25, and got my first speeding ticket yesterday....

[codeyf]

Nice Sunday afternoon, heading home from a friends house, both kids crashed out in their seats in the back....cruising with the flow of traffic, had a car in front of me.

Trooper standing on the side of the road, points me out and points to the curb. 72 in a 60. I was going with the traffic, had a car in front of me and behind me to my right.

7+ years with no tickets, no accidents. I'm hoping to get a deferral (stay straight for X days and it won't go on my record) so that our insurance won't get jacked.

Any advice for doing so?


Details:
Washington State Trooper; used a Laser
72 in a 60mph Zone
South Bound Interstate 5 just south of Marysville

 

[Jzero]

You were going 70MPH and you saw a guy on foot point to you and point to the curb? How did you know he was pointing to you?

 

[Eli]

Sucks. Sometimes you just get screwed. Who knows what it was that made him pick you instead of the person behind or infront of you.

Is your car red?

 

[StageLeft]

What car do you have?

 

[bleeb]

Same sort of thing happened to me.. the bastard Pig points to me and tells me to stop. bastard was on the other side of the bridge (WA side) and I was late for work.

 

[codeyf]

Heh, not red. White '94 GMC Jimmy with a busted grill!

He looked and pointed at me. The car in front of me started to slow, then he shook his head and pointed at me.

 

[Savij]

Go to court in a suit and act like you're in court for your murder trial (aka judges like to be respected), let the judge know it's your first ticket ever and you'll probably get traffic school. Pay the money, attend class, nothing on your record.

That's how it's worked every time i've gotten a ticket.

 

[rh71]

I don't get this... you know he used a laser and he was still ahead of you enough to get out and point to you ? I don't know... if it were me... I wouldn't even look at him... if he wants to pull me over... he's gonna have to pull his squad car up behind me.

 

[codeyf]

For all I know there could have been someone else doing the tagging. And I was turning my head to look right at him. I'm a puss and wasnt' about to keep going. I had my kids with me, last thing I want is to give them some BS reason to stick me in the squad car with my 4 yr old and 1 yr old asleep in the back.

 

[Ogg]

Youre going straight to hell now!!:shocked::laugh:

 

[TMPadmin]

I got caught once and when I went to court it went down something like this.

DA: So you were doing 50 in a 35 zone?
Me: Yes sir
DA: How about we reduce this to two parking tickets and school.
Me: Well, I was hoping to not get school, no points, and only pay for one parking ticket.
DA: Oh yeah!? WHY? (Getting a small tone to his voice, like he was doing me a favor with his offer)
Me: Well, for starters my community involvement. I have heavily involved in our town and with many other organization.
DA: Which ones?
Me: Spewed off a few...
DA: hmm? Okay one parking ticket no school.
Me: Thank you sir, have a good evening.

Good luck! Negotiate and be firm!

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: rh71
if it were me... I wouldn't even look at him... if he wants to pull me over... he's gonna have to pull his squad car up behind me.

Likewise.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: codeyf
For all I know there could have been someone else doing the tagging. And I was turning my head to look right at him. I'm a puss and wasnt' about to keep going. I had my kids with me, last thing I want is to give them some BS reason to stick me in the squad car with my 4 yr old and 1 yr old asleep in the back.

You did the right thing. By 25 I was an old hand at tickets. I had a real problem with the 55 MPH limit.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: rh71
if it were me... I wouldn't even look at him... if he wants to pull me over... he's gonna have to pull his squad car up behind me.

Likewise.

Sweet. Then a cop will knock on your door later that evening and ask you why you didn't stop earlier when motioned to do so. Or, if the cop didn't have time to get your plate at 72 you can be he wasn't stupid enough to rely on people being simply kind - he'd have gotten on the radio immediately and told somebody up the road to stop a Jimmy. Then, you've got your ticket for the speeding, plus not stopping for a police officer. I'll take the first one only thanks

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: rh71
if it were me... I wouldn't even look at him... if he wants to pull me over... he's gonna have to pull his squad car up behind me.

Likewise.

Sweet. Then a cop will knock on your door later that evening and ask you why you didn't stop earlier when motioned to do so. Or, if the cop didn't have time to get your plate at 72 you can be he wasn't stupid enough to rely on people being simply kind - he'd have gotten on the radio immediately and told somebody up the road to stop a Jimmy. Then, you've got your ticket for the speeding, plus not stopping for a police officer. I'll take the first one only thanks

Exactly.

 

[rudeguy]

Originally posted by: TMPadmin
I got caught once and when I went to court it went down something like this.

