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22350 CA Speeding Ticket

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by TimeFor, Jan 22, 2005.

  1. TimeFor

    TimeFor New Member

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    *First Off, please don't post saying I shouldn't haven’t been speeding... That’s not helpful.

    Alright. So here it is. 78 in a 50... Ouch, I know. :cry: It happened on the Jan 2nd and I still haven't received the ticket in the mail. My date to appear in court is Feb 17th.

    Now the only thing I'm hoping for is that the office doesn't show up. Dose that work? Ive never gotten a ticket before so I'm going off just what I've heard. If the officer doesn't show, I get off right?

    Next, what can I even say? 78 in a 50. I wasn't going that fast? Sure I was speeding.... But more like 60 in a 50. Not 78. I haven't got the ticket yet so I have no idea what it is going to cost. But I want it cheap as I can get it.

    Also, if I contest it in court... and lose. Can I still go to traffic school to keep the point off my record. That’s the biggest thing. With a BMW, Prius, And Jaguar on my insurance... I can't afford a increase.
     
  2. myride

    myride Junior Member

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    first let me say the law might differ in your state. as for me id go into court and hope the officer is a NO show. then u can get the judge to dismiss ur case and u will pay the court cost. its cheaper than your ticket. if he shows you can argue and ask for trial by jury. it cost the court so much money to do this its almost unheard of. they will request that you pay court cost and they will in turn dismiss it. or as a last option you can ask for defered adjudafaction. kinda like parol for so many months. if u go the time required without any more tickets then its dismissed and you only pay court cost. or take a defensive driving cource. Now as for the speed....... iv got you beat. i know for a fact the Prius will do triple digits with ease. so there is no ""i told you so"" here, only i know where your coming from.
     
  3. Robert Taylor

    Robert Taylor New Member

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    Appeals are routinely dismissed.

    You lose the first round, put up the money for the appeal.

    That is the way it is in Madison County Alabama.

    Where you are, I have no clue. Call the clerk of the court, ask for the grand total for the amount including all costs. Find out the options, officially. Then work on the unofficial options. Network. Scrounge information. Call your insurance agent, have a candid conversation so you know exactly what you need to do and the consequences. Knowing is better than not knowing.

    And I got a 97 in a 55 zone once. I think I still have the paperwork somewhere on it.
     
  4. TimeFor

    TimeFor New Member

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    you know the funny thing about this... I speed everywhere in my cars. Never been pulled over.... never had any trouble. This happened the day I got back from New York. When my dad dropped me off at the airport, we took my Prius. He somehow killed the battery so it was completely dead when I got back. While the battery was being charged, I took his car to church. It’s a GS430. Ands its just a little too fast. I don’t care for the speed as much as I like the feeling when you push the gas. And…. Welll… It seems I pushed the gas at the wrong time.
     
  5. myride

    myride Junior Member

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    Just for the record.... i was coming back from New Mexico on I-10 a few hours west of SanAntonio minding my own business. had no seen a soul in forever. look in the rear view and nothing. a couple mins later look back again and i can see a police cruiser screaming in on me. i let off the gas and sure enough he stops me. it turns out he was going the other way on the freeway and seen me hauling butt. he had to go down almost 7 miles to the next turn-a-round. then get up to warp speed to catch me. from the time he seen me till he stopped me was....ahem.... 12 mins. he was so pissed and yelling mad about me and the under side of the jail house that i knew for sure i was going to be clubbed into a pulp. then he seen all the ""support your local police officer"" stickers and the ""100 dollar club "" he let me off with a $100 fine for speeding (70 in a 60 mph) he asked me how fast i was going and like a scared little boy i answered "only 130mph Mr. Officer". damit if he didn't laugh as he walked away.and no it was not in the prius... 93 camary with the 3.0 v6 and super charger. dam i miss it now. O btw... the point to this speech is not how fast u go its how you deal with your tickets. because it was out of my normal area i called the clerk and asked for deferment on the grounds he never clocked me or paced me or anything like that. also the fact he lost sight of me for so many minuets it helped me and they dropped it after i sent them a copy of my driver liscence report from the state showing my spotless record. cost me 16 for the report and 4 to send it to them. not bad for cutting almost 3 hours off my return trip.
     
  6. Robert Taylor

    Robert Taylor New Member

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    Oh yeah, I matters a great deal how you handle being stopped.

    Hey, I'm lucky I did not get some nickel plated bracelets and sent to a steel cage for awhile.

