$300 speeding ticket

[Ming]

You can argue all you want on whether speed limits are right/fair/reasonable... but the fact is, they exist. Break em, and you deserve to get a ticket.

Interestingly enough, when they reduced the speed limits on US highways to 55 mph, the number of deaths on highways dropped dramitically... when they were raised again... so did the death rate... Hmmmmm...

[Provost Harrison]

I'm with Ramo, the worst thing on motorways is tailgating, dangerous as well as incredibly annoying. And people who just can't do the driving, who aren't aware of how important it is to observe.

I got pulled up on the M18 for doing about 98mph. Got a lecture but he didn't nick me. What a relief that was

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Ming
You can argue all you want on whether speed limits are right/fair/reasonable... but the fact is, they exist. Break em, and you deserve to get a ticket.

I wonder what Ming would be saying if it happend to him.......

[Lord Merciless]

Someone earning a $300 fine must be driving extremely recklessly. I was one day driving 57 in a 35 zone, and near an elementary school. The fine I got was only $50 and 4 points.

[Provost Harrison]

Well there would be a good chance you'd wind up in court for that particular level of speeding (in light of location) over here...

Now don't get me wrong, I don't have an objection to the urban speed limits that stand, for the most part, they make sense. But as for motorways, I consider the 70mph limit completely and utterly pointless (and ignored). The police wouldn't hassle you unless you were going way, way above that speed...

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by Tassadar5000


I wonder what Ming would be saying if it happend to him.......

He already mentioned what he would say.

I generally don't speed. The sole exception is when I go to Penrith, which is about an hour away. It has an 80 k.p.h limit, I do 90, but a year ago the limit was 100. Police enforce the speed limit there quite often, but cars coming the other way warn us, so I never have been caught.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison
I'm with Ramo, the worst thing on motorways is tailgating, dangerous as well as incredibly annoying.

I hate that too. I normally slam my brake on hard, very briefly - enough to make the person right behind me think "Oh, ****, I'm going to have an accident." I normally only need do that once before they leave a decent gap between their car and mine.

[SpencerH]

But how many tickets have you talked your way out of? I can think of three. The first I was on my motorcycle coming back from the gym, not much traffic. I'm pumped and the light ahead (1/8 - 1/4) mile goes yellow. I gun it and I'm going about 90-100 as I go through the 'just red' light. Unfortunately, theres a cop sitting at the intersection. By the time he caught me near the base I was driving at normal speed (he couldnt have clocked me before). As it turned out my learners permit was the wrong one (for cars instead of bikes) but it wasnt my fault so he let me go

[Ming]

Originally posted by Tassadar5000
I wonder what Ming would be saying if it happend to him.......

I've been pulled over often for speeding.. and out of the last four times, I've been given a pass three times for be polite and honest with them, and treating them respect...

And the time I didn't get a pass... I went to driving school... no big deal. I was speeding so I deserved the ticket.

[1]

For one thing! I WAS RESPECTFUL! I was completely swallowed my pride when he had the audacity to ask if I've "broken the law before." The guy just a JERK. Some people ARE JUST JERKS. YES, I WAS driving fast... I was PASSING someone going DOWN a hill, OF COURSE I"D BE GOING FAST. No one was in the left lane, no chance of ramming someone. So the cop caught me at the moment and decided to be a *****! I would gladly pay a reduced fine, but 300 bucks for PASSING someone (I just missed my exit, btw, so if I missed the next one I'd be completely screwed). Its not like I was cruising down the highway at 97mph. And yes, I have been pulled over before.... I was just as nice then, and I did get off, the cop wasn't a pea brain apathetic @$$hole like this one was. Jeeze, so many assumptions were made about my demeanor and attitude while I was away.

[Eroberer]

Speed limits are so arbitrary. In my city in particular, there is a four lane road with no hidden entries and is not even a heavily trafficked area, that is a 35mph zone, where cops love to perch. You'd never guess the speed limit, and speed limit signs are so sparse on that road.

In Charleston where I was this weekend, there was a four lane road with a median in the middle, with a sign that said "Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft," which had NO speed limit signs on the portion that I was driving on!!! Just the speed limit enforced sign! So I was driving 60, and I hope like **** I got it right.

That said, the one time my dad was about to get a ticket when I was there, he talked his way out of it. The cop was nice, and my dad explained that he was from out of town, and hadn't seen a sign, and that we were just going to visit relatives.

[Ming]

You broke the law... you deserved the ticket... deal with it.

And from reading your post, I can only assume that even though you thought you were showing respect, your body language probably screamed "PIG"...

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Originally posted by Stefu Considering the 'mild rape' trial way back then (guy let off lightly because the act only took 5 minutes)

I can't get over that one

OTOH, perhaps they let him off lightly because the embarassment was punishment enough?

Oh yeah... $300 is a lot for a ticket, but tickets seem to be handed out situationally in my jurisdiction. If you don't realize the 'situation', though, they do seem arbitrary.

[Boris Godunov]

Ming, even you must acknowledge that while the issue of whether or not one is in violation of the law is black or white, the issue of severity of the fine is pretty much the discretion of the officer. And in this case, it seems to me like this officer stepped way over the lines of reasonableness. A $300 fine for speeding, especially if 1 wasn't going 90-100 mph, is ludicrous. This reeks of a cop being an unwarranted *****.

And surely you won't deny that some officers will push the limits of ethics to obtain their tickets. I've seen it myself many times, and heard the stories from other cops. In those instances, just because the speeder was in violation of the law doesn't make the excess of the officer just.

[Ming]

First... no matter what the cops do, YOU HAVE TO BE SPEEDING in the first place.

Second, in most states and counties, the amount of the fine is based on speed over the limit... NOT up to the cop. Now, if you are being an ass, and the cop wants to nail you for additional things like a broken tail light, or reckless driving (which is an opinion) that's up to the cop. But what I've seen, they will show you the same level of respect you show them. They are just doing their jobs... and their job is to ticket speeders...

Remember, if you don't speed, you won't be pulled over for speeding... IT'S THAT SIMPLE!

Again... all I hear is a bunch of whining from people who are complaining that they get busted when doing something illegal...