wtf... arrested for a "visual determination" of my speed?!

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Hard to say if you have a case.

A. You were too close to the guy in front of you if you had to slam on your brakes and swerve into another lane.
B. By your own admission you were doing well over the speed limit so you are guilty even if they didnt get a radar clock on you.
C. I dont have sympathy for motorcyclists. 98% of them are aholes who break every known traffic law and then complain nobody see's them as their poor decisions run other people off the road.

A. I had PLENTY of room to stop. I was worried/concerned about the people following ME too closely and rear ending me.
B. That's fine, and I would be willing (and wouldn't fight) a ticket for 85 in a 65. If you have been to this area you would realize that this is the NORMAL flow of traffic.
C. You are an idiot. Way to stereotype - those are the people you notice, and then spread your opinion on everyone.

 

[BrianH1]

sounds like you got served and are still in shock over it.

 

[goodoptics]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Hard to say if you have a case.

A. You were too close to the guy in front of you if you had to slam on your brakes and swerve into another lane.
B. By your own admission you were doing well over the speed limit so you are guilty even if they didnt get a radar clock on you.
C. I dont have sympathy for motorcyclists. 98% of them are aholes who break every known traffic law and then complain nobody see's them as their poor decisions run other people off the road.

What did you get that number?

 

[amicold]

Originally posted by: Czar
I dont get it why you had to go faster?

but in court I dont see why any of this can hold against you, they have no evidence to back them up

I've done it, you switch lanes and its a natural reaction to speed up until you feel comfortable that the traffic behind you isn't going to slam into you, I got a ticket for it as well, dumbest thing ever. 70 in a 55.

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

Here, try this...

During the court date, if the cop pulls the visual determination thing, what you do is, take your car keys out of your pocket and slam them on the ground. Then ask the officer to determine how fast those keys were travelling. Perhaps if he can't do that... it will disfavor his estimate of your speed!

 

[Maxspeed996]

Bro , from a fellow rider...don't mess around. Get a lawyer , a competent lawyer will get this taken care of for you.

 

[Mellman]

OP were you wearing gear? Cops tend to be a lot more friendly to those wearing proper gear, rather than the squid-tastic t-shirt and flip flops that tends to be the norm lately...

I'd fight it, they have no case, and arresting you/impounding? wtf...

At least you know how to drive, I'd do the exact same thing(i ride) and have done it too, If i'm on my bike i'd rather be in front of the sh!tty drivers than behind them!

 

[piasabird]

You have no possible excuse. The fact is that motorcycle can slow down faster than cars. You might have an excuse to go between the cars illegally to avoid an accident. On a motorcycle you are suppose to know where all the cars around you are at all times. If I was a judge, I would laugh at you while I assign you an even larger fine and court costs on top of that.

On a motrocycle speeding excessively just causes you to die faster. Dont expect any special treatment. If you were a girl, I would suggest crying. Cops frown on excessive speed, so dont expect much sympathy!

On a side note, you should probably consult a good attorney. I wonder if you can shop for a more lenient judge or have the ticket put under supervision? Maybe even volunteer to go to take a driver safety course.

What the cops will say is it appeared to them that you sped up to avoid getting pulled over or to avoid a ticket, which may seem logical to any judge.

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Mellman
OP were you wearing gear? Cops tend to be a lot more friendly to those wearing proper gear, rather than the squid-tastic t-shirt and flip flops that tends to be the norm lately...

I'd fight it, they have no case, and arresting you/impounding? wtf...

At least you know how to drive, I'd do the exact same thing(i ride) and have done it too, If i'm on my bike i'd rather be in front of the sh!tty drivers than behind them!

Yes, as always, wearing full gear. My bike is a year old and has 14k miles - I pointed out that I ride every day, rain or shine, hot or cold - always with full gear - and have never had an accident.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: goodoptics

Originally posted by: Genx87
Hard to say if you have a case.

