Got a ticket on bike, what to do? ... updated 12/14/09

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Just a little trivia here. Back in 1968 I paid an expensive lawyer to help save my license.

Ahhhh.....the 60's. What I remember of it was good. :roll:

Well, except for the part about getting married......... :shocked:

[alanmcorcoran]

I think Mr. Geyer has the wisest approach (except for the part about pleading mental incompetence - not sure I want that in the public record when looking for a job, applying for health insurance or running for office!)

I wish I was better at the slowing down and smelling the roses part. I have got about one ticket almost exactly every eighteen months of my driving career, for a total in the neighborhood of 18-20. About half of these were speeding tickets where I was clearly over the limit (more than 10 mph.) The rest were either BS or selective enforcement (like my last one, 75 mph on Interstate 15.) For thirty years I managed to time it so that I got a ticket just after the 18 month window for going to traffic school and, yes, I've been to traffic school about 18 times (three times on line!) I never went to court, even on the ones I thought were given in error, unfairly, or maliciously. My understanding is, if the cop shows up and says you are guilty, you are guilty. People out here do get tickets dismissed because the officer does not make it to court, but, even on the ones I thought I was "100% not guilty" I didn't want to risk losing anyway so I went with traffic school.

My luck ran out last February on the I-15 when I missed the cutoff by about two months, so I got the point (but at least I didn't have to do traffic school.) I did get an e-mail reminder about 60 days later from gototrafficschool.com that I was once again eligible. I switched my insurance from AllState to AAA. Allstate basically told me (well my wife, actually) to go eff myself after collecting nearly thirty years of premiums without a single accident claim. I guess customer loyalty only goes in one direction anymore.

Since getting the point I have resigned myself to no more than 5-9 miles over the posted limit even though it often means everyone else is swerving around me in frustration.

[burkbuilds]

According to John Tesh, yeah sometimes I listen to John Tesh, the best chance you've got to beat a speeding ticket is to call the clerks office and get your hearing date rescheduled. The reasoning is this, the cop who wrote your ticket schedules all his tickets for the same general time so he won't have to make multiple trips to court each week. If you can get the date changed for your ticket to another day, chances are fairly good that the cop won't make a special trip to the courthouse just for one traffic violation and without a witness (the cop) to say you are guilty, you get off! Might be worth a try.

[alanmcorcoran]

I've heard similar advice. Between jury duty, the State Board of Equalization, the IRS, the DMV, and (in-person) traffic school, I have developed a strong aversion to any contact with any government officials. I guess if my points go up any more I will change my tune and explore the options.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

I have resigned myself to no more than 5-9 miles over the posted limit

See my post, above! The equivalent of $150 for 11 km/hr (6-7 mph) over the limit. The thing is, I didn't do it deliberately. The speed just crept up while I was concentrating on the GOOD, STRAIGHT, TRAFFIC FREE, GOOD CONDITION, road that I was on. The only good thing is that as I was driving in Spain on an English licence, I didn't get points.

[GZ250]

Thanks for suggestions - I got the ticket from a real cop. We do have those mechanical tickets on intersections but those are simply to stop people from running the red/yellow light. That is $50 and simply pay and forget. In this case I just came out my community where we also have a STOP sign and it is single lane road. Less than a mile from that STOP sign I saw a cop behind me with flashing lights. He told me I did not stop at the STOP sign and I as 42 on 25. I told him I did make a stop for a short while and I have clean history so let me go with warning or reduce but he did not. He just gave a warning for STOP sign.

I am thinking of going to the Court house before my date and asking for alternatives. I am damn sure it was not 42, 35 or 38 would be reasonable. I do care for speed there because of neighborhood, school and cops (at this place they hide and sneak).

I have received letters from local lawyers that they can help. I will talk to some and if they take just $100 for fixing this its good otherwise I will try on my own or pray for justice as it is my first violation.

[dhgeyer]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

I think Mr. Geyer has the wisest approach (except for the part about pleading mental incompetence - not sure I want that in the public record when looking for a job, applying for health insurance or running for office!)

I'm not sure mental illness is any drawback to holding public office. In fact, I think it might be an asset. Have you looked at the way our "public servants" are behaving lately, and what they're doing to us? And I'm not especially directing that comment at either party or political orientation in particular. Mark Twain once described Congress as "That grand old benevolent asylum for the helpless". The more things change, the more they stay the same. :retard:

As to looking for a job or getting health insurance, it would be unethical at least and possibly illegal not to disclose any pre-existing conditions. Bipolar syndrome is fairly manageable these days in most cases, and now that our daughter is being treated it's not a serious issue. It will become less so as time goes on, her treatment is refined, and she learns to manage it. This all happened to us over the past Summer, and, of course, we have done much to learn all we can about this illness. Untreated it can and does destroy lives. Treated, the prognosis is very good. You would be amazed if you knew about some of the household names, leaders, celebrities, artists, scientists, authors, and so on who are bipolar.

[dhgeyer]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Between jury duty, the State Board of Equalization, the IRS, the DMV, and (in-person) traffic school, I have developed a strong aversion to any contact with any government officials.

:plus1:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by GZ250

I am damn sure it was not 42, 35 or 38 would be reasonable.

No offense intended here but......if you don't really know EXACTLY what your speed WAS, you can't be sure it wasn't 42. "Reasonable" has nothing to do with it.

[Water Warrior 2]

ER has a point. IF you aren't absolutely positive then you probably were going that fast. A lot of us will ride at a speed that feels right but is actually over the limit. Also, the posted limit is the maximum allowed under ideal conditions.