    Ever try to hide a six pack under a seat of a Monte Carlo?

    Gee, I was afraid I was going to breath his way. Some incredulous Tennessee State Trooper greeted me with a 'what the hell are you doing 97 miles an hour for?'

    Digging my toe into the ground, I dug my hands into my pockets and looked sheeplishy downcast as I said, On the way to see my girlfriend. Yeah, a multi state jaunt where I was merrily quaffing a beer in the car. Going to my ladies college.

    Gosh, it was actually true but frankly I really didn't want to blow Stroh fumes his way...

    He said, after a little reflection, I could do a whole lot worse, but I'm letting you off with a regular ticket.

    I showed that paperwork around the office with youthful pride.
     
  7. tag

    tag Senior Member

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    One point here ----> DO NOT USE THAT ARGUMENT! It fails each and every time.....stating you were doing 60, rather than 78, in a 50 is an admission of guilt (i.e. you were still exceeding the speed limit).

    Of utmost importance is keeping that ticket off your record (obviously) so do whatever you can to make that happen.
     
  8. Sufferin' Prius Envy

    Sufferin' Prius Envy Platinum Member

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    Boy, how the phrase “78 in a 50" fired off some brain cells which laid dormant for over 25 years!

    A gal pal of mine was on her way home from college for the Christmas holiday. She figured if she would push the speed she would make it home in time for [I don’t remember what], but at that time it was important to her . . . besides it was a two lane country road out in the middle of nowhere, the weather was nice, and traffic almost non existent. She pushed her new little MG sports car her daddy bought her as a HS graduation gift like she never had before . . . and oh how she loved speed! Of course she was pulled over a few miles later (why else would I be writing this).

    As hard as this stunningly beautiful 18 year old Italian blooded filly tried, Lori could not convince the officer to let her off with a warning or reduce the radar clocked speed on the ticket. The officer must have been: 1) Totally 100% by the book. 2) Having a really bad day. Or, 3) Gay . . . because for the year and a half I had known her, I had watched her get her way with every guy, talk her way out of situations (and oh how she loved doing that!), and generally be treated like a Hollywood starlet.

    In the ten minutes or so that it took the officer to write the ticket, she sat there and contemplated the ramifications. She figured, “So What!†Her first ticket. Daddy will pay it and maybe give her a “daddy’s little girl†lecture and not say another word.

    About a week later when we met up, she told me: “The last childish thought I had was when the officer handed me the ticket and I read - “78 in a 50" - I thought, BIG DEAL, life goes on!†She said as she was just finishing that thought she heard an extremely loud - “my life is in danger†- sound of a very close, very serious car crash. Her car shook from the impact.

    A car coming the opposite direction had slowed down to see what was going on and was rear ended by a drunk driver going over 90 MPH. In the car which was hit was a mother and her eight year old daughter on their way to do some Christmas shopping. Both mother and daughter were ejected from what was left of their car. The mother was killed on impact. The daughter had a broken arm and leg and had a deep cut on her forehead.

    Lori was devastated. And I really do mean DEVASTATED. It had taken her about 5 minutes to fight through the tears and emotions to finish her “last childish thought†sentence. She said the saddest thing was seeing the daughter on her knees, bent over, hugging her mother, and bleeding on her. Lori blamed herself for somehow causing this pathetic scene. She had terrible nightmares for months. She also gave up her car and vowed not to drive again until she graduated from college and was mature enough to handle the responsibility.

    I could tell you without a doubt that at that moment, Lori was mature enough to drive . . . way mature enough . . . way more than she ever should have been at Eighteen. The child in her had died. I missed that childish side of her.

    SO, </span>
    <span style=\'color:blue\'> No TimeFor, you don\'t know.
    Maybe it\'s "Time For" you to grow-up.
    You have no idea how lucky you are to get bye with just a ticket.

    One sure sign of immaturity is not standing up to the consequences of one’s actions.
    Another is blatantly dismissing good advice as “not helpful.â€

    And for all of you on this thread giving advice to a 19 year old kid on how to beat the system, SHAME ON YOU! Someday TimeFor may just be that prick in a BMW or Jaguar that rear ends you or a loved one while doing 78 in a 50. (Somehow I doubt it was the Prii he was speeding in . . . knowing it’s calming affect it has on most drivers. But that is besides the point.)

    And we wonder what is wrong with society these days.
    :(
     
  9. Ms. Piggy

    Ms. Piggy New Member

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    Eloquently put, Patrick, I could not agree with you more.
     
