85 in a 55...This sucks!!!!

[SirShaun]

Im still in shock... Woke up this morning 5:30 had a 45min drive to take my SAT test. I was running late for work. I spent too much time in Charlottesville. Im rushing home and the last straight away i rarelly get into my car. Just put intake/exhaust on her so was just gonna take it to 90 then back her down. This is a 2 lane highway each direction. As i was passing a van i see a brown deputy come into view. I had just floored it. I went from 60 so i doubt i could of been goin any faster then 70-75. Well i see him brake hard and hit the turn around. Im thinkin about running by now but instead i just pull into an industrial parking lot off of the 2 lane highway and turn my car off. He comes up to me. doesnt ask any question just asks for license and registration. Comes back with a ticket 10 min later saying i have a summons to court. 85-55. I told him my excuse by then it was too late. I was polite to him. Didnt argue about it saying 85. We went seperate ways.

Now i have parents to deal with. Dad isnt home untill tommorow so i might be dead tommorow. Im 17 so im a minor. Let me hear opinions should i get a lawyer? How long am i gonna lose license? Whats that chances of it being lowered to not wreckless?
Also please no worthless "Your a dumb ***" post. I know it was stupid. It was only me and a minivan on my way of travel. So it wasnt like i was risking anyones life but my own. I also dont see how he got 85 on that radar. Kind of wierd it comes out to a nice rounded 85 too.

[Ender2664]

That is why you always ask to see the radar read out and ask him when the last time the gun was reclaiprated is compared to when the amount of time it is suposed to be reclaiprated...most of them will realize you are a pain and just let you go with a slap on the wrist.

[98goldbird]

NO!!! dumbnuts, you dont ask if he recalibated it until you're in court. DUH. :rolleyes: But, if he wrote you down for radar or laser, then it was your job once you got pulled over to ask to see the radar/laser. By law, they have to show you it. I've gotten out of a ticket before because the cop refused to show it to me, and I wouldn't leave until he did. SirShaun, email me and I'll send you something that might help you.

[greatsave9]

No radar here in PA [img]graemlins/rock.gif[/img]

[Ender2664]

How many times have you been pulled over Matt!? I hear all these stories about you getting out of tickets, and then i know how many tickets you have! SLOW DOWN!

[SirShaun]

It sucks so bad... Court is Teusday after school is out. Il probably lose my license for whole summer.

[3.4 slow to go]

were you jsut speeding, or passing a van to get around & then resume safe, legal speed limit?

Welcome to the wonderful world of court appearance, higher insurance payments, investing in a radar/laser detector ( or just slowing down), and life.

[C.O.Jones]

Originally posted by Ender2664:
That is why you always ask to see the radar read out and ask him when the last time the gun was reclaiprated is compared to when the amount of time it is suposed to be reclaiprated...most of them will realize you are a pain and just let you go with a slap on the wrist.

1) It's called recALIBrated.
2) Do you know what goes into the calibration of a radar gun. Do you know it's accuracy specs or the ICP/standards used to calibrate the gun?
3) Is the standard itself within cal at the time of calibration? Is the standard NIST traceable?
4) Did you know that a radar gun can be within cal, but it has to be adjusted for the angle of "attack"? IE - a properly calibrated radar gun shoots straight. The farther off center the vehicle in question is, the less acurate the gun is unless it's adjusted for % degrees off 0.
5) WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOUR SPEDOMETER WAS CALIBRATED? WAS IT EVER CALIBRATED.

You pull some dumbass stunt like "Your radar gun is out of cal officer." and you get what you deserve. Oh... and stay out of calibration.

[ June 04, 2005, 06:31 PM: Message edited by: C.O.Jones ]

[Ender2664]

You can say that all you want...but i have seen people get out of tickets by asking simple questions like those, officers just realize that you are more trouble than you are worth someimes and move on to the next person, or they get mad and hassel you, it is a throw up. Personally i don't get pulled over and have never had to deal with it, so o well, but it works despite what you think...and i know i can't spell and i think that everyone on the board knows that too, but thankyou for pointing that out again captian obvious.

[SirShaun]

Heres what i currently have to use in court.

1.The cop never turned his lights on.
2.His radar was shooting at a higher point down on me.
3.It's wierd the ticket came out to be on exactly 85.
4. On the ticket it seems he has marked General District Court(which is wrong) and also Juvenile Traffic Court(which is right) but when he gave me my ticket he sayed General District Traffic Court not juvenile.
5. This is my first speeding ticket.
6. Also he has the (pay before court date) box shaded in.

