I was on my way to Myrtle Beach this weekend and as i was cruising along at 70 (in a 60) a white Chevy truck blows past me in the right lane and then quickly turns right onto an intersection. So i just keep goin and i notice some headlights pullin up behind me...then BLUE LIGHTS come on! well i was like freakin out kuz i had no clue what i was doin wrong...so i forgot i didnt have my seatbelt on, i had my radar detector turned on (which was beeping like hell because of the cop car right behind me) and i notice all this AFTER the cop gets my license and registration...so...he goes back to his car and stays a while...then comes back and tells me that i have been givin a ticket for 90 in a 60! $320 and 6 points!! oh yeah and nobody was in the car with me to witness anything so im screwed with what i can tell the judge. i dont have to appear in court, but my friend said that when he got one of his tickets that the judge said he could take reckless driving charges (or somethin like that) and pay a higher fine but he would have NO points against him. or could i pay the full price of the ticket and maybe theyll drop the points down to 2 (my friend also said 2 or less points dont affect insurance)...i just need to know my options, i mean im gonna have to admit to doin it because like i said they wont believe me anyway since i was by myself...i dunno what im gonna do! this is BULL****! and i cant do a damn thing about it....does anyone know about that other charge i could take instead so it wont affect insurance?? help me out...i need is bad!

 

3 Words: Hire A Lawyer.

If you want to possibly reduce or get rid of the ticket, its the way to go.

 

yup, go get a lawyer who is experienced in this. he will grill the copper and poke holes in his ticket. worked for my brother. judge said "although i do not believe your story (my brother's), you have presented enough evidence that puts doubt on the officer's story".

"dismissed!"

 

cant....19...college freshman....BROKE! i mean i can pay the ticket or whatever...but what are lawyer fees gonna run...basically thats outta the question.....

 

Another thing you might try is finding who your judge will be an emailing him your story..... i have a similar story....


I was driving down a road called Gallatin Rd. in Nashville, Tn and i pulled up at this red light... An old hunk O junk pulled up beside me and I could smell the motor oil leak.... At the time i was driving a 2001 Honda Accord 4cyl. When the light turned green i accelerated and the car beside made this high screeching sound (probably because of timing belt) and next thing i know, I am being flashed over by a cop.. At this point, I am thinking "hmmmm maybe I have a blown tail light." This old fat cop comes up to my car and i pull down the window and he says "son, doing a burnout on public streets is illegal." Im like, "oh okay?" He asks for my Liscense, registration, and proof of insurance. Then im like "wait... hey, i didnt do a burn out!" He says son let me see your "Liscense, registration, and proof of insurance." I say it one more time "I didnt do a burnout!" He asks for it one more time and I didnt want any trouble so I get it out and right as i want to tell him what happened, he walks away..... about 45 mins later he comes walking (probably after finishing a box of donuts) and gives me a court date. I then try to tell him what happened and he says, "son, im not gonna argue about this. Will you sign this ticket?" I say "I will sign it, and I am not your son, and you dont know what the hell your talking about." He takes the ticket, throws the copy to me and walks away... The whole time i was thinking to myself, how the hell does someone do a damn burnout in a front wheel drive 4 cyl?" So i go to the court DEC 19. Wait 4 hours for like 200 people to get a role call in and the judge comes in... First person he calls up is a 15 year old kid...spanish... And the kids mom does not speak spanish.. and theres a translater. The judge asks the mom, do you know how fast your son was going? Did he tell you? Translator translates: Mom says speaks some spanish.. Translator says mother said "yes he told me 55 in a 30." Judge looks at the kid ****ed off as hell! 90 IN A 30!!!!! at this point you hear people say "DAMN!!"" oh shiiiiittt!!" And i am thinking to myself "Oh crap, I am screwed!!" so, this kid gets a huge punishment, something like no driving until hes 20 I think... Then he picks up this stack of paper... im like God help me... And he says, "Ya'll know that its the holiday season.. So im gonna let you all go!" At that point I almost lost all bowel control and I started walking away... then he says "except...." so and so and so... he didnt call my name.. so it all worked out in the end. I think only reason I probably called pulled over is because I am a minority..... Oh well...


So try emailing him, and hopefully since you didnt do anything, itll all work out for you.... Goodluck bro..

 

Well, I am guessing that a lawyer will cost anywhere from $400 to who knows. But think about it. Say a lawyer costs $600. Borrow money from friends, ask parents, or whatever. They have dealt with these situation maybe hundreds of times, if they handle speeding cases. It just makes sense to try and get it reduced, so it doesn't hurt you're insurance too much, or put points on you're license.