  10. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I'm going to try and steer clear of addressing anyone or anything directly, but:
    If you have never seen two cars collide and bodies eject, you have no idea what accidents REALLY look like.
    If you have never been the first person on the scene, you can't imagine the smell.
    If you have never been feeling for a pulse, you can't imagine how slowly time can pass.
    If you think that when you zip in and out of traffic, you are not affecting the other people around you, you are sorely mistaken.
    If you think that cars traveling at more than 40 mph simply bump off each other or the driver always walks away just like in the video games, I feel nothing but absolute anger about the person who will die in the accident you caused.

    While in high school, three friends and were driving along a deserted stretch of highway. A quarter mile ahead a car was approaching. Nothing unusual. From an intersection emmerged a truck that didn't even bother to slow down and smacked the car right in the side. Within seconds, we were out of my car and checking on the victims. Even though everyone in the car was wearing their seatbelts, a married couple in the car died, four children were orphaned, four parents lost a son and a daughter. Neither truck occupants were wearing a seatbelt, both were ejected but survived even though we saved them for last to check on.

    That's one of three accidents that I've been unfortunate enough to have witnessed first-hand.

    I don't mind so much when people drive drunk or speed wrecklessly and weave around through traffic. Just as long as they kill each other and leave the rest of us alone. I hate nothing more than when I watch the news and hear about the drunk driver killing a father. Or the ricer who cut off a semi that swerved into the minivan.

    Sorry for the rant, but I do enjoy my life and hate that I have to always be watching for the truck that's going to come out of a blind intersection to kill me.
     
  11. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    To answer your question:
    You were exceeding the speed limit by >15mph...that's a big deal. There are law firms that specialize in traffic violations. Ask around, you'll have someone you know that's used one. Hire them...it's usually a fixed rate that exceeds the cost of the ticket by quite a bit, but they often can get the case dropped and you can avoid points on your license and the insurance hit which will benefit you in the long run.

    Next:
    You're not invincible. Speeding is dangerous even if you're Michael Andretti. No wearing a seat belt is dangerous even if you're Jeff Gordon. Why? Not so much b/c of your driving skill, but b/c there are so many other cars on the road and you can't anticipate what they will do. If you're going 78mph and someone isn't looking and pulls in front of you will you feel self-rightous knowing it wasn't your fault as your body is propelled through your front windshield?

    I see it almost daily in the ER. Make this a wake-up call.
     
  12. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    if you dont get a citation in the mail, you need to call the court that issued it. you can get that info from the ticket.

    failure to do so is an admission of guilt and you will be cited later down the road.

    if you argue the point, they will simply ask you if you recall getting the ticket, then imform you that ignorance of your responsibilities is no excuse, slap a failure to appear or comply, added a few hundred to your fine which will be large and in no accept the fact that they screwed up by not mailing you the citation.

    the reason this works so one way is because many tickets dont arrive simply because many do not update their addresses on their license, which is a violation in itself... be happy they dont ding you for that too if that is the case.
     
  13. chasabel

    chasabel Junior Member

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    A BMW, Prius and a Jaguar on your insurance?
    When I was your age I was lucky to have an old
    1940 Ford Pickup with no insurance.
    Some people are just born with silver spoons in
    their mouths I guess.
    Charlie
     
