Got a Speeding ticket today...

[AdamZ]

Originally Posted by lawman007

I was out driving a few days ago. It is my day off, (I work 1800-0600 so I keep the schedule on my days off). It's 0230, I am definitely speeding, no one on the road. A cop pulls me over and asks the usual questions.

HEo you know how fast you were going?
ME:Yes, 120mph.
HE:Laughs
Ok he has a sense of humor, I have a chance.
ME:Ok, I'll be honest, I was speeding. I only do it at this time of night, with no one on the road, only when I think it's safe.
HE:May I have your license, please. I need to write something down.
ME:Here.
He goes to his car, comes back.
HE:I apreciate you being honest with me. Here's your license back. Have a nice day.

Now I take that to heart so I drive to get a cup of coffee to settle down. Six or seven miles later, in another city, I get pulled over by a cop again.

SHEo you know why I pulled you over?
ME:No.
SHE:You were weaving in your lane. License...Please.

In my town, the roads have potholes and I try to avoid big ones.
She goes to her car and comes back.

SHE:Here is your license and etc. What were you in?
ME:I'm sorry?
SHE:Your license says you're a vet. What service were you in?
ME:Oh, I was in the Navy.
SHE:Well, have a nice day and thank you for your service.
ME:Thank you Ma'am.

Moral of the story: It's nice to be right, but better to be lucky.
Stuff like that happens to me a lot. Not saying I was right, just lucky.
Troy Lawson

I rarely ticket Vets. Least I can do. As long as it isn't some outrageous speed. (120 your mine sorry lol.)

[90503]

Originally Posted by awfarley

Thats what I figured after reading the comments on here. He could have just as easily left that off and made me look like a real idiot in front of the judge. Should I bring documents from the hospital or would that look too pushy?

Not sure how it would go over, might be a stretch, possibly add that you did intentionally put on your flashers, knowing it might draw the attention of law enforcement....IMO I would think that flashers being on means some sort of "help wanted". I wouldn't explain the flashers to the judge as if you expected others to get out of the way so you could go faster!.lol

[AdamZ]

Originally Posted by awfarley

Oh and here ya go.

My ticket minus officer # and sensitive info.

Just do what I said and you should be ok. I am quite jealous they have printers in their cruisers lol :(. Everyone around here still hand writes them.

[awfarley]

Originally Posted by 90503

Not sure how it would go over, might be a stretch, possibly add that you did intentionally put on your flashers, knowing it might draw the attention of law enforcement....IMO I would think that flashers being on means some sort of "help wanted". I wouldn't explain the flashers to the judge as if you expected others to get out of the way so you could go faster!.lol

I used them with the intention of letting others know I was driving faster than normal due to a emergency. Namely an officer. No such luck...

I just hate the fact that as soon as they (judge and officer) see me they think, young male in a sports car, oh I got 'em. Sadly it's not them doing it personally, it's just human nature to do some sort of 'stereotyping' (it's some psychological theory I read about)

[90503]

Originally Posted by awfarley

I used them with the intention of letting others know I was driving faster than normal due to a emergency. Namely an officer. No such luck...

I just hate the fact that as soon as they (judge and officer) see me they think, young male in a sports car, oh I got 'em. Sadly it's not them doing it personally, it's just human nature to do some sort of 'stereotyping' (it's some psychological theory I read about)

Yeah, just thinking in hind-sight, the flashers may have been your undoing. Just trying to put myself in the officer's shoes, even without speeding involved, flashers on means something isn't right.

[awfarley]

Originally Posted by 90503

Yeah, just thinking in hind-sight, the flashers may have been your undoing. Just trying to put myself in the officer's shoes, even without speeding involved, flashers on means something isn't right.

Yeah he directly told me that there wasn't a law allowing excess speeds with flashers on, using different wording. I knew that, but didn't want to look like a jerk so I just nodded. Hopefully in June I'll remember to update this thread with some good info

[Sleez]

i fought one similarly last year, the judge found me guilty but commuted my sentence. basically put me on probation for one year, and as long as i didn't get another ticket in that time, it would be pardoned. i didn't, and it was!! costed me $0!!! (other than time off from work)

[Matic]

I can guarantee you using your flashers kept you from getting out of that ticket. I know in your case, you had good intentions, but a cop is going to see that as arrogance, and it poses a safety concern for other drivers. People know how to react when they see a guy flying behind them, they dont know how to react when someone is flying behind them with their flashers on. Its almost akin to a law enforcement vehicle or ambulance/firetruck using their lights.

I dont know if traffic school gets ruled out if you choose to go before a judge to explain yourself, but I would find out before u make your decision. If its not, you could always plead your case and still have that on the table. If not, I wouldnt even bother. Cops and Judges have heard every single excuse for speeding, so the people who may really have a valid reason for being in a rush wont be believed.

[iHasCamaro]

I hate to say it but you cant speed every time someone is freaked out. If it was a good reason it will be dismissed in court.

[Scott@Bjorn3D]

Anything 10 or over we will ticket. 5-9 over usually a verbal or written warning.