 

Your options are this:

Get a lawyer... pay a bit for the retainer, yes. In the end, the lawyer will get you the best deal possible and avoid having you 'have' to 'admit' to anything.

or

Admit to it. The whole thing. Take the rap for something you WEREN'T EVEN INVOLVED IN and let the justice system screw you. Screw that.

or

Plea to a lesser charge and take the hit on your insurance and points and court fees, etc.

Just so you know... 'reckless driving' is NOT a 'lesser' charge. Here in Illinois, 'reckless' is anything above 30 over the limit, and it is a class 4 felony. You lose your license... you pay BIG TIME to get it back... you have a SERIOUS mark on your record (and remain on the 'high risk' insurance category for a long, long time).

I had a similar type of incident. I was cruising along at 55mph in a 55mph zone in Hidalgo, TX (right on the border of Mexico). A semi (of all things) passes me in the right lane, and I get pulled over, cop says I was doing 61 in a 55 zone. I told the cop he was sitting on the side of the road, at an angle, using conventional radar, and he took the signature of the semi and saw ME in the fast lane. He gave me the ticket. I went to court. I talked to the judge... at length. I told him how disappointed I was at the officers in his jurisdiction (even pulled my soldier strings)... their 'lack of training' and 'inaccuracy' in performing their duties.

Well... what did it get me? I still paid for a speeding ticket I never deserved... in a city that is well known for busting tons of Mexicans as they come across the border. God Bless America....

 

go to court wearing a t-shirt from your school USC(whatever), clean (not baggy) jeans, and your backpack with a book inside. take out any earings,noserings, etc (hopefully you do not have any tatoos on your face' ala mike tyson.) make him aware you are a clean-cut college student with this look. they will know you are broke. do NOT go in there with a suit and tie!!! or you will get f==ked. suit shows you can afford the price of democracy.

address the judge as 'your honor' when you first speak to him, speak calmly and respectfully (its ok to be nervous). no funny facial expressions or crazy hand gestures or staredowns. follow all directions by the deputy. DO NOT DISRUPT COURT BY TALKING TO OTHERS! be courteous to the cop when you question him (you have the right to face your accuser in this country!) sh=t, hopefully he will not show-up. but if he does, state your case clearly and diplomatically! practice before you go.

remember to say: good morining your HONOR

this has worked for me for the past 7 years. ive spent time honing and perfecting this technique. sh*t, im 25 and still go in there looking like a broke college student.

or you can go to the next level. my friends technique: same as mine (be courteous,etc), but he goes in there like a crackhead: ripped t-shirt and shoes that talk.

even better if you can speak another language (i.e spanish)... pretend you have trouble with english.

good luck!

 

My advice (coming from an 'older, wiser' approach) is to wear a suit and tie... or at least a shirt and tie (with pants, NOT jeans). You are presenting yourself to the judge, the court. By looking presentable, the judge will respect you more. Not as "some poor college student". You can present the argument of being broke only after you defend yourself for a charge that you don't deserve (and are not guilty of committing)... correct?

-R

 

click on his homepage!
this guy says he cant afford it? first of all he has a CLEAN 2k1 max.

second and I QUOTE:

*MoDs*
APC H4 130 watt headlights
Hella Xenon Blue H3 fogs
clear front side markers
side marker rewire
fog light rewire
Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 tires
super white bulbs in all signals
blue interior lighting
2 10" neons switched mounted under front seats
Frankencar Intake w/ K&N
Polished FSTB
Stock Exhaust resonator removed and replaced with straight pipe
many more mods to come..still workin on it!!

third: check out his future mods page!

c'mon guy- lets grow up here.

if you spent all your cash on the car. get another part-time gig. get 1 or two extensions for your court appearance. you will have more than enough $ for this.

not to be so harsh but stand up and take care of this cuz

 

You should have ran.....

 

i agree with u that this is a bull**** charge... but u gotta play the game.. dont go in dressed bummy... the judge's reaction will be that you dont care enough to dress up, and not that u can't afford the clothes... seriously u gotta show some respect.. .. then plea your case in the same manner... and i dont kno if this makes much of a difference, but whenever i go into court with my attorney.. he always points out that my parents are there in court with me... so maybe consider having a parent come in there with you.. the judge may be a little more lenient.. not real sure, but hey.. at this point... u need every little break u can get...

 

Skandalouz... very nice point. Indeed... bring a parent if you can.

