Wtf? Careless driving?
 

There is this twisty on ramp onto this 4 lane highway that I always like to take very fast. I blow off the off ramp at probably 10-15 over the speed limit and see someone waiting in my lane at a stoplight. The light turns green and I turn on my blinker to get around them so I don't have to slow down behind them. About 10 seconds after getting around them I notice cop lights in my rear view mirror. I thought "whatever I'm just gonna get a speeding ticket." Thats when I notice another cop car get in line behind me. I was now starting to freak out. Cop comes up to my window and asks me why I was going so ridiculously fast. I said because I'm stupid. He then goes into his little radio thing "Everything's fine here, two cars street racing I caught one of them." I was seriously like wtf by now. I wasn't racing anyone and I didn't break any laws except the speed limit. Since he believes what I told him that I was just late for dinner with my girlfriend he stopped asking about the street racing. Since I'm 100% positive he didn't know how fast I was going (he never told me how fast I was going and he asked how fast I thought I was going) he decides to give me "careless driving." Well now I'm fucked. I can't take stop class for this and it is going to rape my insurance. My parents are probably going to sell my car since I haven't paid them back completely yet. I'm gonna try to get this amended to a speeding ticket or at least negligent driving so I can take stop. Do you guys think I have a chance? Should I get an attorney?

Here's a little tip...give mommy and daddy back the car they bought for you and STOP SPEEDING!!!

Thanks for that helpful answer. I'm 20 years old and I don't have any prior offenses to this... and my parents didn't buy this car for me I have a low interest loan from them. Stop acting so high and mighty, you'd be lying if you said you've never broken the speed limit. I'm looking for some helpful insight here.

Well, you are going to get flamed, and receive very little sympathy with good reason. You were carelessly driving, you didnt care about anybody else on the road and just thought about how horrible it would be to just slow down a little for that other car instead of blowing by it like a crazy person. He was right to give you the "careless driving" ticket - enjoy that one.

Bottom line, if you can't take the punishment, dont go driving on public roads like an idiot.

oh, and i know you're going to jack off at my response too, but careless driving tickets are hard to get out of - i had a +16 mph AND Reckless driving ticket 3+ years ago, it just got reduced to +9 over and was like a half-point on insurance. And the reckless part was not nearly as reckless as yours, so good luck with that, depends on where you live

instantly taking the "holy crap i should get out of this just because i'm 20 and no priors and i want my fast car and blah blah blah blah" angle doesnt matter, you still broke the law unfortunately (i know, it didnt work for me or my parents either on my 2 speeding tickets when i was still at home with them, and those were both in a slow-ass saturn) If you are lucky your parents will make YOU pay the fees, and make YOU go into court and say you're guilty in front of the judge, thats what mine did, and I'm a better person because of it

Okay I know I was speeding and thats dangerous but I just think it was a little ridiculous to not get the speeding ticket. All I did was change lanes so I wouldn't have to stop behind someone just getting started at the change to green. Who hasn't done that?

Try talking to the prosecutor and see if she can help you out. Or do what I did when I went through a red light(thought it was yellow) and call the cop and sincerely apologize and tell him you weren't thinking. He reduced mine to no points, I just payed like $300. Still better than points.

I got a reckless driving in VA for doing 80 in a 55 and I had a mandatory court date, had to hire an attorney, but it turned out to be well worth the money because I got off with nothing on my record, but I was facing 2 months jail time if I remember correctly and a ton of fines. I also told my parents and had one of them come to court with me, playing the sympathy card that my father had to take the day off of work, but I don't know how understanding your parents are.

You obviously know what you did was wrong, so there is no point in reiterating the point, but if you want to have a chance, I would find a good traffic attorney in that area who KNOWS THE JUDGE and get one if you're really worried about this. Calling the officer may work as well, I just get worried about that because sometimes they just see you as some kid trying to get out of it and won't take it as a sincere apology and then you're really effed. Just my two cents though.

I have done it many of times. If I'm behind you an your going slow I'm gonna do it fasho. Get your slow ass out the way.

