Okay...so here is the short version of this story.


I was on my way home from work yesterday afternoon, and was really enjoying the weather & my car, when I looked up and low & behold there was a DPS officer on my tail with his lights on. Alright, so I give him the usual spill and of course as normal it does not work. So I am thinking "this sucks...I hope I have not had a ticket with in the last year, so I can take defensive driving"

Later that evening, I am on my way home just cruising most of the way, trying to avoid a ticket. As I get closer to home force of habit takes over and I am over the speed limit yet again. The next thing I know I see a Sheriff dead on in front of me as he turns on his lights. "Damn not again...How the hell am I going to explain this one?..."

If there is a way to get two separate tickets in one day...I am going to be the one to figure it out! What luck.

I even told the second cop, "It's this car! I have already gotten a ticket earlier today!"

 

Ha, you live right near me - and I recently had a similar experience. Let me guess, DPS officer at 290 and Barker-Cypress?

Anyway, I got two tickets in four days several months ago. At the time, stuck with two tickets, the option that sounded best from the court was to take defensive driving for the highest speed (over the limit) ticket, and to apply for deferred adjudication for the other one. That way, (hopefully) neither one stays on your record for insurance. Court date in May, at which point I get to try and persuade the judge that a) I wasn't used to the much more powerful engine and smoother ride, so didn't realize I was speeding, and b) I'm basically an idiot he should give a break because "a)" isn't all that complex a problem to deal with (there IS that speedo thing...)

Good luck!

 

I got two from the same exact cop in the same exact spot in the same week. I was even looking for him the second time and still got nailed. It has dark both times and his spot was well hidden.

Anyway, I did have a bit of luck with them. I hired a lawyer that I used occasionally for tickets. I averaged about 7 per year back then (mustand GT first car at 16). My main concern was keeping them off my record for insurance... I had recently applied to join the fire department, so I told the judge that I could not have any moving violations on my record. They dismissed one outright and dismissed the other after my 30-day probation ended. Other cops in the court even shook my hand and told me good luck with the fire dept.

 

HA! 2 tickets in the same day is harsh but 2 tickets in 20 minutes is HORRIBLE. I got one ticket for going 13 over then as soon as I got back up to speed I get ANOTHER one for going 9 over...

Now THAT was a bad day in my books.

 

...I just can't do the speed limit either. However, my driving skills are far superior to the average person so I feel that I should have the right to speed!

Wouldn't it be cool if you could qualify yourself through a test to get exemption from the restrictive speed limits? "Sorry officer, but my test score says I can safely drive at 100 MPH"

Funny thing is, I drive better when I'm going at least 10 MPH above the posted speed limit. My mind works very fast and when I don't feed it enough info I tend to start losing concentration. Besides, I would never get anything done if I had to do the speed limit!

 

haha...I like that Spta.."Sorry officer, but my test score says I can safely drive at 100 MPH"

 

Just a suggestion....DO NOT use the 'it's the car' or 'I wasn't used to the much more powerful engine' excuses, etc.

Depending on the mood of the officer, that admission can be stretched to also include a ticket for 'failure to control vehicle' which is not cool.

 

leave it to JJS to bring a thread back down to reality..

 

Hey, someone has to.

Just don't want people getting in more hot water.

 

Yea, I've had my share of disagreements with jjs and even though he is a bit gruff at times I must admit he has some valid points and is very intellegent. Well, at least for a guy with a pickup truck

...just kidding

 

Thanks, especially from a part-time opponent!!

 

you win hands down... what bad luck...

 

Thanks for the info., but think I'm okay - it would be hard to argue "failure to control..." at 58 mph...on a wide service road. Now trying that discussion for something like 110 WOULD be interesting "but officer, I just push the gas and I can't get it to slow down - really"

 

I've been busy at work, I'll try and go to full time-opponent when things slow down

 

Time to limber up the gruff.

 

I was driving up to my g/f's place one night a few days before I deployed after 9/11 and I got pulled over by a Cook County Sheriff... I was doing 12 over. He just stood there looking at my license and said "are you in a hurry tonight?" I told him "actually, I am".

20 minutes later, I got pulled over in Cary off Northwest Highway doing 60 in a 35 zone... pretty much thought I was toast. The officer was mad at first... then later came back and let me go.

I think what helped the most is the fact that I have military plates on my car (Illinois veteran), and I was in uniform at the time with all my sh*t for deployment in the back seat...

but that was the first time (and, hopefully, ONLY time) I've ever been pulled over TWICE within 20 minutes and missed the bullet BOTH times.

-R

 

I got 5 tickets in one shot, the cop was an ***...I was driving a prelude, all hooked up, passed a red light while speeding, passing someone in the right lane. he also got me for tailgating and careles driving. I couldn't sleep for a week, and I got back into my other car at the time, ford explorer. long story short, I went to court and got all tickets dropped except for tailgating (5 points)

 

I think you obviously just need to slow down.

 

I agree! You definitely need to bring the foot off of
the accelerator more often.
How much do you have to pay? What does your husband think about these tickets?

 

If you have enought tickets that you have to "wonder" if you've gotten one within the past year, that's just plain bad.

Also, if you tell a cop that you just got a ticket for something, there is no way he will give you a warning. Obviously, the first ticket did not work, so why would he reduce the punishment? You never should have told him about it--he would have no way of knowing otherwise.

 

Wow - thank you, moral majority... What's it to you if she, or anyone else, speeds? And "What does your husband think about these tickets?"? Boy, it's hard to put into words just how wrong that question is - that is SO not your business.