 

suit and tie court results:
2 times the judge did not budge. u-turn and stop sign

college student look court appearance results:
2 reduced to $25 from $119 and $550
4 dismissed! parking ticket, no left on red, u-turn, speeding

i know, i know.. i had a bad year and went in 5 times in 1999. most were BS though. i had a 98 conv jag and it attracted cop envy and attention for a 20 yr old. plus, i did not play into 'stroke the cops ego' when he approches you.

suit and tie for me -only if its criminal court
-------------

if you get a lawyer, wear a suit and bring your parent (excllnt anecdote above)

no lawyer- no suit
-----------
do what works for you. ive spoken to judges, most are just lawyers (not real judges) in traffic court. they know you have a real life and do not penalize you if you go in casual. but they will throw the book at you if you show any contempt. jsut my experiences. but my experiences -could just be an anomolie

 

BUMP

 

dude... all those mods are like 5-600 bucks total.. not a big deal

 

You said you were going 70 but the ticket was for 90. Where you really going 70? This advice is only if you were really going 70. You said your radar detector was going off. So if you were really going 70 and he got you with his radar he will have proof of how fast you were going. Go to court. It will have to be reduced to what his radar said (70). It will be alot less.
Is in an unknown fact that police officer can NOT give you a ticket for how fast they THINK you were going. They have to have proof. If you dont have a radar detector you would never know if he has proof. Most people do not know that and just send in the payment. I have been pulled over many times and my radar detector never went off. One time the officer saw my radar detector and said "I'm just going to give you a warning" cause he knew a ticket wouldnt hold up in court. Another time I just asked "how did you determine my speed". He said "radar". I asked if he was sure and he just said "I'm giving you a warning this time". Yet another time he gave me the ticket and I went to court for it. Since the officer had no proof of my speed it was thrown out. The only ticket I paid in the last few years was when he got me with laser and my detector went off. So i just sent the payment in.
One last thing, if you show up in court and the officer that gave you the citation doesnt show, IT GET TROWN OUT!

 

Don't be a victim of the NON-justice system that exist in many of these courtrooms (especially in BLOOMBERG's NYC). Can you tell I just luv the guy.

Like Uconn411 said:

HIRE A LAWYER!!!!!!!!!


You are up against this:
- I have taken course x and I'm trained to visually tell when a car is going over the limit within +/- 10mph

- The officer will probably say I calibrated my radar unit x number of times before it was taken out on patrol that day.

- I observed vehicle x (you) for so many feet, with no cars to the left, right or in my path of sight.

- I did not lose sight of the vehicle at any time


If you cannot raise strong doubt in one or more of the above you will lose.

DO NOT GO THERE LOOKING FOR MERCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my 0.02c


HIRE A LAWYER
SHIFT_woosh

 

follow this guy's advice if you want to go to get the maximum fine... this is crap. Cops can pace you, they can time you, they can use laser... there are plenty of 'non-radar' ways of LEGALLY getting your speed.

Just to poke one hole in your "story"... and how is he going to "prove" 70 v. 90? It's not like there's video of the radar and his car. Is he going to admit to going 70? Then he's guaranteed a ticket for speeding and you're just fighting to see how much the fine will be. One time I was in court a guy actually said "but I was going 50, not 65!" and the judge said "but the speed limit was 30, here's (whatever fine) for going 20 over the speed limit. Next."

Short story, jttaylor155, this is horrible advice.

 

now to your question... get a lawyer and pay $400-$500 now, or don't and pay $300 fine and another $1500 in increased insurance costs over the next few years.

GET A LAWYER who specializes in this type of thing (they have bulletin boards at the court with their cards) and pay the guy to get a reduced fine with no points. You're going to pay, you might as well minimize the damage as much as possible.

 

not entirely... going 70 is a lot better than going 90..

 

Let me blow a shotgun to the many discrepancies you claim here.

First of all, it is not always the case that if you show up in court and the officer does not show up that it gets thrown out. For a city, maybe. For a county, not necessarily. And for a state, never. You have someone called the District Attorney that resides there and can easily put the court date off so that the officer/trooper can have time to prepare and show up to court. Especially with state police.

Second, this statement that a police officer can't give you a ticket unless that have a verified speed is nonsense. There are several ways around it... careless driving, inattentive driving, reckless driving are just some of the ways they can ticket you. Driving too fast for conditions is yet another. These are tickets where 'speeding' isn't mentioned and a speed isn't required. So don't ever assume that just because they didn't run you on radar that they can't ticket you... or that a ticket won't stick (I would like to be there with the judge when you claim that in court).

