Funny speeding tickets

[glugglug]

Speeding camera tickets old couple for going 100mph in a 30, 1/4 mile after a stoplight, on an uphill winding road in a Toyota Echo:

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2506.asp

The part that surprised me about this story: the ticket was only $40 in Maryland. I had thought the entire east coast had far more expensive tickets than this. My last ticket in upstate New York was $680.

The story mentions other crazy speed-camera tickets as well, the craziest being a guy in Scottsdale going to jail for a month for allegedly going 147mph in a Hyundai Sonata.

 

[mxyzptlk]

LOL!! I'd pay good money to see that echo and sonata in a drag race. Each one of those cars must have some serious MODZZ, fast and furious style, to put out that kind of performance.

 

[Vette73]

But but cameras are for safety. Thats why they got their money refunded after they wrote a letter right... :roll:

 

[Tab]

I swear, traffic laws are bullshit and are just like a "sin" tax.

 

[ss284]

Speeding tickets in Maryland are relatively light, and the speeding cameras set up are only $40(doing 10+ over the limit). However they are horrible in VA, NJ, or NY.

 

[Genx87]

Worst part is they paid it. At what point do you fight for your own rights?

 

[StepUp]

i got hit with a $25 dollar ticket for not paying a toll in New Jersey, even though I paid every toll. I had no choice to pay it, because I live in Tennessee, and by the time they tracked me down and sent me the ticket, I had one day to pay or face a $400 fine.

Actually that's not entirely true. They asked me to pay the $.70 toll they say I didn't pay, but also pay a $25 "processing fee" for the payment.

 

[StageLeft]

Just don't get caught doing 150 km/hour in a 100 zone in Ontario or you'll be out 10 Gs.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Worst part is they paid it. At what point do you fight for your own rights?

All the ones I see say to appeal you have to pay and send in your appeal at the same time. I think they call it a "bond" or something like that.

Bad thing is they appealed and it was upheld. It was not until the news came around asking was it given back. That and it of course was the ONLY mistake that camera made that day. :roll:

 

[glugglug]

Originally posted by: StepUp
i got hit with a $25 dollar ticket for not paying a toll in New Jersey, even though I paid every toll. I had no choice to pay it, because I live in Tennessee, and by the time they tracked me down and sent me the ticket, I had one day to pay or face a $400 fine.

Actually that's not entirely true. They asked me to pay the $.70 toll they say I didn't pay, but also pay a $25 "processing fee" for the payment.

We've been hit twice where the toll booth clerk goes on a break or something while we are in line, and there is noone to pay once you pull up to the booth.

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Just don't get caught doing 150 km/hour in a 100 zone in Ontario or you'll be out 10 Gs.

So bad now eh,

I used to drive to UW going 140 on 401.. now I better not.. I'll just live there

 

[RightIsWrong]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Worst part is they paid it. At what point do you fight for your own rights?

This is really the saddest part of the story. Most people are so apathetic to their rights as citizens and just assume that they have no legal grounds to stand on and cave.

Me? If I ever get a ticket from a camera I already have a plan in place.

1. Plead "Not guilty"
2. Ask for my constitutionally guaranteed 6th Amendment right to "Face my accuser" (which is going to be hard considering that it is an inanimate object
3. Ask for all calibration and/or maintenance records of said accuser, certifications of those that did the calibrations and the certifications to interpret/operate the data provided by the accuser
4. Overall, make it cost the state more to prosecute than they would lose by just dismissing

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong

Originally posted by: Genx87
Worst part is they paid it. At what point do you fight for your own rights?

This is really the saddest part of the story. Most people are so apathetic to their rights as citizens and just assume that they have no legal grounds to stand on and cave.

Me? If I ever get a ticket from a camera I already have a plan in place.

1. Plead "Not guilty"
2. Ask for my constitutionally guaranteed 6th Amendment right to "Face my accuser" (which is going to be hard considering that it is an inanimate object
3. Ask for all calibration and/or maintenance records of said accuser, certifications of those that did the calibrations and the certifications to interpret/operate the data provided by the accuser
4. Overall, make it cost the state more to prosecute than they would lose by just dismissing

1. As I already stated to plead your side you have to pay the fine, but its called a "bond" or some other fee.

2. The accuser is the person that reviews the video. In this case it is a outside company. The camera is a tool like a radar gun.

3. To do this you need to go to court. Most of the time these tickets are treated like parking tickets. They do not make your insurance go up, count points, etc... so you have to file against the city/compay to get a court date for this info.

