Speeding tickets

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:

Most states law say something like "driving at a speed greater than reasonable or prudent."  That isn't one number.  The judge knows it, the cops do not.  Open roads, good weather, sunny, good tires, well maintained car......  or crappy car, bald tires, icy and dark.....   those are very different speeds.  The sign is guideline.  Many of them are posted in violation of the law too.  A lot of counties in TX have gotten in trouble for lowering speed limits contrary to state laws.  
 

Read.....  

It's funny you mention that.  There were a few roads near my ex's house in NJ that had posted limits that defied logic.  Like a residential road lined with houses with a 40 MPH limit when all of the surrounding roads were 25 MPH.  It went back to how the limit was determined when the road was built - back when the entire area was empty farm land and 40 MPH made sense (arguably too low).  But the process for changing a road speed limit in NJ is not exactly easy. So 40 MPH it was... 

When I drove on it, no more than 35 MPH seemed safe, and my eyes were always searching for errant children. 

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

Look up the laws and "traffic study."  They are supposed to do these and reevaluate based on stated criteria, and then repost the revised limits.  It's pretty complex and you can find lots of roads that are posted improperly.  
 

I think you are right though.  Based on actual conditions driving slower is sometimes the prudent choice.  

Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:

frenchyd said:

dculberson said:

Speeding gets you tickets, extenuating circumstances don't suddenly make it legal. I've had a few speeding tickets and for the most part see that it was nobody's fault but my own. It's not a bad thing happening to a good person, it's a normal person being caught doing wrong. We all do it, it stings when we get slapped for it, but it wasn't the cop's fault that he was speeding.

You are absolutely right.  
  I just wish it was less arbitrary. Good looking ladies. Never seem to get tickets.  
    Really expensive cars.  ( Bentley, Benz, Bugatti). Seem to get away frequently.   
    Young guys in cheap cars seem to get an extraordinary number of tickets.   
I guess that's just the way the world works.  

Bud, that must be local to you. All the police I know (and that's a lot) will whack a woman as quick as a man and fancy cars get no breaks. Why would a police give a break to someone in a 100k+ car ? Why would a woman catch a break ? 

Not all but a significant percentage of law officers tend to be chauvinistic.  For proof I offer the number of women who get tickets compared to men.  It's been too long since I looked into this but it's something like  70-30.  
 As for the person with expensive cars?   No that's not a blanket get out of jail free card.   You have to look the part. But if you do, It's about connections.  Step on the wrong toes and there are consequences.  
    Where I live there are a lot of really serious movers and shakers.  Politicians, Fortune 500, big shots etc.  it's like 5th New York. 
    That's not right.  Catch a guy speeding he should get a ticket, connections or not.   

dculberson said:

frenchyd said:

dculberson said:

Speeding gets you tickets, extenuating circumstances don't suddenly make it legal. I've had a few speeding tickets and for the most part see that it was nobody's fault but my own. It's not a bad thing happening to a good person, it's a normal person being caught doing wrong. We all do it, it stings when we get slapped for it, but it wasn't the cop's fault that he was speeding.

You are absolutely right.  
  I just wish it was less arbitrary. Good looking ladies. Never seem to get tickets.  
    Really expensive cars.  ( Bentley, Benz, Bugatti). Seem to get away frequently.   
    Young guys in cheap cars seem to get an extraordinary number of tickets.   
I guess that's just the way the world works.  

I think that's something imagined. Good looking ladies and expensive cars get plenty of tickets. Where is the data backing up that they don't?

Just conversation with some attractive ladies that I know have real heavy foot.  They actually laugh about how easy it is. That's the first time I heard "flirt without being obvious about it".  I recall reading a cosmopolitan article along those lines.  
  and a few well connected guys.   

You state your opinion like it's fact. Then you throw in a few made up statistics to try and legitimize it. How many times have you said a small block crankshaft is 25 pounds ? Now you give the 70-30 ticket number. 
 

I am surrounded by cops. Friends to dozens of them. I go to their houses and they come to mine. We hang out socially together. We talk plenty. I'm a fireman, they're cops. Plenty to talk about. This isn't the 1950s anymore. They all wear body cams nowadays. You really think they're going to act sleazy ? Every single thing is recorded both audio and video. Cleavage doesn't get you out of a ticket. Neither does an Escalade. In this age there is zero leeway for a police to be inappropriate if he or she wants to remain in their chosen profession. Plenty of women police too by the way. There is no more he said-she said. It's all on tape. 

Reminds me of a joke.  A lady gets pulled over by the police.  Policeman says, "you know why I pulled you over?"  She says, "I hear you don't write tickets for pretty women."  He says, "That's right ma'am, here's your ticket." 

Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:

You state your opinion like it's fact. Then you throw in a few made up statistics to try and legitimize it. How many times have you said a small block crankshaft is 25 pounds ? Now you give the 70-30 ticket number. 
 

