63 in 35 zone

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan

Oh, pal. You sure would worry.


The point I was making is that there is nowhere in this country where 63 in a 35 is going to be a felony unless there are extenuating circumstances like someone getting killed in the process.


Okay. The only reason I (sorta) pointed it out (besides the obvious) is that I had a simple accident. I was transporting nuke meds. Every pencil necked screw off DOT employee brought out every sphincter meter they could lay their hands on and a State Trooper shows up at my hospital bed with a clip board. I end up with a summons in the mail and have to show up to the barracks for a photo and finger printing. It ended up being a "no-pros" ..but sure put me through the wringer. Cost me some bucks until the media found other stuff to expound on so that the state could assume another valiant crusade to protect the public trust. These weren't even felonies and I was in full compliance with all applicable DOT regs as they were commonly practiced. They just took exception to how I practiced them.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Thanks - I will do everything possible; I have a clean record in NC for the last 5 yrs without even a single warning, so I'd like to continue to keep it that way if I can...
OK, first thing stay calm. I have some experience in this area, in NC.

It's not going to be a felony of any kind. You have a clean record for the last 5 years, it will likely get reduced to 9 over the limit no matter what, they could reduce it to unsafe speed. That's with or without a lawyer. Without a lawyer you'd have to go to court yourself, and talk to one of the asst. DA's on your court date. They reduce these all the time.

As for a lawyer, you'll likely start getting lot's of mail from local (to the area) lawyers offering their services.

If you want to go that route, save these, call around to these and get the best price. I know someone that did this in a similar situation, and it was handled easily while spending the least on a lawyer. You don't have to spend a lot on this.

It does help if you are going to do it yourself, if you order an official copy of your driving record for last 5-7yrs from DMV. That way you can go to court with the record in hand for the DA. Makes reduction of charge easier.

Whether you get a lawyer or not, just depends on how much your time(going to court) is worth.

fwiw, the speeding in a 35mph zone is fairly common in local towns. Good revenue stream.

HTH. Keep us updated.

 

[97tbird]

Thanks. man.
I got a bunch of letters from law firms today - hehe.

 

[97tbird]

how do law firms get to know about speeding tickets???

 

[Sayjac]

I'm not sure exactly how that works, but I would imagine the lawyers are hooked into some kind of notification system or posting/list of speeding tickets/traffic violations and the like that are turned in at days end.

Hey, there's a lawyer that handles many traffic cases in a town close by, that has a secretary/treasurer whose husband is a state trooper. He's also a horse's petute.

Anyway, it's a racket and everyone makes money, except the guy/gal getting the ticket.

 

[Cutehumor]

when my sunfire got hit, these chriopractor offices offered "free" examinations. govt sold me out

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
how do law firms get to know about speeding tickets???


Freedom of information act. Your citation is a public document. Lawyers request these from the court every day, then they look you up and send you a piece of mail.

 

[Jeff3126]

I got a ticket doing 83 in 55. I have a CDL so I can't take the traffic school. Called a lawyer and can only hope it gets dismissed. I have a spotless record which helps I was told.

 

[kkreit01]

Weren't you warned when you posted the "85 MPH pic in the Photo Section"? Some never learn. Do you have an aftermarket exhaust -- which you have to "hear" all the time? Why drive so fast? Trade 'Bird in on Aveo. Problem solved.

 

[d00df00d]

I wondered how long it would take for someone to get preachy...

One of the reasons I decided on my old car (Nissan Maxima) was that it was slow, so maybe I would drive sensibly. I ended up crashing it. Now I have a fast car and haven't crashed it. I actually drive it more slowly on the whole than I drove the Maxima.

I had a friend who ditched a modified 3-series and passed up all sorts of other zippy cars (Evo, STI, etc.) for a Camry because he thought it would slow him down. He ended up driving so hard that the suspension actually deformed from the cornering forces and needed repairs before 20k miles.

I have another friend who drove the living snot out of his old Volvo S60. He now has a modified Mini Cooper S (turbo) and drives fairly sensibly.

My little brother has been modifying his Integra for a while and seems to drive it more slowly the faster it gets.

The relationship between one's car and one's tendency to speed is not always what you think.

 

[97tbird]

85 mph pic was just that - i drove at that speed for like 2-3 sec's just for the pic. Normally on that stretch where limit is 70, i drive about 75-76 mph.