[Caspers2SSRS]

Originally Posted by brantley847

Highly doubt he cares....



Oh my silly goose BFF...

So with that logic cops should have absolutely zero discretion and cite for every single violation they stop? No story should waver his opinion... If a cop cannot "believe" or form an opinion on scene of a stop, then he should be by the book and let the judge be the..... judge. Boom goes the dynamite.

If you offer up a "justifiable" reason to speed and the officer SHOULD let you go. What about situations when he is presented with a liar? Because a few bad apples in every department drive like bats out of hell, should that officer not form an opinion based on the presented information?

If we discuss this logically, a cop SHOULD have no variation and should be uniform in each application. Which means no discretion..no warnings. Let the judge decide. However, we have discretion and in his situation the officer felt the means did not justify his action... or he felt he was a liar?

Mind f---?!?!?

I'd agree with the highlighted portions....logically. And as always I'll graciously disagree ......with any portion that infers its an officer of the law's job, to form a opinion based on his feelings.....let alone act on them by issuing a material citation. Otherwise........you'd just be stopping folks in hopes of finding some you determine are liars in the group from which you choose ticketing. Fact is the stop was already made.....I'd assume using equipment that doesn't use human feelings or personal interpretations of statute in its application to determine, cause. If not, wouldn't using your logic exclude the premise that even lairs have emergencies and illnessess in the family, wouldn't they deserve a break?.....But its all good......

[SILVERHAWK]

OP, sorry about your family situation. I would say you have a good chance in court especially with the way the officer put his notes down. At least it was a 70 zone which tells me its a pretty open area of road...still... close to 90 is just getting tooo fast....you have a mechanical failure or hit an object in the road and/or blow a tire you have a good chance of either killing yourself or someone else, if you lose control. Plus you are panicked which makes you more likely to make bad decisions while driving and/or take unnecessary risks to get thru traffic.

Unfortunately, because of dishonest people in this world, we hear every excuse in the book. Somedays its hard to believe anyone you come in contact with.

I have run into this situation a few times in my 10 years especially with the only hospital in the county being in our jurisdiction.
Normally, this is what I do...... I give you a written warning with all the information from the stop including my LIDAR reading written on it. Then I advise the person to continue on their way....SAFELY and tell them to keep it closer to the limit.....like they tell us "IF you don't get their safely....you're NO GOOD to anyone." I advise them I will check at the hospital later to confirm their story.....IF YOU LIE, THEN I AM GOING TO HIT YOU WITH A FULL RIDE TICKET (Traffic warrant) NO BREAKS AND I WILL TELL THE PROSECUTOR THAT IF IT GETS TO THEIR OFFICE THERE IS TO BE NO PLEAS OFFERED.
So far in the 6 or 7 times I have done it.....no one has been lying to me...now we could argue whether the situation really constituted an emergency. And for most cases, you getting there a few minutes earlier (unless you are a medical specialist that can treat your family member any better then the doctors present), just to sit in the waiting room isn't going to help anyone or anything, cause from experience, if its a bad situation and they are working on your family member----YOU AREN'T GOING TO BE GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR THEM WHILE THEY ARE WORKING.

[jmaynard]

I feel your fraustration. 18 over is outside discrecenary relief for that officer. He probably did not want to write you but had to. I am confident that the judge will give you a stern lecture and let you off with court costs.

On a side note, flashers are not for letting people know you are coming, they are used for a parked car on the side of a road to allow people to know you are in a state of emergency. That's just an FYI. Driving with your flashers on is an offense in some areas, it's just not enforced. Here is the rule. IF you have reason to believe that something is dangerous enough to warrant flashers, you probably should not be on the road in the first place. Just saying... You might hear that from the judge.

Hope your MIL is doing well. Glad you arrived safe to see her.

[jmaynard]

Originally Posted by Caspers2SSRS

I'd agree with the highlighted portions....logically. And as always I'll graciously disagree ......with any portion that infers its an officer of the law's job, to form a opinion based on his feelings.....let alone act on them by issuing a material citation. Otherwise........you'd just be stopping folks in hopes of finding some you determine are liars in the group from which you choose ticketing. Fact is the stop was already made.....I'd assume using equipment that doesn't use human feelings or personal interpretations of statute in its application to determine, cause. If not, wouldn't using your logic exclude the premise that even lairs have emergencies and illnessess in the family, wouldn't they deserve a break?.....But its all good......

So let's be fair here. There are certain departments that 'require' a ticket if someone is stopped. Texas DPS must write a ticket if you stopped for speeding. If they do not they must explain to a superior why they did not. This actually makes sense. IF they had cause to stop you then you must have been violating a law in front of them. IF you were violating a law chances are you were endangering public ssafety. It is their JOB to protect the public. So, failure to do their job places the public at risk.

It's the same on most jobs; if you do not do your job there are consiquences. Same for officers. This is why I give them a lot of space, here in in other forums. They have a job to do. I, or you, may not like the outcome, but it IS their job. It's not personal. I would not want them showing up at my place of work to ask me to do something against what my employeer has asked me to do, so I dont ask them to. I accept their work and either pay of see a judge to make that final decision.