Finally, when a police officer doesn't give you a ticket, it's because the guy is being nice... not because he knew a ticket "wouldn't hold up in court". Besides... when you sent the payment in because you said 'he got me with a laser'... how did you know it was a laser, and why didn't you demand to see the proof?

-R

 

but to do that you have to admit guilt... "no officer, I didn't rape that girl, I was committing an armed robbery at the time!"

 

What county was this in and what branch (Horry County Police, SC Highway Patrol, etc.). What can you remember about the truck - that's who the cop clocked and has a reading of 90. If your story is absolutely true and not a justification to get out of a ticket, tell the whole story - go back and get measurements of when the truck passed you and turned off. When you saw the cop, etc. Did you tell him about the truck? What was his reaction? Did he clock him while he was going in the other direction? If so, it should have been a lot further back than when he saw you. Think it through. You may not need a lawyer, but it would be better to have a court advocate on your side. PM me with the Officer's name and County and branch (HP, Po-po, etc.). I may know someone that can make some inquiries if it was in the Myrtle Beach area.

 

I have to firmly disagree with this statement. Do not go in there with a suite and tie, or slacks and tie. Go in there as yourself, and present yourself as such.

 

Well this has worked before for me so I guess i was just lucky (3 times). I have had other people say they have had the same experiences.
The officer can "prove" the speed if with radar. The officer will have a print out showing it. And we all know he was speeding and the speed was picked up with radar(his detector went off). So he wont get out of it completely...so the only thing he can do is try and pay less. The ticket for 70 will be less (and less points) then 90!!!
And yes a judge could trow it out without the print out (evidence). A friend of mine went to court and the judge asked for all the evidence. The officer didnt have the print out (since he didnt use his radar). The judge dismissed it.
I sent in the payment for the laser because I knew he had used a laser. I saw him standing there holding the laser and my detector went off!! Thats all the proof I needed.

 

Most cars are now equipped with cameras that come on when the lights come on. Maybe he'll be one of the guys with that...although I do not know if it shows indicated radar speed on the display. It does record voice/radio transmissions, though.

 

And I disagree with that. You have to look presentable. Do you wear shorts and a t-shirt for a job interview? Your appeareance is always important. There have been many studies done with police officers and peoples appearance is a factor on whether or not people get tickets. It sucks but attractive people get more breaks. In the study people that had old dirty cars got tickets more for the same infraction then well dressed people with nice clean cars. Its a bad sterotype but it happens. If a cop pulls over white trash is a beater car and there is trash all over the inside of the car and he has a dirty wifebeater on he will get a ticket more then a business man in a newer clean car.
Bottom line, your appearance is important. A suit may be pushing it but dress nicely.

 

Here's an example where they don't need 'proof'... if an officer is able to clock your speed by shadowing or tailing you for a known distance (like a mile or two), that is all the 'proof' they need... the reading off of their speedometer.

But whatever, dude... you just go ahead thinking what you think and doing what you do. You'll continue to test your luck until it runs out.

The bottom line was nicely pointed out here... he WAS speeding. He SHOULD get an attorney... he SHOULD wear a suit and tie... and he SHOULD be able to get it reduced and pay a lesser fee (and less points, etc).

So what is the moral of the story? SLOW DOWN.

-R

 

That is "proof" for the officer but not for the judge!!!!!!!

"But whatever, dude... you just go ahead thinking what you think and doing what you do. You'll continue to test your luck until it runs out."

Yeah cause I'm sure I'm the only one here testing my luck by speeding. I'm sure one of these days I will get a ticket but I have gotten out of three because of this. It never failed me. Again I may just be lucky. But Im cool with that!!!
But it doesnt matter anymore since I moved to Virginia and can't use a radar detector.

 

"whatever, dude...

 

Good one, dude!! You showed me.
So you are saying an officer can make up whatever he wants (with NO PROOF) in court and the judge will buy it? I think not, DUDE!

 

It's not 'making up whatever he wants' (although, in the situation of the original post... it sure does seem like it, doesn't it?). If an officer follows you at your rate of speed for a mile or two, it will stand up in court.

