father a warning ticket and goes on. Little did he know my father had a previous warning ticket for speeding.

The fastest I have been was 105mph in my father's 90 model honda civic back during my graduation time from high school. I never was pulled over for it, don't really know what made me want to go that fast other then a need for speed and being dumb. We still have that car and it only has 215,000 miles on it lol.

All I can say is if your ever pulled over in Collinsville Alabama watch out for the Judge he is a doozy.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

Well, keep in mind that anything you say to the officer is written down and is admissible as evidence should you go to court. If you admit it to the officer, you may as well forget about pleading not guilty in court. Judges are good at it to. I have seen many times judges ask defendants what happened and was there a good reason, etc., feigning concern. More times than not, the defendants get lulled and say that they were speeding but only because of this or that... Then the judge says they understand, but speeding is speeding and the law doesn't care why...guilty (and thanks for testifying against yourself!)...

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

This courtroom they had in Collinsville Alabama was not much bigger then my bedroom. All the criminals, speeders, or whatever were standing against the wall. They didn't have a proper court house. You talk about your Mayberry town, Collinsville is it. Everybody was judged right in front of you. I finally was called up to stand, before the judge and he asked what my plea was, I said guilty, all I tried to do other wise was mention to him that I was unemployed and needed to make arrangements to make payments I was calm as I could be, he thought I needed to be quieter then made me sit down for long time (I felt like I was in time out), I didn't know I was supposed to whisper to the judge good grief. He calle me back up to him and I apologiesed, he somewhat brushed me off like I was a bug on his shoulder, I can't remember what he said exactly but I was glad to get out of there.

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

I didn't have the time to read all the post. But, they ask "is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit" because if you answer you have admitted guilt. Therefore you have no way to plead not guilty in court. NEVER,NEVER, admit to guilt. The correct answer to the question is" I didn't know that I was officer" . This helps in two ways, he may believe you and give you a break. And, if you decide to plead not guilty in court you haven't confessed to doing anything wrong. There used to be a site called "The National Motorist Association" that had really good info on this sort of thing. But, I'm not sure that they are still around.

 

[Twidget]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

My wife worked for one of the 'burbs around here that is widely known as a speed trap. The Police Dept. were responsible for a certain amount of the city income.(As decided by the city council annually) So, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area at least, they do keep the money.

I was pulled over the this same town a couple of years ago for 60 in a 40. The road was to begin being widened the next day, the old 60 mph sign were still there, but there was one 40 sign mixed in.... The officer must have been behind on his quota, he checked to see that the tailgate on my truck would stay latched, verified the VIN and checked my new tires for tread depth. I ended up paying the $200 ticket and taking deferred adjudication.

 

[kmk_7110]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

I've been pulled over once and turned around on many times. When i was pulled over I thought i was late to work and was doing 86 in a 65 and I have a radar detector and the cop told me to throw it out. I was only 7 minutes late after i got pulled over and then went the speed limit after i got pulled over. Taught me it doesn't pay! :redface: I haven't because its gotten me out of other tickets or at least warned me about cops and then I have gotten followed home because of it. I've had about 3 actual run ins with the cops in the past year because of while behind the wheel. No tickets no written warnings. Everytime I get followed home tho I get questioned once i get home. I just wish i could tell them to get off my property because every time i get questioned by them they treat my like I am garbage. I dislike most of the cops in my area because of they way they treat me.

 

[achris]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

Since I put cruise control and the old GPS out of the boat into my car... no more speeding fines

Chris..........

 

[Fish n Geer]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

I was just going to say that everyone seems to be in a big hurry.<br />What's the hurry? Where ever your going will still be there, and if it ain't, there ain't no use to rush anyway.<br />Just my .02 worth.

Its terrible here in Michigan.It is like the speed limit is merly a suggestion.The one that cracks me up is when somebody calls the left lane a fast lane?Last i knew the speed limit is the same in both lanes,just if your a slow vehicle you need to stay right in most areas.I wont even get into peoples merging skills lol.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

My last ticket was 89 in a 55.Trooper in West Virginia chased me 5 miles down a 2 lane road and i did not see him until he was right behind me.He had to pass cars and trucks in no passing zones to get behind me.
I was towing a 40 foot trailer with a brand new race car that had to be in NC that evening to go to testing.Of coarse he was not a race fan.
It was hard finding a lawyer in Point Pleasant WV...one horse town.
After about 4 months of the lawyer working on it he made the ticket vanish...no record of it...I did cost me 500 bucks and 2 tickets to the Indy race...Best money i ever spent..
I was in a line of Nascar haulers going across Nevada one day,we were all running well over 100mph. A trooper going the other way just got on the CB and told us to back it down.He kept going. Sometimes the Nascar trucks get a break.They know we have the schedule from hell..
I have drove from LA to Charlotte in 36 hours by myself.Don't want to do that again.
The worst one i ever got was 121 in a 55 in Lousiana..that cost a fortune but i got out of it.I have learned to slow down...

 

[achris]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

The one that cracks me up is when somebody calls the left lane a fast lane?Last i knew the speed limit is the same in both lanes,just if your a slow vehicle you need to stay right in most areas.I wont even get into peoples merging skills lol.

You've been driving in Australia, right?

 

[Nandy]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

I didn't have the time to read all the post. But, they ask "is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit" because if you answer you have admitted guilt. Therefore you have no way to plead not guilty in court. NEVER,NEVER, admit to guilt. The correct answer to the question is" I didn't know that I was officer" . This helps in two ways, he may believe you and give you a break. And, if you decide to plead not guilty in court you haven't confessed to doing anything wrong. There used to be a site called "The National Motorist Association" that had really good info on this sort of thing. But, I'm not sure that they are still around.

The LEO dont need you to admit guilt. He clocked you with his/her calibrated readar gun after he had taken a training on it and get recertified multiple times. You have to defeat that in court, like claiming a defective speedometer and having a mechanic to certified it. Or try a reason why you were speeding that will convice a judge that it was justifiable for you to speed.

At least in NC and VA there is nothing in the citation that indicates if you have admitted guilt or not. I dont think that saying that you were not paying attention to your speedometer will get you out of trouble, you would probably get a ticket for sure. There are reasons for speeding that might get you out of the ticket. They will work depending on the trooper.
Best way to get out of the ticket is to hire a lawyer.

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Is there a reason you were exceeding the speed limit?

Ya, some of this was covered on that tape I ordered form that place I talked about. After getting the ticket you were suppose to ask the officer when was the last time his radar was tuned and ask to see the numbers on it or some stuff like that. Still, I stand by what I said. Never admit to guilt.