imeverywoman Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 I've been driving for 21 years and got my first speeding ticket. I was on a road I never travel on, so I didn't know the speed limit, driving my dh's car in which you NEVER feel you are going as fast as you are, and did not EVER see a speed limit sign. The officer turned his lights on even before I passed him and I assumed it was for me, so I stopped. This very sloppy, dirty, unshaven officer, with FILTHY eyeglasses comes to my car and tells me I was doing 71 in a 55 zone. ( He was so dirty that even my 13yods asked me, "Mommy, are you sure he's a real policeman?" I wondered and was not going to get out of my car for any reason.) He asks for my license (no insurance or registration) and says he'll be back in a few minutes. He comes back, tells me to follow the instructions on the ticket and tells me to sign the bottom of it. Then, he tells me, "You have a good night, now." Whatever. Yes. I was speeding, unawares, but speeding, nevertheless. I guess I'm sad because he didn't even give me a chance to apologize or anything. There was no mercy for a perfect record, no slap, no nothing. Just a $219 ticket. I know! I KNOW!!! I was speeding, but please just let me vent, if you will. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Well, if you were speeding, you really have no choice but to pay it. However, I would be contacting the department about the officer's appearance and how you weren't even sure he was legitimate because of it...and afraid to leave the car had he asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Sometimes they let you go and sometimes they don't, not that I have any experience with it. It stinks. Vent away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 In my town, when you go to court, the DA will reduce the charges to a non-moving violation and keep the fine. So I have had a $150 fine for wipers-non functional but it was a non-moving violation with no points and my insurance didn't go up. Ask around, but everyplace I have heard of, you are better off going to the court date than just paying the fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Oooo. That must have been frightening. That's the sort of thing that would make me shake and feel very depressed for hours. Especially if you weren't even sure he was really a police officer. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 If you have any really cute little ones say 1-3yrs bring them. Dh has gotten off of one and a lot of money off another with our children. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Be sad about the $$$...but cops can sure be jerks sometimes when you get pulled over. Trust me...I remember being 9 mos pregnant and in a new town and got pulled over for turning in a lane that turned out not to by MY turning lane. It was an honest mistake. As I tried to tell the cop what happened...obviously very pregnant and with tags from another part of the state...and he said...and I QUOTE here..."tell it to the judge." What a jerk! I had another cop let me go for sobbing uncontrollably with my then 3 year old ds in the back seat crying and saying, "pweeze don't take my mommie to jail." LOL But yeah, $219...OUCH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWSJ Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 In my town, when you go to court, the DA will reduce the charges to a non-moving violation and keep the fine. So I have had a $150 fine for wipers-non functional but it was a non-moving violation with no points and my insurance didn't go up. Ask around, but everyplace I have heard of, you are better off going to the court date than just paying the fine. Agreed. Go to court. The DA will reduce it. It won't be reported to your insurance co. It's standard procedure. And, yes, I have also (shamelessly) used my children as an excuse to get out of or reduce speeding tickets. It usually works well. That cop must have a heart of stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Definitely do the court option. You may be able to take a driving course and significantly reduce the fine. It's a very rare person who never gets a speeding ticket. It's just one of those unpleasant things that you have to deal with in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Welcome to the club. Sorry about the ticket and the experience with Mr. Officer. That isn't a very pleasant way to represent one's town, having an unkempt police officer. I've had lots of tickets in my lifetime. Most were valid. One funny story, though. Driving through country roads in Nebraska, crying. Licking my DQ ice cream cone and see the lights in rear view mirror. I pull over. Cop chastises me for speeding, and he followed me for over a mile. (Again, I was crying and utterly oblivious.) Asked for insurance and registration. I cried even harder. Just returned to the States and couldn't remember what registration was. He explained it to me, then I handed him my ice cream cone so I could find the items. He laughed, told me to slow down, and maybe pull over until I finished crying. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 I second the go see if driving school will get it off your record (my neighbor did this). Hubby got one speeding ticket - five minutes after we got ENGAGED and he was so happy he passed ("zoom zoom") what turned out to be an UNMARKED police car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Awww...:grouphug: I once got pulled over in TX in the beginning of a construction zone by a trooper (who was the size of Barney Fife) and I told him there had been no posted signs to note the change in speed limit. ANd he didn't give me a ticket. So go back and check the area and check your traffic code about how many posted signs there must be. And this sounds lame but when I first got my latest car I kept the window cracked b/c the sound of the wind increasing would remind me I was going faster. This car handles so well and it is so easy to go faster than i mean to. Another :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Sorry about your ticket. Going to court always helps with tickets, it seems. I like the take the kids idea:-) You could borrow some, for extras, for your field trip:-) Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5knights3maidens Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 First I'd call the police department to make sure this officer was real. Not clean, unshaven, etc. does not seem right. Also, If you can go to court. My son had a ticket and he disputed it. He got all his money back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJB Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 You may be able to get out of the fine and the points on your license by doing an online traffic school. I can't remember how much it cost, but it's certainly less than $219 and it keeps the ticket off of your record. I'll link to one of them, but call the court and find out which ones (if any) are approved in your state. There should be a number on the back of the ticket to call the court. The only thing you have to do that is a bit of a pain is take the "final" at an approved spot. I took it online at a Kinkos. The whole process took me maybe three hours over three days. You just read and answer questions. Easy. You can give up your internet playtime to do it. Here:http://www.trafficschoolonline.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Our former nanny was driving one night on an isolated road and saw lights behind her............I'm not sure exactly what the story was, but she didn't think they were police, or maybe was too scared to stop where she was, so she kept driving. She was headed for a well lit gas station, but she was waaaay away from it, and before she got there they called ahead, threw up a roadblock and punctured her tires. She was arrested. Later it was funny, because she's the last person who would do something like that, but she was alone and it scared her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 ...I took the ticket to the courthouse, to the office where you pay it if you don't want to go to court. I told the lady at the window that I'd never had a ticket before, and she told me that since it was my first offense, I would be allowed to pay the fine and not have the points added to my driving record (so it wouldn't affect my insurance rates). Maybe they do something like that it your area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imeverywoman Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 It's so good to have a place to let my thoughts out. Most kindly, Me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 If you have any really cute little ones say 1-3yrs bring them. Dh has gotten off of one and a lot of money off another with our children. :D :lol: You should advertise this locally. Perhaps you can rent your dc out to speeding motorists who are looking for a little mercy! There could be enough money in this to pay for some curricula? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julieofsardis Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 A friend's dd got kicked by a horse last night and was med flighted to our children's hospital. My friend and I headed to the hospital to sit with the family. I just wasn't paying attention to the speed limit and the officer told me I was going 53 in a 35. I explained the situation and that I just was not paying attention. He took my information and said he'd be back. Here's the weird part. He came back and told me that a fellow police officer said that he knew me and because of that, he wasn't going to ticket me. Huh? He could care less that I had a friend who was in a serious accident. Just really bizarre logic in my opinion. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Julie, maybe he meant that a fellow police officer knew you and said "She's telling the truth, she's not the type to lie about something like that to get out of a speeding ticket." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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