I am surrounded by cops. Friends to dozens of them. I go to their houses and they come to mine. We hang out socially together. We talk plenty. I'm a fireman, they're cops. Plenty to talk about. This isn't the 1950s anymore. They all wear body cams nowadays. You really think they're going to act sleazy ? Every single thing is recorded both audio and video. Cleavage doesn't get you out of a ticket. Neither does an Escalade. In this age there is zero leeway for a police to be inappropriate if he or she wants to remain in their chosen profession. Plenty of women police too by the way. There is no more he said-she said. It's all on tape. 

I sincerely wish all officers were on camera and upstanding.  In my state they are still trying to get them all on camera's but the simple truth is tax money is limited.  
  We know they are just human. The same as any group.  Some are great, some are normal, and some are bad.

    One thing that is absolutely true is the blue line.  It's understandable. People you trust with your back up, your life. You have to give your loyalty to. 
  Some blur the line between loyalty and duty. While a few ignore it completely. 
 Being a police officer is tough. When you spend your day/night dealing with the criminal element  and your work hours are constantly in flux  it's hard to remember most people are decent and hard working. Takes a very special person to remember that under those conditions.  
 Oh,  by the way.  Notice I didn't include Cadillac's.   
   With regard women in the police profession. I'm strongly in favor of that.  It's only logical.  They make up 50% of the population. That should be reflected across the board. 

dculberson said:

I think that's something imagined. Good looking ladies and expensive cars get plenty of tickets. Where is the data backing up that they don't?

No data needed today. Perception and "I want it to be true, so it is", popular opinion and "they said" rule most info. today. 

Two words. Radar detector. I am not recommending that anyone speed but for the cost of a ticket your neighbor could have purchased a nice detector. Mine can pick up from a mile away, saved me many times. We all speed from time to time either on purpose or unknowingly, a radar detector just levels the playing field.

There are lots of things to think about before...

buying a house...

starting a job...

having a child...

speeding...

Most of us just do stuff and figure it out later. 

The flippant part of me wants to say that if you're that hard up for cash, you shouldn't speed. It's always a gamble and sometimes you lose. However, I like to think I'm more empathic than that. I've gotten plenty of tickets and almost always go to court. It takes up a morning and is a pain but usually I just explain the circumstances to the judge, ask for a reduced fine and no points on my license. Sometimes they dismiss it altogether, sometimes they'll reduce the fine, sometimes I'll pay the full fine, but they've always agreed to no points. The legal system is a negotiation. 

Poor decisions reap more poor decisions. Being house poor sucks. Speeding tickets also suck. Both of those are decisions and decisions have consequences. 

Cops are shiny happy people. They are not your friends. They have no interest in protecting you or serving you. One of my best friends was a state trooper for 20 years, he not only thinks cops are shiny happy people, but he was one when he was on the job. It goes with the job. If I was a cop, dealing with all the crap they have to deal with, I would probably be an shiny happy person. They get E36 M3 on by their employers, the news, and pretty much everyone they deal with. Nobody is happy to see them. There isn't enough money in the world to make me be a cop. What a E36 M3acular job. 

The best way to deal with the police is to have no interactions with them. That means don't speed or do stupid E36 M3 in front of them. Don't be a dick when you do have to deal with them. Be polite, check your attitude, and shut your mouth. When they walk up to your car and ask if you know why they pulled you over or do you know how fast you were going, they are trying to get you to admit guilt. Don't do it. No, is a complete sentence, as is, I don't know.

03Panther said:

dculberson said:

I think that's something imagined. Good looking ladies and expensive cars get plenty of tickets. Where is the data backing up that they don't?

No data needed today. Perception and "I want it to be true, so it is", popular opinion and "they said" rule most info. today. 

This. More made up feelings from him stated as facts. If you can't afford a ticket than you better make sure to follow the laws.

I haven't really gotten a speeding ticket since I moved to Colorado 18 years ago.  I mostly stay in the metro area and go 5 over.  On the open highways the speed limits are 75mph and 80mph is a nice cruising speed.  I sped a lot more when I lived in Cape Cod, the speed limits on the freeways were much lower (55-65) and I was driving on them a lot to get to Boston or other places around New England.  I got a very expensive ticket in CT when I was active duty that really stung financially.  What was worse is the trooper let my friend in his 964 Turbo go by to nail me in a silver Passat, despite the fact my friend had just been doing 150+ mph.

My wife owns/runs a daycare center.  She has room for 55 kids, her wait list right now is 360 kids deep.  She's talking about not giving tours anymore as there's no reason to, she won't be able to get their kids in for 18-24 months.

i Hate to type this out but..... I'm 46 years old. I've been driving on the streets legally since I was 15 and not so legal (rural life ftw) since 12. Well over a million miles. I've had 2 written warnings and no tickets. One was a fishing expedition looking for high school kids skipping school, the other was when I was 18 and driving a retired cop car and he cop appeared to be bored and wanted to see if it was his old car. 