  14. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

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    I would look at your options. I hope that this represents a momentary lapse in attention. Every one makes a mistake the main thing is to lean from it. I use the cruse control to avoid just this type of thing. After you look at your options including the lawyer try to make the best choice you can. Also some local knowledge of how the traffic court works is important.
    When I was in Medical school I picked up my future wife from work she was working 3-11 and I picked her up at 12:30 and on the way home a little MG midget pulled up the my Fiat 124 spider and started revving his engine. I new I could beat him so I popped it and pulled ahead of him and then slowed down because I was at the speed limit 40mph and then it happened. Lights and sirens behind us. The kid in the midget jack rabbeted off (he had already passed me thinking he was winning). I pulled over and the cop took off after the kid. He came back sometime later with the kid in the back seat. Apparently he tried to out run the police interceptor in the MG. The cop got out and told my to follow him. We went to the station and I had to post bail and was ticketed for drag racing. The kid got the book thrown at him, drag racing, speeding, wreck less driving, evading arrest and I don't know what all. A trial date was set and we left. This was in a upper class suburb of Columbus across the river from OSU. At that time the local cops could send traffic infractions to the city court that was presided over by the Mayor (kept all the money local no share for the state). I arrived from the hospital in a big auditorium and everyone sat in the seats and the Mayor and others on the stage. I took off my white coat and put on a sports jacket and waited. The kid had two lawyers there, no parent. Kind of sad. So our case came up first mine then his. I pled guilty I was drag racing and the Mayor questioned the cop. He was quite nice to me. Told the mayor that I had stopped waited and had been polite and helpful and that I could have left and he did not get my licence. The mayor asked me about the white coat on the back of my seat. Asked me if I was a medical student. I said yes and he asked me if I had my ER experience yet. I said yes. (very one sided conversation) He asked if I knew better. I said yes. The cop chimed in that my girlfriend had taken care of my punishment. So the mayor made me pay court cost (the clerk gave me money back) no points and a warning not to do anything so dumb again. My insurance company never heard a thing nor did the state. I hung around for part two the kid he and his crack legal team pled not guilty. The Mayor asked questions including me then, find him the maximum, took away his licence, I think he would have spanked him if it was allowed. This was one way spoiled child. Moral well I am not sure but being honest can be the best policy that and don't piss off the judge.
     
  15. Robert Taylor

    Robert Taylor New Member

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    I am not so sure that is lucky. The wife and I own a number of rental properties, our children have everything and suffer from what is now known as Cornucopia Kids Syndrome. They have no motivation to achieve well at all.

    We have tenants who have little but their children are straight A students who want a better life.

    Rome fell into serious, long term decline when social programs (free bread and circus) made work or military service unattractive. Young men cut off thumbs to keep from serving in the army which defended their homeland from invaders. So the barbarians sacked Rome.

    Right now we have an entire generation of upper middle class children who look down upon anyone who has or is serving in the armed forces. If we started drafting them to defend our homeland, how many would do what those Roman youth did and shirk serving? Flee to Canada?

    Private charity within a family is at least as corrupting as government charity, from my vantage point of 48 years.
     
  16. Wolfman

    Wolfman New Member

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    Mod note:

    Moved to FHOP due to subject matter of thread.
     
  17. macreative

    macreative New Member

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    THAT IS ONE HELL OF AN EXCELLENT STORY!!!!! Well Put! I think it's TimeFor - TimeFor Time to Grow Up too! I can't stand people who don't face their own consequences!

    Sorry Im not being "Helpful" time for, but we all get to voice our opinions, no? Good luck in your endeavor.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy\";p=\"65511)</div>
    Boy, how the phrase “78 in a 50" fired off some brain cells which laid dormant for over 25 years!

    A gal pal of mine was on her way home from college for the Christmas holiday. She figured if she would push the speed she would make it home in time for [I don’t remember what], but at that time it was important to her . . . besides it was a two lane country road out in the middle of nowhere, the weather was nice, and traffic almost non existent. She pushed her new little MG sports car her daddy bought her as a HS graduation gift like she never had before . . . and oh how she loved speed! Of course she was pulled over a few miles later (why else would I be writing this).

    As hard as this stunningly beautiful 18 year old Italian blooded filly tried, Lori could not convince the officer to let her off with a warning or reduce the radar clocked speed on the ticket. The officer must have been: 1) Totally 100% by the book. 2) Having a really bad day. Or, 3) Gay . . . because for the year and a half I had known her, I had watched her get her way with every guy, talk her way out of situations (and oh how she loved doing that!), and generally be treated like a Hollywood starlet.

    In the ten minutes or so that it took the officer to write the ticket, she sat there and contemplated the ramifications. She figured, “So What!†Her first ticket. Daddy will pay it and maybe give her a “daddy’s little girl†lecture and not say another word.

    About a week later when we met up, she told me: “The last childish thought I had was when the officer handed me the ticket and I read - “78 in a 50" - I thought, BIG DEAL, life goes on!†She said as she was just finishing that thought she heard an extremely loud - “my life is in danger†- sound of a very close, very serious car crash. Her car shook from the impact.

    A car coming the opposite direction had slowed down to see what was going on and was rear ended by a drunk driver going over 90 MPH. In the car which was hit was a mother and her eight year old daughter on their way to do some Christmas shopping. Both mother and daughter were ejected from what was left of their car. The mother was killed on impact. The daughter had a broken arm and leg and had a deep cut on her forehead.

