army_rx8

well i try to help out the best i can...i've done some stupid things in the past thankfully i learned from my mistakes. sorry i could help with anythign more than that......


Just be safe....my best friend will never be back........and i miss him. Don't **** off your friends and loved ones by doing the same thing.

JoePaterno

Because the 8 is extremely stable at high speeds. I truly believe that the 8 is safer at 100mph than a truck is at 80mph. We see trucks doing 80 all the time, but do we call them "******* idiots"

army_rx8

i do ... a truck takes forever to stop and if it hits something it is devastating b/c of al the mass it has....just my 2 cents

Sea Ray

Hey Samsonite,

If you get rid of that goofy avantar we might ALL take you more seriously

JoePaterno

Thanks. I'll do the safety driving course. However, I'm not much of a public speaker, so I dont know how effective I'd be at the school. Any other ideas?

samsonite1

Joe,

I had my assistant look up NJ law. This is what you will face.

Take all of my advice in the last post.

Pled guilty and do not waste the courts time.

At sentencing, mention the drivers course and the speaking events. All of the judges I have dealt with take all of this in.

Do not argue with them. You were speeding regardless so there is no point in fighting.

The judge will suspend your license for 6 months at the most. At the least you are looking at a heavy fine. It could be reduced by doing the above mention items.

Wear a suit and tie to court. Do not look like a punk all dress up. Hair neat and combed. You may look like a nerd but deal with it for a day.

It all pays off.

samsonite1

You may have a point. I think it's funny

w0rm

I can understand that- I got two speeding tickets when I used to drive home at 2am on the highway. Nobody around during the weekdays at that time and It was easy to let speed inch up and up and up. I ended up moving up to the city i worked in to avoid the commute for that reason.

*granted those are the only two tickets i've gotten and both cops were kind enough to knock them down to only 10 over.

army_rx8

lol you should keep it...only reason i stayed in this thread this long is b/c your avatar cracks me up:D

beachdog

Joe P, you started this thread by asking for advice. For the most part, you didn't like what you heard. I'm not going to repeat any of it. So, here's some different advice.

Can the bad attitude. If you think that the cop was hard on you just wait till you meet the judge. The judge won't want to hear how skillful or careful you are. He's heard it all before. He won't want to hear from your attorney either. He knows the legal technicalities too. Your punishment will be determined almost entirely by your attitude.

"Yes your honor, I know that I was speeding and shouldn't have. I will be more careful for now on."

The judge will decide what to do based on how truthful he believes you are. If you get a lenient judge and are believable, you will get a reduced fine.

IMHO, based on the attitude that you have expressed on this forum, the judge won't like what you say any better than your peers here.

Good luck.

StphNieuw

__________________________________________________ ______________
I consider myself to be a safe drive, but the truth is we all make mistakes, I know many of us have had tickets, myself included, some small some not so small. At the end we generally learn a lesson. But to say that the "idiots who cause the accidents should be paying crazy rates" is a little absurd. There are plenty of peope who really shouldn't be driving and I agree with that but unfortunatly accidents happen, that is why they are called accidents. And they happen to good and bad drivers. I had a accident recently due to weather and poor visibility does that make me a bad driver, No... I hate to say it but **** happens.. Therefore driving a slower gives you more time to react and hopefully avoid the accidents. I too received a citation for the accident and guess what, my insure will sky rocket as well... Do I like? NO! But there isn't too much to be done about it. Like I and several other have said get a lawyer, enrol in driving "safe" driving school (I still don't see why its a driving school by the state, you sit in a classroom listen to somebody for 8 hours, not much driving involved) and hope the judge is having a good day. Insurance wise, you will have to ride it out. It normally takes about 3-5 years for the rates to go back to "normal". Just suck it up and pay it, there isn't much that you can do. Goodluck... Trust me, once you get over the bitterness of the ticket you will understand the reason for it.

JoePaterno

Hey samsonite, what is your story, why are you so adamant about this topic?

samsonite1

If it looks like you are going to have to surrender your license, right after you are convicted (harse word I know but that's what it is called) surrender your license right then and there. Come sentencing, it will show the court you are sorry.

I had a client do that when he got a ticket for doing 165 in a 55 in his Maranello. The Judge gave him 3 months suspended sentence, community service and a fine.

Sentencing in NJ seems to be on average 3 months after conviction so get it out of the way. Martha Steward style.

samsonite1

Volunteer with the cops on ride alongs. Ever see a body picked up with a shovel?

Life is too short for a quick thrill of over 100 mph. It's not worth it. Do some track days ang get it out of your system that way.

JoePaterno

What?? I almost get into accidents all the time b/c of people who are not paying attention, change lanes without looking, or just cant drive. I, on the other hand, never do any of this, because I am alert. But I pay 2900/year. Sorry but that is BS. If an accident is your fault, you should pay high rates. If you haven't caused any accidents, you pay the lowest rates. Since safety is our main concern, that sounds fair to me.

Sea Ray

Joe, the only way around it for you is to get older, and married. Not sure if that is worth the savings though.........Ouch as my wife just drop kicked me

samsonite1

Joe, This will get you jail time. DROP THE ATTITUDE. You were caught speeding. deal with it now. Do you think the cop was going to say, "hey, you're joe the excellent driver. Drive any speed you want."?

Also insurance rates are based on trends. Younger drivers (you) tend to get into accidents and speed (you)

JoePaterno

We are on a different subject now. We are not talking about the cop, we are not talking about my ticket. We are talking about who should pay higher rates, Those who cause accidents or those who dont. I feel that people who cause accidents should pay higher rates. You disagree?

samsonite1

Yes.

ranger4277

I'm glad I don't live in NJ and drive at 530 in the morning! Joe could have killed me!

Just to add to the discussion... to obtain a license in Germany is difficult (very expensive and you must be much older and pass a lot of tests). They understand it to be a privilege and not a right. Sad misinterpretation of that concept in this country to say the least.

To quote my idol Mr. T:
"I pity the fool!"

Have a safe New Year's everybody, watch out for drunks and Joe on the road.

samsonite1

Dude, you live in Jersey. The carjacking capitol of the world. BTY I pay $241 per month for 4 cars and an RV.

StphNieuw

__________________________________________________ _____________
Ok then if safety is your main concern why are you complaining about your insurance premiums going to go up.. 85-105 (what ever it was) in a 55 increases the likelyhood of getting into a accident significatantly. You have just been lucky and not gotten into an accident.... I have seen the result of nasty crashes and it isn't pretty.. But like Samsonite1 has said, just admit the mistake and get over it..

czr

iTrader: (3)

I used to live in NJ got stopped going 90 on 55 on gsp exit 141 5 years to the day in fact. No I wasn't drinking. I had a Fraternal Order of Police card and he let me off with a warning. But the cop said if I didn't have that card he would have arrested me that night and taken away my car. Don't know any truth to that nor did I want to follow that up, but I'm guessing the cop could have done the same to you. If this is your first ticket ever, you might get lucky if you get a good judge. I don't have advice for you now other than be respectful and presentable in the courtroom but for the future, donate $50 to the NJ PBA and get a cool sticker or maybe a PBA card, or befriend an officer. It might help you in the future. Good luck! Be safe!

StphNieuw

________________________-
At the time that I was living in Germany (should be the same for most parts of the EU now) it was 24 hours of driving instruction and many hours of theory and then a very long and difficult test. Plus probation for a year or two and speeding tickets pretty much got you to start from scratch again.

JoePaterno

With as much info as the insurance company has, there is no way I should be paying 2900/year. They dont know how I drive. All they see is no points, no accidents.