04RX8man

yeah on an onramp the speeds on the sign are just a reccommended speed

scwchapman

So have we all just determined that the best place to speed excessively is on ramps?

If we get pulled over we can say "Officer, this is an RX-8, recommended speeds are doubled for this car."

Socket7

Mr. Invincible, I'd like to introduce you to the consequences of your own actions.

Not much to say that hasn't already been said.

Zerotide

iTrader: (1)

I honestly have never had that invincible mentality that everyone says teenagers possess. I wouldn't call myself a speeder, I usually drive very courteously. This was a momentary lapse of judgment. My 8 is actually one of the slower cars I've owned and I have a clean record.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

u made a serious mistake by admitting that you made a mistake.

when it comes to stuff like this, you always say "I DONT KNOW, IS THERE A PROBLEM OFFICER ?"

but on the other hand, like some ppl here has said, the cops really got nothing to proof that you're speeding BUT ALSO, cops love to make **** up just so that they feel that they have the power.

So u should really fight it in court, tell your lawyer the WHOLE story and he/she will know how to fight it.

scwchapman

^^^ +1

Zerotide

iTrader: (1)

We'll see how it goes. I have an appointment with the city prosecutor tomorrow to see if there's any that can be done that will keep my insurance down.

blackenedwings

Alright, ignore all of the hypocritical people acting like dicks for no reason responding to this. First thing, make sure you go to court, do NOT pay the fine and let it sit. How many points is the citation for? If you have no previous tickets you can easily get a PBJ (probation before judgement). Go into court and plead "Guilty with Explanation" and explain to the Judge that you were running late and were speeding a bit, but you absolutely were not racing. Mention your completely clean record. If you absolutely want to dodge any possible points look for a local law office that handles traffic violations specifically. They are normally reasonably cheap and can work wonders. I've seen the most incredible tickets dropped entirely because of a smooth talking lawyer.

If nothing else, you need to go into court and plead guilty with explanation. When I was younger and dumber I had several reckless driving tickets and a large collection of speeding tickets. I've only had 1 point on my license EVER. The state does not want you to stop driving. They want you to pay them money so you will always have court fees equal to the fine on the ticket. If you handle yourself well you will rarely, if ever get points. Regardless of how the experience turns out, be careful out there and remember it next time you hit turns like that. Going a bit over the speed limit is not necessarily a bad thing, but you do run a risk every time you do it. You can drive quickly and safely, but they will still nail you every time if they can. It's best to slow down as much as you can and consider getting a radar detector to be sure.

8 Maniac

iTrader: (1)

they can be bitchy about that too... I dont know doesnt deny nor admit guiltiness. So if you say you dont know what speed you were going, then immediately you admit that you could have been over the limit (since you dont know). I've heard you can just not answer (plea the 5th) but at the same time, I would think that might **** the officer off.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Ah no, there still is the basic speed law that you would have to worry about. That most likely is 55 MPH.

otakurx

When I get pulled over, depending on the situation, I lock the doors, roll my window down enough to pass my license and reg thru and talk. I ask the officer what the problem is and only give answers that seem appropriate if asked my speed I normally under shoot it. I also never allow a search of my car nor do I get out of the car unless they are arresting me. It can **** them off, but you have rights and I don't let them walk all over mine.

As for your situation, talk to the prosecutor and the officer about it. If they won't strike a deal look for a lawyer, if you've been honest about the facts and given them all in your post, they really won't have a lot to get you on. You used your blinker when changing lanes and all so the only thing would be a basic speed violation, but with out a RADAR or LASER reading they can't hold up that you were even speeding.

blackenedwings

Well said. A few things to add. When you get pulled over, immediately stop the car and take the keys out of the ignition, if it is even slightly dark outside turn on your interior lights and roll your window down, then place your hands visibly on the steering wheel. This makes the officer comfortable because they aren't worried you are going to blow them away when they walk up to the car. When the officer gets to the window address them respectfully and CHEERFULLY. "Evening, officer." A slight smile of chagrin won't hurt you here, but its important not to look pissed off or angry. It's equally important not to come off as cocky or a jerk. The goal is to be a nice guy who wasn't watching his speed carefully enough. Make sure you have your license and registration handy, but get both license and registration slowly and smoothly. Don't make a dash for the glovebox. :P 99% of the time the officers use routine traffic stops to run your tags and see if you have any pending warrants. Sometimes they don't even have a radar, laser, or VASCAR record of your car. This does not mean they won't take you to court anyway if you **** them off.

If your record is relatively clean and you treat them respectfully you will probably get a warning. If they have already called it in then they have to give you a ticket, but they will almost always knock the severity down a notch or two. If you get a warning, thank the officer, and shake their hand. Make them feel good about giving warnings. Regardless of if you get a warning or a ticket, be polite. If you get a ticket, never ever ever pay the ticket unless it is a 0 points ticket. Points are the killer for traffic infractions and most of the time they can be avoided. I'm speaking from experience here. The key to avoiding fines/points besides driving slower (which is a lesson I only learned after nearly killing myself several years ago) is to be polite, both to the officer and the judge. Follow the steps to avoid the points (probation before judgement) and take extra special care to drive slower after having a recent infraction. Tickets will fade off your record and your probation period after 2 years. Avoid getting back to back tickets.