I don't have aftermarket anything.

Like i mentioned in the beginning, i don't drive fast. it happens very rarely. Otherwise this ticket that i just got would not be the 1st and only ticket i got in the last 5 yrs.

 

[BuickGN]

I wouldn't sweat it. It'a all about how you appear in court. Be polite, humble and dress nice and you'll get it reduced or removed. I got an exhibition of speed ticket in the GN for doing a massive rolling burnout when I was younger, when the judge asked why I said it was my sister's birthday and she asked me to do it. This was the truth but a very poor excuse and I told the judge that. He said "I like birthdays, don't do it again" and I was let off with just the court fee of something like 6 bucks. Not saying you'll be let off free of charge but the judge will size you up quickly and how you present yourself means a lot.

 

[d00df00d]

Depends on the district, I think.

That's pretty much what has happened to me for the tickets I've received in PA. I showed up dressed well, spoke honestly, reminded the court of my clean record, and left it to the judge. I always got the impression that they were sizing me up big time, and they always let me off with a fine and no points.

The one time I got a ticket in NJ... let's just say that wasn't the case. The DA treated me like I was 15. That ticket was not the worst I've had, but it ended up costing me more than the rest combined.

Looking back on it, I feel like I could have predicted the outcome just based on who else was in the court rooms. In PA, there were usually very few (if any) other people, and most of the infractions were relatively minor: 5-10 mph over, running stop signs, fender benders, and the like. In NJ, the court room was PACKED, most of the cases were DUIs, expired licenses, felony speeding, reckless driving, etc., and many of those folks had lawyers in tow. Can't blame that DA for being so hard, honestly...

 

[wantin150]

I would usually set about 100 tickets for a court date. Of that 100, 50 would pay, 25 would fail to appear, and 25 would show...just looking for help on the points and fine. I would reduce all those who wanted help and they would pay the clerk before court. I MAYBE put 5 in front of the judge for non-speeding cases. This is just an example, obviously. I recall one day where the STOP team, ACE team, and regular Troopers all set court for the same day. 1200 cases went through traffic court. There were two judges and who knows how many clerks. Started at 8:00 a.m. and signed off the last ticket at 6:00 p.m.

 

[freedhardwoods]

Originally Posted By: Jeff3126
I got a ticket doing 83 in 55. I have a CDL so I can't take the traffic school. Called a lawyer and can only hope it gets dismissed. I have a spotless record which helps I was told.


That is remotely possible, but I wouldn't count on it. They really raised the bar for CDLs. I had a few tickets when I was younger, but it has been 17 or 18 years and over 1 1/2 million miles since the last one (see the exception below). These days it doesn't really matter what the situation is, I just don't get in a hurry. If I have to be somewhere on time, I just don't stop. Three days ago another driver and I drove 560 miles (NC to IN) non stop to make an appointment.


Portage, OH, just south of Bowling Green, population maybe 40 or 50, has a speed trap. A few years ago I went through there running the speed limit like normal and got a ticket for 40 in a 25*. The cop said he would do me a favor and not confiscate my license (they can do that in OH) since I didn't argue with him. They probably get a lot of arguements writing false tickets like that. I called a local lawyer from home (IN) and in 10 minutes he had it changed to an equipment violation. He actually told me it was a racket. He used to work for that town, but makes more money fixing their tickets. They have 3 cops and their own traffic court to rake in the money. They don't care what the ticket is for, they just want the money. Lawyer - $350; ticket - $150. I had a weekly run that would take me through that town, but I started driving a 5 mile longer route and never went through there again.

*15 over is a serious violation on a CDL. What state you live in doesn't matter. Two of them and you lose your license for 60 days. Three will lose it for a year.

 

[97tbird]

UPDATE:
lawyer friend got the ticket reduced to 44 in a 35 (citation was for 63 in a 35);
didn't have to go to court
got 2 pts on the DL.

all in all, I think I am happy.
(lawyer friend said he could have done some "one time forgiveness" thing so that I don't get any pts on the DL, but he thought, as this is my 1st 2 pts on the DL, it would be better to save that trick for a more desperate situation if it ever comes to that- like when i am 2 pts away from losing a DL for example..hehe - hopefully it won't come to that)

lesson learned - and I still have my DL.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Glad your lawyer friend was able to do some magic.