A. You were too close to the guy in front of you if you had to slam on your brakes and swerve into another lane.
B. By your own admission you were doing well over the speed limit so you are guilty even if they didnt get a radar clock on you.
C. I dont have sympathy for motorcyclists. 98% of them are aholes who break every known traffic law and then complain nobody see's them as their poor decisions run other people off the road.

What did you get that number?

I don't know where he got that number, but 65% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi

Originally posted by: goodoptics

Originally posted by: Genx87
Hard to say if you have a case.

A. You were too close to the guy in front of you if you had to slam on your brakes and swerve into another lane.
B. By your own admission you were doing well over the speed limit so you are guilty even if they didnt get a radar clock on you.
C. I dont have sympathy for motorcyclists. 98% of them are aholes who break every known traffic law and then complain nobody see's them as their poor decisions run other people off the road.

What did you get that number?

I don't know where he got that number, but 65% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Hey you just made that up!

 

[Leros]

Can't you people read? He sped up not to "keep up with traffic". He sped up because he swerved into another lane with speeding cars in it. In order to not get hit from the rear, he had to speed up to at least match the speed of the car behind him. Maybe he sped up a bit too much, but he was making a split second decision in order to not get killed.

 

[LTC8K6]

What if a car in each lane slowed down? The one you were in, and the one you swerved to? What were you going to do then?

It sounds to me like either side of this story could be true. I can see your side, and I can see the cop's side. You'll just have to tell the DA or judge your side, and see if he buys it.

In NC, you are now required to either reduce your speed or move over a lane if a cop is pulled over on the shoulder.

So, don't blame us for slowing down when we see a cop.
It's the law!

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: zixxer

Originally posted by: Genx87
Hard to say if you have a case.

A. You were too close to the guy in front of you if you had to slam on your brakes and swerve into another lane.
B. By your own admission you were doing well over the speed limit so you are guilty even if they didnt get a radar clock on you.
C. I dont have sympathy for motorcyclists. 98% of them are aholes who break every known traffic law and then complain nobody see's them as their poor decisions run other people off the road.

A. I had PLENTY of room to stop. I was worried/concerned about the people following ME too closely and rear ending me.
B. That's fine, and I would be willing (and wouldn't fight) a ticket for 85 in a 65. If you have been to this area you would realize that this is the NORMAL flow of traffic.
C. You are an idiot. Way to stereotype - those are the people you notice, and then spread your opinion on everyone.

A. If yo had plenty of room to stop you wouldnt have had to slam on your brakes and swerve
B. That doesnt matter when it comes to speeding. The "everybody else was doing it" defense fails everytime.
C. I call it like I see it. I always notice mortorcyclists because I am awaiting their next idiotic move that will nearly cause an accident. And like clockwork it never fails they make the move and we are all trying to make sure they dont end up road kill.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: goodoptics

Originally posted by: Genx87
Hard to say if you have a case.

A. You were too close to the guy in front of you if you had to slam on your brakes and swerve into another lane.
B. By your own admission you were doing well over the speed limit so you are guilty even if they didnt get a radar clock on you.
C. I dont have sympathy for motorcyclists. 98% of them are aholes who break every known traffic law and then complain nobody see's them as their poor decisions run other people off the road.

What did you get that number?

I keep a tally and 98% of my encounters with motorcyclists are aholes.

 

[bctbct]

i would hammer on the visual determination and leave the I was speeding reasons 1-10 alone.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: goodoptics

Originally posted by: Genx87
Hard to say if you have a case.

A. You were too close to the guy in front of you if you had to slam on your brakes and swerve into another lane.
B. By your own admission you were doing well over the speed limit so you are guilty even if they didnt get a radar clock on you.
C. I dont have sympathy for motorcyclists. 98% of them are aholes who break every known traffic law and then complain nobody see's them as their poor decisions run other people off the road.

What did you get that number?

I keep a tally and 98% of my encounters with motorcyclists are aholes.

I don't see how a motorcycles could run people off the road. If they're aholes, they usually end up road smears and if not, we drive like everyone is out to kill us and you most likely never see us until we pass you. Maybe the people who freak out when a bike shows up next to them should pay more attention to what happens around them and not panic and swerve off the road because they change lanes in front of a biker.