I average one ticket a year, and it would be much higher without my radar detector. And how many accidents have I been involved in or caused? Zero. And FYI, since you're apparently curious, my wife is right there with me on ticket averages, in her supercharged Millenia (which is amusingly only slightly less slow than her old non-aspirated Millenia, but it IS supercharged )

It's great that you never speed (please stay to the right...); from the other 90% of the population, we're happy for you.

 

Actually, one SHOULD be concerned with the number of tickets their spouse receives... it impacts you not only fiscally (with the fines and court costs), but also with the fact that, should your spouse lose their license, now you get to make up for it and play chaffeur.

One ticket a year? Well... let's see... isn't that a little EXCESSIVE maybe? I've been driving for, oh, almost 18 years now... and I only have 3 tickets... Accidents, schmaccidents... there are a lot of us who are safe drivers and don't have to depend on a radar detector (which, btw, is basically out of date with laser radar).

SLOW DOWN!

(a message sponsored by the REAL 90% of the population)

 

It's bad in the sense that, if you get that many tickets, speeding is not the only problem. If you're speeding AND not alert enough to see the police cars, that is dangerous driving. I exceed the speed limit, but my observation skills are working overtime.

 

Hey, you're entitled to your opinion just like me. I don't know where you live (and admittedly don't particularly care), but in Houston my guess would be something like 3% of the population actually does the speed limit - on highways. (In neighborhoods, school zones, etc. I actually do the exact speed limit, and notice that others do too.)

Anyway, thanks for your opinions, but a) my tickets are usually for something like 10 - 15 mph over the limit, which is hardly reckless, b) the last two tickets I got were from an officer ON FOOT at 1/4 mile with a laser, and from another one in an unmarked PICKUP TRUCK - but thanks for the idiot comment about being alert... , and c) because the state government apparently recognizes that in Texas a lot of us speed, I have zero tickets on my record for insurance purposes, so there's minimal fiscal impact.

So don't act like you're a better driver because you don't speed. Or for that matter, because you don't get tickets (why does your comment remind me of that old commercial - "I gots skills...".

Have a nice day.

 

How true!!! This is of course when you can get out of parking lot like traffic close to town. I know in more outlying areas those DOING the speed limit are the hazards.

 

Sure you're the majority...?

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=205573

 

So I guess that my question would be..... is it speeding when you exceed the posted speed limit (per Florida law) or is it speeding when you are travelling at a rate in excess of surrounding traffic (per Virgina law)?

It seems that speeding is solely based upon the area in which you are.

I live in Orlando, FL... home of the old people and tourists. The chances of "speeding" here are significantly reduced due to the fact that no one here even drives the speed limit. The average around-town trip on I-4 yeilded me going 24 MPH. And the posted limit is 55 MPH.

However, those who live in Atlanta, GA see things otherwise. If you drive the speed limit on the interstate there, you'll get a ticket. You are disrupting the flow of traffic. The speeding situation was even so bad that it got reported by Reader's Digest. A cop's radar checked speeds and the average speed was 75 MPH. Considering that the speed limit is 55 MPH on their interstates (well, most of them anyway), speeding isn't such a bad idea there.

So... for those who argue this issue... understand this... speeding is accepted/not-accepted based upon area. It's like trying to compare the Honda Accord sedan to an Infinity G35 coupe. They aren't the same. They aren't even NEAR the same. And they are in totally different classes altogether. So stop trying to compare apples and oranges, and just accept them as fruit.

And BTW.... I speed. Not as much as I used to, but I do. I'm a very conscious driver too. I know what is going on all around me at all times. And I speed safely. Not 120 MPH in a 50 MPH zone, but maybe 55-60 MPH in a 55 MPH zone. And guess what... I even go with the flow of traffic. And I don't ride people's bumpers. And I don't swerve in-and-out-of-traffic. So.... I'll continue to speed. You continue not to. I'm ok with it, as long as you follow ALL THE OTHER rules of traffic (since you're following the speed limit) and STAY TO THE RIGHT.

I'm done venting.

 

Nobody gets pulled over for simply speeding. You gotta be REALLY speeding to get a ticket. Think about all the tickets you got. They were probably all in excess of 50 in 35 or 70 in 55. If they weren't, then the cop was being nice and reduced the speed.

And of course, do I even need to point out, that you alone are not a good example of speeders who don't cause accidents. I know smokers who live to 100 as well. Not to mention that you are far from done driving in this world, and you may still someday have an accident because you were speeding. I too speed often, and have yet to cause an accident because of it.

My point was: if this individual got 2 tickets in one day, maybe they need to think about how much in excess of the limit they average and/or how often, and adjust accordingly.

I have no problem with speeders; just don't wine about it when you get a ticket. Speed all you want if you can afford the tickets.

 

Amen to that!!! No after a ticket. You were
speeding - you know the law - you got a ticket - now
its time to figure out how to get it off your record

Not always true. You haven't driven through Spring Valley
in the Houston area. Well known for giving tickets for going just 5mph over. My sister was given a ticket there for 38mph in a
30mph. I have also have been pulled over and ticketed for going 40 in a 30 twice (but not in SV).

 

VERY VERY TRUE!!!

Also Katy, Jersey Village, Fulshear, Brookshire, and a host of other communities around Houston. With the way Texas has the setup of ticket dismissal, it is purely a revenue generator for municipalities. You never really 'lose your license' so you continue to drive and continue bto be a source of revenue from speeding violations. While it does not stay on your record, you have still paid court costs, etc.