4. See 3. YOU have to file court papers that cost several hundred dollars and that is if you file yourself.


In NC someone did like you said and found out 80 or 90% (a large %) had to go to the school system, some eduaction law. So once the private company takes its cut the city had to pay more money to the school then they got. So for every ticket it cost the city money. Needless to say a lot of them shut the cameras down ASAP. Mind you they were for safety but got shut down when they did not make money.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Tab

I swear, traffic laws are bullshit and are just like a "sin" tax.

I swear, I've seen dumber posts on AT, but I can't remember when.

While you're at it, why don't you piss and moan about the underlying laws of physics and public safety that are the reason for traffic laws. Or you can ignore them in your relentless pursuit of a Darwin award. :laugh:

Funniest statement in the article at the OP's post:

An official review concluded that this was the only mistake that the camera has ever made and that "human error" was at fault for failing to catch the obviously bogus ticket before private vendor Affiliated Computer Services dropped it in the mail.

Uh-huh.

 

[tenthumbs]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong

Originally posted by: Genx87
Worst part is they paid it. At what point do you fight for your own rights?

This is really the saddest part of the story. Most people are so apathetic to their rights as citizens and just assume that they have no legal grounds to stand on and cave.

Me? If I ever get a ticket from a camera I already have a plan in place.

1. Plead "Not guilty"
2. Ask for my constitutionally guaranteed 6th Amendment right to "Face my accuser" (which is going to be hard considering that it is an inanimate object
3. Ask for all calibration and/or maintenance records of said accuser, certifications of those that did the calibrations and the certifications to interpret/operate the data provided by the accuser
4. Overall, make it cost the state more to prosecute than they would lose by just dismissing

ha ha. Good luck

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: Tab
I swear, traffic laws are bullshit and are just like a "sin" tax.

I dunno if they're a sin tax but IMO most traffic tickets are nothing more than a form of tax for sure. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with tickets issued where they belong. If people are running lights or cutting in and out of traffic or speeding where it endangers people a ticket is justified. Unfortunately , most cops are usually too lazy to do that. It's much easier to sit on the other side of a hill where there's an absurdly low speed limit and just pick off cars with a speed trap.

I live off a road that is 4 lanes (2 each direction) divided and with turn lanes. There are no curves or obstructed views or driveways or even business directly off the road - just entrances to a few neighborhoods. The speed limit is 30 mph. It's friggin ridiculous. There are plenty of roads in the same area have 35 - 45 mph speed limits with driveways directly off them. Perfect sense.

A few years ago I got a speeding ticket and according to the cop I was going 34 in a 15 mph school zone. I'm not saying I don't speed but I don't speed in school zones or parking lots and I'm damned sure I wasn't going 20 let alone 34. There is a stop sign shortly before the school zone and it is in full view of the school zone. From the stop sign I could clearly see the cop sitting in the median. I could also see the traffic stopped at the school zone. All that said, why would I be going 34 mph? When the cop pulled me over I though he was going to say I ran the stop sign - which I didn't. Anyway, I was given a $280 ticket with the option to contest it in court - my word against his of course.

 

[NaughtyGeek]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong

Originally posted by: Genx87
Worst part is they paid it. At what point do you fight for your own rights?

This is really the saddest part of the story. Most people are so apathetic to their rights as citizens and just assume that they have no legal grounds to stand on and cave.

Me? If I ever get a ticket from a camera I already have a plan in place.

1. Plead "Not guilty"
2. Ask for my constitutionally guaranteed 6th Amendment right to "Face my accuser" (which is going to be hard considering that it is an inanimate object
3. Ask for all calibration and/or maintenance records of said accuser, certifications of those that did the calibrations and the certifications to interpret/operate the data provided by the accuser
4. Overall, make it cost the state more to prosecute than they would lose by just dismissing

As stated by another poster, these systems generally fall under the jurisdiction of the parking authority which means you don't get an actual court appearance. You get to go before a couple of douche bags representing the parking authority and if you make mention of The Constitution, the response is "you'll have to take that up with The Supreme Court."

It has been my experience over the years that traffic violations are merely unregulated tax. You have no real way to defend yourself and the cost of trying is prohibitively high. You can study the law and know your rights and the proper procedures to follow to mount an acceptable defense for yourself to bypass the high cost of a defense but then you're stuck dealing with a judge who can pretty well tell you to "pound sand" and there's not much you can really do about it. I guarantee that if fines were eliminated and jail time was to take it's place, there would be a hell of a lot less traffic citations being issued.