That, and you don't care about the other 2%? 98% of the sexual offender list is probably scum too, but I'm not going to condemn the guy that had sex with his 17 year old gf when he was 18.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: zixxer
Noone seems to be getting that I wasn't speeding up to PASS anyone or stay out of traffic to get to my destination.

I didn't want caught in traffic because I'm on a motorcycle - I stay in the open areas between groups of traffic.

You don't seem to get that according to the AT experts you were supposed to get rammed from behind.

 

[ockky]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: Fausto
$5 says it was Doraville cops.

Or Hapeville, both lost the income from the Ford and GM plants shutting down so they are desperate for their Christmas party money.

i was gonna guess Henry Co. myself ... they were probably hoping he was gonna run so that they could make yet another episode of 'greatest chases' :roll:

 

[Toastedlightly]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: zixxer
Noone seems to be getting that I wasn't speeding up to PASS anyone or stay out of traffic to get to my destination.

I didn't want caught in traffic because I'm on a motorcycle - I stay in the open areas between groups of traffic.

You don't seem to get that according to the AT experts you were supposed to get rammed from behind.

Motorcycles, although fun to ride, are also dangerous. I don't think AT realizes this. I can't drive my motorcycle on the freeway (though it is plenty capable of the speeds) because I can't accelerate worth a damn at those speeds to avoid problems. I say you have a case. Bring it to the judge. Does your state have any motorcycle awareness programs going on? Could use that to defend what you did (for safety).

 

[Iron Woode]

"visual determination" and $0.80 will get you a cup of coffee and nothing else where I live. Unless the officer has radar to back up his "guesstimate", the ticket will automatically be tossed out.

I have never seen anyone here arrested for speeding. Not even my insurrance agent's husband who was doing 200kmh in 100kmh zone on his bike. They didn't even impound his bike. He did get one heck of a fine though.

 

[Thorny]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: zixxer

Originally posted by: Genx87
Hard to say if you have a case.

A. You were too close to the guy in front of you if you had to slam on your brakes and swerve into another lane.
B. By your own admission you were doing well over the speed limit so you are guilty even if they didnt get a radar clock on you.
C. I dont have sympathy for motorcyclists. 98% of them are aholes who break every known traffic law and then complain nobody see's them as their poor decisions run other people off the road.

A. I had PLENTY of room to stop. I was worried/concerned about the people following ME too closely and rear ending me.
B. That's fine, and I would be willing (and wouldn't fight) a ticket for 85 in a 65. If you have been to this area you would realize that this is the NORMAL flow of traffic.
C. You are an idiot. Way to stereotype - those are the people you notice, and then spread your opinion on everyone.

A. If yo had plenty of room to stop you wouldnt have had to slam on your brakes and swerve
B. That doesnt matter when it comes to speeding. The "everybody else was doing it" defense fails everytime.
C. I call it like I see it. I always notice mortorcyclists because I am awaiting their next idiotic move that will nearly cause an accident. And like clockwork it never fails they make the move and we are all trying to make sure they dont end up road kill.

I'm sure your not to worried about getting rear-ended in your 3000lb vehicle, but it only takes a nudge at 65mph to kill you when your on a 300lb bike. As far as your stats go, I'm 100% sure your full of ******, and its probably closer to the truth to say that 98% of motorcycle related accidents are caused by some other idiot not paying attention.

FWIW, moves like that are specifically mentioned in our Rules of the Road for motorcycles. They (the state) ackowledge in writing that motocycles should disregard trafic laws in the interest of personal safety, should the situation arise, of course.

Scratch that, they changed the book. It used to specifically mention accelerating/speeding as viable choices for accident avoidance.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: zixxer

Originally posted by: Genx87
Hard to say if you have a case.

A. You were too close to the guy in front of you if you had to slam on your brakes and swerve into another lane.
B. By your own admission you were doing well over the speed limit so you are guilty even if they didnt get a radar clock on you.
C. I dont have sympathy for motorcyclists. 98% of them are aholes who break every known traffic law and then complain nobody see's them as their poor decisions run other people off the road.