I have got many tickets in my life even reckless driving ones. An some how I still have a clean record how did I do it. Only Nightmare knows.

Never admit to anything to the officer. It will be used against you if you take the ticket to court.

You can try this with out getting a lawyer. I have in the past. See what kind of deal the prosecutor will offer. Talk to them well before the court date. If you can't get a satisfactory deal, get a lawyer.
If the things went the exact way you told your story, with a lawyer, you may be able to get off totally. Careless Driving is a catch-all ticket for when they can't get you for anything else, but they want to ticket you for something. As long as you weren't driving erratic or squealing your tires as you were on the ramp.

Thanks for the helpful answers. I'm going to schedule a meeting with the city prosecutor tomorrow. I'm just hoping the officer didn't exaggerate anything in his report.

you're screwed.

I'm sure i'll get flamed too but who here hasn't came up fast on someone very slow and just hit the blinker to go right by? I do it all the time coming up to lights where people are stopped. I don't drice 15 over the speed limit usually though.
I am 23 with a CLEAN record.

GL OP

Yes I'm quite aware that I'm screwed. I know I did something wrong I just know I won't be able to afford my insurance if this goes on my record. I don't really have much time to work I'm a full time student.

And I'm the only person who knows how fast I was going. The officer had no idea which is probably the reason I got careless driving instead of a speeding ticket. I know I'm a complete dumbass for doing this so we can probably just get that out of the way now. I'm not gonna cry about how the cop saw a young kid in a nice car and wanted to teach me a bad lesson but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think that had any role in this whatsoever.

dude.... i disagree... i take on and off ramps the same way, and if some1 is stopped at the light in front of me and i can just switch lanes to go around them, i will.... why would i waste the gas and brakes to slow down behind them when i could just go around them? the cop was an ass hole. im not going to yell at you for doing 10 or 15 over because truthfully i've done quite a bit more then that when having fun so to me 10 over to have a little fun on an on ramp is fine in my book... however i know people will now yell at me telling me never to speed on the streets and to keep it on the track....


-just go to court and plead "no contest".... im not sure if this works with reckless driving tickets but i know that with speeding tickets most of the time they allow you to pay the fine without getting any points on your license, thus not affecting your insurance.



-thats my thinking.....

haha, i've been pulled over 8 times now and i have only received 1 ticket and no written warnings... talked my way out of all of them and none of them were below 15 over... the 1 ticket i received was 125 in a 35, however he wrote it down to a 64 in 35 because he didn't actually clock me. and 29 over is the max ticket you can get without making a court appearance.


-also good advice

I like to think that the ramps don't have a speed limit. If you look at the sign, it only has a number. It does not say "The speed here is limited to XX" or anything with the word limit on it.

http://www.fairtrafficlaws.com/image...isory_sign.jpg

I call them... RECOMMENDED SPEED. :p:

Well careless driving isn't as bad as reckless driving. Careless implies that it wasn't wholly intentional. I think I am going to ask for prayer for judgment on my court date then drive like a grandma.

Sorry for DP but yellow does mean recommended speed.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I wonder who he thought you were racing with? The person who wasn't moving?

I'm still wondering that myself. I think he was just tryin to get me to admit to something he could arrest me for. The cops here have a really bad reputation. It must have just been hunch though because he dropped it pretty quick.

so, i was gonna flame you because there have been a lot of dumbasses posting their stupid stunts on here recently, but i'm glad you saw that you were at fault.

i agree with cyberpitz - if he thought you were racing..and there were 2 cop cars, why didn't the other one go after the other guy? also, if he didn't clock your speed, and i'm guessing you weren't putting anyone else in danger with your lane switch, what exactly justified a careless driving ticket? you can definitely fight this and ask for proof of your actions from the cop.

If you play your cards right and act extremely sincere, ass kisser, etc, it will work to your advantage. I know when I went to court I parked my car somewhere in town and had someone else bring me, saying that my car got taken away from me as punishment. haha