DA: So you were doing 50 in a 35 zone?
Me: Yes sir
DA: How about we reduce this to two parking tickets and school.
Me: Well, I was hoping to not get school, no points, and only pay for one parking ticket.
DA: Oh yeah!? WHY? (Getting a small tone to his voice, like he was doing me a favor with his offer)
Me: Well, for starters my community involvement. I have heavily involved in our town and with many other organization.
DA: Which ones?
Me: Spewed off a few...
DA: hmm? Okay one parking ticket no school.
Me: Thank you sir, have a good evening.

Good luck! Negotiate and be firm!

you met with the district attorney over a speeding ticket?????

 

[TMPadmin]

Originally posted by: GoodDad

Originally posted by: TMPadmin
I got caught once and when I went to court it went down something like this.

DA: So you were doing 50 in a 35 zone?
Me: Yes sir
DA: How about we reduce this to two parking tickets and school.
Me: Well, I was hoping to not get school, no points, and only pay for one parking ticket.
DA: Oh yeah!? WHY? (Getting a small tone to his voice, like he was doing me a favor with his offer)
Me: Well, for starters my community involvement. I have heavily involved in our town and with many other organization.
DA: Which ones?
Me: Spewed off a few...
DA: hmm? Okay one parking ticket no school.
Me: Thank you sir, have a good evening.

Good luck! Negotiate and be firm!

you met with the district attorney over a speeding ticket?????

small town...

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: rh71
if it were me... I wouldn't even look at him... if he wants to pull me over... he's gonna have to pull his squad car up behind me.

Likewise.

Sweet. Then a cop will knock on your door later that evening and ask you why you didn't stop earlier when motioned to do so. Or, if the cop didn't have time to get your plate at 72 you can be he wasn't stupid enough to rely on people being simply kind - he'd have gotten on the radio immediately and told somebody up the road to stop a Jimmy. Then, you've got your ticket for the speeding, plus not stopping for a police officer. I'll take the first one only thanks

Exactly.

^ of course all that is a possibility... if I had seen him. If I slowed down after seeing the first guy get pulled over... and continue straight ahead WITHOUT looking to the side of the road where the cop is... I would not have any reason to think I'm being pulled over. If he wants to pull me over, he should do so in a manner that doesn't endanger my safety or necessitate me to watch for his motions on the side of the road while doing 55mph+. You want technicality, you got it.

 

[gistech1978]

im 25 and still havent gotten one.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: rh71
if it were me... I wouldn't even look at him... if he wants to pull me over... he's gonna have to pull his squad car up behind me.

Likewise.

Sweet. Then a cop will knock on your door later that evening and ask you why you didn't stop earlier when motioned to do so. Or, if the cop didn't have time to get your plate at 72 you can be he wasn't stupid enough to rely on people being simply kind - he'd have gotten on the radio immediately and told somebody up the road to stop a Jimmy. Then, you've got your ticket for the speeding, plus not stopping for a police officer. I'll take the first one only thanks

I doubt that. I've never seen a cop try to pull people over by hand on an interstate. That's stupid and dangerous. How would they prove that you saw and understood the signal? At 70 MPH I'm not staring out the side window to see some dude shake his head and point and wave, I'm watching the other cars on the road.

 

[codeyf]

The first guy didn't actually pull over. He slowed down in front of me, so I started to slow down. It was then that I noticed the WSP Trooper.

 

[StageLeft]

I doubt that. I've never seen a cop try to pull people over by hand on an interstate. That's stupid and dangerous. How would they prove that you saw and understood the signal? At 70 MPH I'm not staring out the side window to see some dude shake his head and point and wave, I'm watching the other cars on the road.

That's all fine and good in theory. In reality if you make eye contact with him you BOTH know that you saw him. If you keep on driving after that point I'll watch you on cops. My take is, try to avoid the law's eye as much as possible (ie, if you're speeding try not to get a cop to notice in the first place), but once you're nabbed just face up to it immediately, because to play games with police you're invitnig a lot of wrath, and they're used to people trying to pull that crap. They have no patience for it whatsoever.

 

[amcdonald]

Originally posted by: codeyf
The first guy didn't actually pull over. He slowed down in front of me, so I started to slow down. It was then that I noticed the WSP Trooper.

You should have kept going. If a cop pulled you over later and confronted you, you could just lie and tell him you are blind or drunk, or something more creative.
Try the twinkie defense... Say you just ate a lot of twinkies and its impaired your judgement with its creamy filling.

Why the hell doesn't the reply popup auto-maximize. this update sucks.

 

[BornStar]

Having gotten tickets from almost every cop I've made eye contact with, I don't do that any more. I notice there's a cop and then I don't look at them again. I've been doing far worse things and not made eye contact and they just let me go. I got a ticket for 74 in a 70 and I made eye contact, I zipped by a cop at 85+ in a 70 and didn't get a ticket with no eye contact. I'm not saying that you have to make eye contact to get a ticket, but I think they believe it means you know you're doing something wrong.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Why did he pull you over and not the other guy?