All of that being said, driving slower and getting a radar detector are both good steps to avoid tickets as well. I think the radar detector is probably a mark against you when actually pulled over, but I don't know for sure... because I haven't been pulled over a single time since I got it. I've avoided dozens of speedtraps since I got the detector. To all of those saying "you just need to drive slower" there are a lot of legitimate places a radar detector helps, not just avoid the lawkeepers but to notice and be aware of the law to begin with. There are a number of areas near where I live where the road drops suddenly from 55 to 25 or 45 to 25. They stake those areas out because they know they can get people who don't know the area, who didn't notice the sign, or are distracted. A radar detector can turn one of those unfair stops into a beep on your dashboard and a lawfull 25 mph.

CyberPitz

@ blackenedwings

I know one time when some guy ran me off into a parkinglot for saying he needs to learn how to drive *Swerving in my lane while talking on his cell phone...* he boxed me in a corner, got out of his car *Twice my size, I'm not moving* and he unleashes hell on my face. No real pain, as I just rolled with the punches well, and he ripped my shirt when trying to pull me out of the car. Well, a cop was called by a patron and since nobody could remember his plate *I was a little shook up.* I didn't press charges.

Now the point of my story. I went to shake his hand and he was like, "Sorry, I only touch if it's personal".

OOOK. That's all haha.

Cattywampus

You do know that people get killed for simple reasons as just being impatient. You can chalk traffic deaths all you want to careless driving and such but in reality it comes down to being too damn impatient. Think about that next time.

dothackRAVE

Uh...

I haven't done that. I don't feel a need to be SPEED RACER YO on the streets.

So I'm going to tell you, stop driving like an ***. Just be patient. I've gone on ramps behind minivans who go at 30mph round the bends more times than I care to count, and each time it made no real difference in the total time it takes to do my journey.

dothackRAVE

That's why you pack a gun. :p

CyberPitz

I was actually sad, because I forgot to but my aluminum baseball bat in my back seat for that specific reason. THE ONE DAMN TIME. I make sure I've got something there at all times, now.

Zerotide

iTrader: (1)

I don't think you understand the situation... after exiting the ramp I had slowed down significantly but I was probably still going a little fast. There was someone who was basically still stopped at a green light about 50 yards in front of me with an empty lane next to them. I used my blinker to get around them and according to the cop I was still going "ridiculously fast" which is weird because he didn't radar me so he really can't do anything about it, and according to the officer I got to close behind the person at the light when I changed lanes, which is apparently why he cited me for careless driving. He also said that person had honked at me, but I did not hear it. I even had my window down and the radio off. This is ticket is all hearsay by the cop.

dothackRAVE

Yea, cop's a jackass, but you're an impatient dick too.

You probably don't deserve the careless driving ticket, but you still need to cultivate some patience.

Zerotide

iTrader: (1)

I can agree with that. I get very impatient when I have to be somewhere at a certain time.

pksan123

iTrader: (2)

From what you're saying...it's like the stoplight is on the ramp. So wouldn't the lane you switched into be the carpool lane? Unless you had someone else with you when the light is on, it is a violation...if not, be patient and wait like everyone else to get on the freeway.

Edit: you said off ramp, so i guess nevermind

dothackRAVE

Well, sure, if you think being on time is worth a ticket/premium raise.

e.g., went to a track day once, and got hit with a ticket from state police. Still the cheapest track day I ever went to. :p

CyberPitz

I'm curious about the people bashing him about his driving. If you're driving in the right hand lane, while the left hand lane is open, and someone is stopped at a light getting ready to go since it is green. Changing lanes to go around him since he is going slower than you is a bad thing, or am I just reading what he put in wrong and he did something crazy? From my POV, he did nothing different than 99% of the entire driving population would do legally.

Zerotide

iTrader: (1)

Yes that is exactly what I did. The cop said I got too close behind him when I passed him and he honked at me. Neither of which happened to my recollection. I was 100% expecting a speeding ticket and was very surprised when I got careless driving.

otakurx

I would just like to say I don't think anyone on this site is a saint behind the wheel. Heck even the monks at Saint Anselm College (where I went to school) were crazy behind the wheel. I really think this truly is a story of a cop being bored or profiling and hoping to find trouble maker. It does happen, I got pulled over and harassed one time because I flicked a cigarette (don't smoke anymore, woo 4 months and counting). It was rediculous I don't know how he caught it, I was on the highway 68 is a 65 in the right lane at 10pm and he caught me flick a djarium black out the window of my RX-7. He kept me on the side of the road for a good 20mins questioning me then inspecting my car just to tell me to leave (he sounded agitated since the car is in prime condition). I've also been pulled over for 95+ in a 50 and had the officer send me home (was 2am) and tell me that if he found that I didn't go home I was screwed. Happened like 3 miles from my house, was crazy I thought I was screwed.