    Lori was devastated. And I really do mean DEVASTATED. It had taken her about 5 minutes to fight through the tears and emotions to finish her “last childish thought†sentence. She said the saddest thing was seeing the daughter on her knees, bent over, hugging her mother, and bleeding on her. Lori blamed herself for somehow causing this pathetic scene. She had terrible nightmares for months. She also gave up her car and vowed not to drive again until she graduated from college and was mature enough to handle the responsibility.

    I could tell you without a doubt that at that moment, Lori was mature enough to drive . . . way mature enough . . . way more than she ever should have been at Eighteen. The child in her had died. I missed that childish side of her.

    SO, </span>
    <div class=\'quotetop\'>QUOTE(TimeFor\";p=\"65489)</div><div class=\'quotemain\'>*First Off, please don\'t post saying I shouldn\'t haven’t been speeding... That’s not helpful.
    Alright. So here it is. 78 in a 50... Ouch, I know.  :cry: [/b][/quote] <span style=\'color:blue\'> No TimeFor, you don\'t know.
    Maybe it\'s "Time For" you to grow-up.
    You have no idea how lucky you are to get bye with just a ticket.

    One sure sign of immaturity is not standing up to the consequences of one’s actions.
    Another is blatantly dismissing good advice as “not helpful.â€

    And for all of you on this thread giving advice to a 19 year old kid on how to beat the system, SHAME ON YOU! Someday TimeFor may just be that prick in a BMW or Jaguar that rear ends you or a loved one while doing 78 in a 50. (Somehow I doubt it was the Prii he was speeding in . . . knowing it’s calming affect it has on most drivers. But that is besides the point.)

    And we wonder what is wrong with society these days.
     
  18. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TimeFor\";p=\"65489)</div>
    If you signed the ticket, that is a promise to appear in court. Be there, regardless of whether you receive a notice in the mail. Failure to appear after signing that promise is a more serious violation of law than the speeding offense.

    Based upon what you have written, it is unclear whether February 17 is a date for the plea or the trial. If it is for your initial court appearance, chances are that it is only for the entry of the plea and the posting of bail. You will have the option, on that day, of choosing to go to traffic school. If you enter a not guilty plea, your case will be set for trial.

    Most traffic courts in California set traffic ticket trial dates according to a matrix. All of that officer's trials arising from citations issued during a certain period of time will be set on the same date. Chances are that the officer will be there unless he or she gets sick, is injured or tied up with a law enforcement emergency. If the officer does not show up, the case may be continued if the prosecutor can show the court good legal cause why the officer could not be present. If there is no valid legal excuse for the failure of the officer to show up, the case will be dismissed if you have not been brought to trial by the legal deadline, which is forty five days from the date on which you entered your plea of not guilty.

    Some courts will let you change your mind and elect to enroll in traffic school on the trial date, if the officer does show up.

    The judge has discretion to allow or deny you to go to traffic school if you are found guilty in the trial.

    In response to another poster: Because speeding is an infraction, according to the California Vehicle Code, there is no right to have a jury trial on that charge.
     
  19. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    There's a saying:

    Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Or in this case, don't drive over the limit if you can't pay the fine and the increased insurance.

    Forget about going to court. Just pay the fine and consider it a cheap lesson. (A heck of a lot cheaper than causing an accident!) If the cop put 78 on the ticket it's probably because he/she clocked you on the radar.

    (Or if you do not have the option to pay the fine without going to court, then plead guilty and take your medicine like a man.)
     
  20. Ray Moore

    Ray Moore Active Member

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    In my youth I was ticketed for 93 in a 30. A pretty girl and future wife had just said she loved me. I got on my motorcycle and flew down a brand new road with broad sweeping turns. I went to court and argued for advanced defensive driving. When the judged asked why I should be granted advanced DD, I said, "Because I was driving 93 in a thirty". The judge agreed.

    TimeFor, all of the scolders above are right. Unfortunately, good judgement for males is hardwired by our physiology to happen at around 25 years of age. For many of us, it happens at an even older age. For me, around 33, I finally quit doing drugs and took "steps" to grow up.

    At 43, I have been fortunate to survive all my accidents that I caused when I was younger. All three of the accidents that Ive been in in the last 15 years were caused by young people using poor judgement. Those of us that survive our youth, get to lecture those of you that might. Your best bet is to get hit hard on this one and maybe it will help slow you down until years give you more maturity naturally.

    Best wishes to you TimeFor. You are our hope. I believe your generation has alot going for it. I'm counting on you.