Im still stressing this **** i dont know what to do.

[ June 04, 2005, 11:49 PM: Message edited by: SirShaun ]

[Nicklz]

My personaly philosophy is take it to court, worst case scenario is you'll be found guilt of speeding (which you were) and have to pay $50-$100 in court costs.

Court costs may seem like alot but is virtually nothing to what it will do to your insurance at 17! Trust me on this one!!

It's the cops job to prove your guilty. Your job is to cast a reasonable doubt. WHo's job is easier?

Some things I'd ask for:
-radar printout
-radar calibraton record
-officers certification for that model radar gun
-ask as many detail oreinted things as possible to show cop doesn't know details (color of van, signs obstructing cops vision, time of day, weather conditions, etc)
-angle and distance when the cop tagged you with radar (COJONES #4 above), also request records from divison of highway for grade of road, and degree of turn -- if these don't make it to court the judge must drop the charges
-you can also call the pd station every day untill you find out what day the cop's day off is. Then request change of court date to that day, chances are he won't come to court on his day off.

[SirShaun]

Alot of good information. Thanks guys. If you have anything else please share.

[96RS Alex]

Is this your FIRST offense in how many years? Most courts have your drivers record when you appear in front of the court. At that point you will have to talk to the prosecutor and mention that your drivers history is nearly spotless until now and they will weigh that upon your penalty. I have a solid bet that if you explain to the judge that yeah you did speed unknowingly and was safely passing another vehicle in your opinion, you can get away with a reduced fine and attend a drivers retraining course and have the summons dismissed after you bargain with the court and make sure you pass the ridiclous training if your state offers such. 85mph in a 55 zone is hard to beat but chances are you can just admit it and offer them the speeding fine towards charity. I personally had a $199 fine reduced to $35 a while back just by admitting you cant beat laser radar. Spend the money in obtaining your drivers history report from the DMV first so there wont be no surprises on either end of the court bench. Lawyers will be there for your wallet and wont grant you a full pardon in the end in my opinion. I have also witnessed other speeders in court tell the judge excuses why they were going at such a fast rate like; a family member just admitted to the hosital or you were trying to reach home to turn off the gas stove. These excuses actually worked to my surprise lol. Good luck.

[Mogobs30th]

Originally posted by SirShaun:
Alot of good information. Thanks guys. If you have anything else please share.

First thing, keep your f***ing mouth shut while in court. You start naming off excuses of why you were speeding, and all you are going to do is piss off the presiding judge. Accept it for what it is.

As Nicklz says, it is the officers job to prove the guilt. Now there are a few things you can use such as asking for calibration records and such. But the 6 reasons you have now are all excuses, and no judge is going to listen to them.

1.

1.The cop never turned his lights on.

He can say he did have his lights on. Your word against his.

2.

2.His radar was shooting at a higher point down on me.

The reading on those guns is not going to be off unless he was some 20 or 30ft above you. In any case, you would have to physically watch him tag you with it, and that only leads to your guilt of not paying attention to traffic, and that will be a case of wreckless endangerment.

3.

3.It's wierd the ticket came out to be on exactly 85.

How do you know you werent doing 85 like the ticket says? Its his word against yours again, with him possibly having proof of the speed you were doing. And no judge is going to buy the fact that is was "weird".

4.

4. On the ticket it seems he has marked General District Court(which is wrong) and also Juvenile Traffic Court(which is right) but when he gave me my ticket he sayed General District Traffic Court not juvenile.

Not really sure about this one, but if it comes down to it, they can possibly transfer the proceedings to the Juvenile court if you bring it up.

5.

5. This is my first speeding ticket.

They know that already.

6.

6. Also he has the (pay before court date) box shaded in.

That is not going to get you out of a ticket, or a court appearace either.

Best thing you can do is accept what happened. Fighting it will only piss off a judge, which in turn will dig yourself an even deeper hole. I have said it once, and I will say it again, we all live and die by the actions and words we live by, and we must accept the consequences to our actions and words.

[dmw319]

^ good points. just live with the ticket. higher a lawyer and have him appear for you in court and pay the sh**. ive had two tickets in the past and haggling got me no where.