A. I had PLENTY of room to stop. I was worried/concerned about the people following ME too closely and rear ending me.
B. That's fine, and I would be willing (and wouldn't fight) a ticket for 85 in a 65. If you have been to this area you would realize that this is the NORMAL flow of traffic.
C. You are an idiot. Way to stereotype - those are the people you notice, and then spread your opinion on everyone.

A. If yo had plenty of room to stop you wouldnt have had to slam on your brakes and swerve
B. That doesnt matter when it comes to speeding. The "everybody else was doing it" defense fails everytime.
C. I call it like I see it. I always notice mortorcyclists because I am awaiting their next idiotic move that will nearly cause an accident. And like clockwork it never fails they make the move and we are all trying to make sure they dont end up road kill.

I would like to point out that "slamming on the brakes" on a motorcycle really doesn't work the same way as in a car.

Rapidly reducing your speed in a motorcyle can:
Send you into or over the handlebars, depending on your position when riding (because of the lack of a restraint like a seatbelt)
Rapidly unbalance the bike causing it to unrecoverably turn sideways
And I'm not sure on the mechanics of a motorcycle's braking system, but if the brakes can lock up... well... yet again, complete lack of balance.



I'm not a motorcyle rider myself, but my uncle has been riding one for years now, and he says the safest and most courteous things you can do to motorcycle riders is give them extra space, hug one side of the road/lane so they have room to accelerate and pass should a situation arise, or just let them pass and go on their way.

The dangerous thing about motorcycles is that most car drivers don't realize that the slower they are going, the harder it is to balance, and the harder it is to balance, the less movement is required to throw that balance off.

And for the record, I think the OP is guilty based solely on the fact that he admitted he was speeding even before the situation occurred, and admitted he went nearly 150% of the speed limit at one point. In Ohio, 30 over and the officer can impound and revoke your liscese on the spot. You weren't that far off. OP will lose solely because in his "explaining the situation" likely admiited to speeding to begin with. They don't need ANY measuring device at that point, and if TWO officers question you, it's TWO officer's word against your one.

 

[xgsound]

Originally posted by: piasabird
You have no possible excuse. The fact is that motorcycle can slow down faster than cars. You might have an excuse to go between the cars illegally to avoid an accident. On a motorcycle you are suppose to know where all the cars around you are at all times. If I was a judge, I would laugh at you while I assign you an even larger fine and court costs on top of that.

On a motrocycle speeding excessively just causes you to die faster. Dont expect any special treatment. If you were a girl, I would suggest crying. Cops frown on excessive speed, so dont expect much sympathy!

On a side note, you should probably consult a good attorney. I wonder if you can shop for a more lenient judge or have the ticket put under supervision? Maybe even volunteer to go to take a driver safety course.

What the cops will say is it appeared to them that you sped up to avoid getting pulled over or to avoid a ticket, which may seem logical to any judge.

You're second sentence (bikes can stop faster than cars) is the reason he wouldn't be safe just stopping; but instead had to swerve (avoid) to not be crushed by the cars behind him. He already stated he knew there were cars behind him. He felt they would not be able to stop. This seems to define avoiding an accident to me, which you state might be an acceptable excuse to swerve. This also gives the cars that were behind him a little more room to stop without an accident.

This method of avoidance was taught in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course at one time and would include accelerating to traffic speed as soon as possible when the obstacle (braking car) is sucessfully avoided to minimize interference with traffic in the new lane.

A Lawyer should be able to quote this "chapter and verse" and insist that the rider not be punished for avoiding an accident to the best of his ability. Even if the ticket sticks he still avoided the accident, so he's already won that much. I'd take that trade.


Jim

 

[Cattlegod]

fight it dude. unless they have hard evidence on how fast you were going, i don't see any reason why you will need a lawyer.

if you don't come off well, they might lower it to something else, rather than throwing it out. they probably thought you were trying to run, so they decided to stick it to you.