-R

 

All I'm saying is this..if that was true a cop could follow you and determine you were going 5 over and pull you over. He is having a bad day and drops his dougnut as he is getting out of the car. You are a **** to him and you **** him off and he writes you a ticket for 20 over. He tells the judge he followed you and you were going 20 over and you have to pay the fat ticket. I hope that would never happen but it could if he does not have to have proof. I always thought they would follow you and but once they decided you were speeding they would get you with the radar then pull you over.
None of us are cops and none of us know 100% what the truth is and I'm sure states are diffirent. I was just saying what had worked for me in the past.

 

You come off with an "anti-authority" attitude with the whole "cops and donuts" routine. You also make statements like "none of us are cops" and "none of us know 100% what the truth is"...

I'm sure there are quite a few on the Org that are in law enforcement. You'd be surprised.

I happen to work with lots of cops... city cops, county sheriffs, state troopers... and federal agents. Plenty of knowledge base to ask around... and the question you pose is an old one. I've been with a cop while riding along and watched as he tailed a guy for 2 miles before pulling him over. It was pretty funny... a MARKED black and white with huge cherries on top and the guy kept speeding. The cop hit his lights... the guy slowed down ('oh, I guess his brakes work' was the comment made). The guy received a ticket for speeding. Why? Because he was clocked via shadowing for 2 miles at a constant speed.

They do this in OR, IL, WA, WI, MN... lots of places I know of. So because YOU say it doesn't happen doesn't mean it is true. And because YOU say that it won't hold up in court doesn't mean it won't either. You base it off of your own experience, period. Your experience is getting pulled over time and time again and making court appearances. No more words from the court bench 'expert', ok?

-R

 

I said from my experinence and those of others. What makes you an expert? Nothing. I don't care if you have friends that are cops. You are not one so what you say is as valid as what I say. I know cops too, so.
I do not have an "anti authority" attitude at all. I respect cops. The dougnut comment was a jock to lighten the mood. But your panties are more up your a@@. Calm down. Like I said none of us are an authority on this.
All I said was "IN MY EXPERIENCE IT HAS NOT HELD UP IN COURT"
And read my post again. I have only been to court ONCE.
And since you are the resident self proclaimed expert (because you know some cops)I bet you never speed? I doubt that.

 

As a matter of fact, you don't even have to get followed to get a ticket. In MA (and probably other states as well), a cop can "estimate" your speed by using various visual cues, and that will hold up in court. During the court hearing, the cop will testify that he has received X hours of training in visual identification of speed, and therefore, he is state certified to make such assessments. 99% of cops receive this training, so chances are, if you go to court, the cop will testify that he's licensed to estimate speed with just his eyes. AND THIS WILL HOLD UP IN COURT!

I don't blame jttaylor155 for having an "anti-authority" attitude. If you're never directly involved with them, you can think the world of them, but when the time comes and they're hassling your ***, perceptions will change real quick. A lot of my friends have been treated unjustly by cops, and it only takes one to make the bunch of grapes go sour.

I realize that there are a lot of good cops out there that do valuable work, but at the same time, you usually run into the bad ones. Like some police chief told me a while ago, "80% of the cops are good, but you always run into the other 20%".

What I don't understand about the original story is how the cop couldn't tell a truck and sedan apart. Unless it was pitch black out (night time) or the cop has no clue about cars, how does me mistake a Maxima for some truck? Seems impossible, unless the cop didn't want to bother chasing the truck and just found the first available car to pull over instead. Seems like high risk to try these tactics.

Max2k1gle: I think it's best that you consult a lawyer and tell him how it is. Consultations are usually free (if it's a respectable attorney), and the lawyer will tell you what kind of chances you have of getting off. Then make a decision whether you want to pay him and take a chance in court. But even if you decide to without a lawyer, definitely challenge it in court. DO NOT PAY THE TICKET! FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS! (sounds corny, but you have to do it).

 

a cop can follow you for about a mile and pull u over for 5mph over the speed limit if his speedometer is calibrated. and sure they CAN argue that you were going 20 over, but they don't make up numbers. cops aren't what you think they are... they're not gonna make up a charge just to give you a hard time... i'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part they're gonna try to be honest...

 

oh.. and also.. dress up to court... i dont care what anyone says... that's just being disrespectful... don't go in there like u just woke up with a tshirt on... that will make the judge just think that you dont really care... it's a sad fact, but appearances matter a lot in every aspect of life..

 

The more rural you go, the more cops "look" for work, and the making up numbers issue comes into play big time. I have personal experience with this, so just trust me on that.

Granted, the overwhelming majority of cops are honest, but it'll only take one bad one to ruin your life. I think we have to realize how much of an influence they have over people's lives. If they start lying, people's lives begin to get ruined.