I limit myself to 7 over, never in a small town. Heads up watching for cops and dumbasses alike to avoid confrontations. 

03Panther said:

dculberson said:

I think that's something imagined. Good looking ladies and expensive cars get plenty of tickets. Where is the data backing up that they don't?

No data needed today. Perception and "I want it to be true, so it is", popular opinion and "they said" rule most info. today.

it took me a few minutes to Google confirmation of Gender Bias.   I'm real slow. So it won't take you any time at all. 
 I didn't read all of them but those I looked at none had women getting more or even the same number of tickets.  
  You might try something like , Confirmation of women getting less or the same numbers of traffic tickets as men to prove your point.  

bobzilla said:

i Hate to type this out but..... I'm 46 years old. I've been driving on the streets legally since I was 15 and not so legal (rural life ftw) since 12. Well over a million miles. I've had 2 written warnings and no tickets. One was a fishing expedition looking for high school kids skipping school, the other was when I was 18 and driving a retired cop car and he cop appeared to be bored and wanted to see if it was his old car. 

I limit myself to 7 over, never in a small town. Heads up watching for cops and dumbasses alike to avoid confrontations. 

 Sounds like me.  Well except in my youth.    
   How much of that was me wanting to be a race car driver and how much of it was police looking for young males I don't know.  Most I got I deserved. 
      I know I haven't had a speeding ticket in 30+ years. 

bobzilla said:

03Panther said:

dculberson said:

I think that's something imagined. Good looking ladies and expensive cars get plenty of tickets. Where is the data backing up that they don't?

No data needed today. Perception and "I want it to be true, so it is", popular opinion and "they said" rule most info. today. 

This. More made up feelings from him stated as facts. If you can't afford a ticket than you better make sure to follow the laws.

Bobzilla. 
it took me very little time with Google to confirm the bias. 
 As for tickets I haven't had a speeding ticket in 30+ years. In fact I can't remember the last one.  Oops wait.  There was that ticket over in Wisconsin.  For 1 mph over.   Let's see that was sometime in the early 80's.  

frenchyd said:

03Panther said:

dculberson said:

I think that's something imagined. Good looking ladies and expensive cars get plenty of tickets. Where is the data backing up that they don't?

No data needed today. Perception and "I want it to be true, so it is", popular opinion and "they said" rule most info. today.

it took me a few minutes to Google confirmation of Gender Bias.   I'm real slow. So it won't take you any time at all. 
 I didn't read all of them but those I looked at none had women getting more or even the same number of tickets.  
  You might try something like , Confirmation of women getting less or the same numbers of traffic tickets as men to prove your point.  

Which just means you've now proven your own statement to be bs.  But you still won't get it. 

In reply to frenchyd :

Your friend should go to court and see if he can plead down to a lesser charge, preferably a non-moving violation that won't give him points.  

The last speeding ticket I got was in 1978. I was in NC going to Richmond to get a marriage license.  Talk about poor decisions.  I think God was trying to tell me something.

Time for this clip - my wife doesn't find this funny.......

spitfirebill said:

In reply to frenchyd :

Your friend should go to court and see if he can plead down to a lesser charge, preferably a non-moving violation that won't give him points.  

Actually here in Minnesota there is a process whereby  you can go in to the court and have a non judicial "hearing " whereby a clerk will listen to your case and decide if your innocent or guilty and either completely dismiss the case or at least reduce the fine.  
   I used that approach where a young police officer wrote me a ticket ( not a repair order)  for having one lightbulb burned out ( of two)  on my license plate.   
  He wrote that for more than an hour after sunrise.  Totally dismissed the charge. 

I was working just north of red wing mn, at the nuke plant, and staying just north of that. Went to the town nearby for groceries, and the 55 mph speed limit went down to 35, while still in the middle of the corn fields. Couldn't even see the first house in town yet. Young officer that pulled me over, gave me the riot act... "What are you doing in MY town with VA tags?"

I explained I was working in town for a short term contract, but lived in VA. He then escalated with a louder (and hand on gun) WHY are you IN MY TOWN, if you live in VA? After we did this about 3 more times, and him getting more and more agitated, I explained that it was about three weeks of contract work at the nuclear plant. When he had no knowledge of ever hearing of a plant in the area... (it's a whole 10 miles away, in the same county) I told him he needed to either write me a ticket, or let me go about my constitutionally  correct business. 
He turned red, went back to his car to try and find something he could hold against me; but couldn't. Wrote the speeding ticket, and never said another word. 
I tried the clerk route, but he was about as clueless as the cop was, so I paid the full speeding fine. 
I like the folks up there, and most of the cops I met. But that one was know by all of the others I met, and it wasn't positive!

I had a young cop ready to go to court and tell a judge he could see through solid objects, before the senior officer took him back to the cruiser once.  I really told him, "if you want to explain to a judge how you can see through solid objects, write the ticket."  He huffed and puffed and gave me back my documents, and I told him to have a nice day.  Some cops... most are just fine, but some.... whew.