[immiketoo]

Its one of the most frustrating things I see whenever I get back from overseas. Some douchebag driving 47.5 in the left lane eating a cheeseburger while steering with their knee and talking on the phone... If I had the power, I'd instantly yank their license since its obvious their too stupid to drive...

[KingOfJericho]

First, I am in the area as well (actually commute to Stamford every day) and know full well that if I'm going over 70, I'm at risk of getting a ticket. State troopers are almost ALWAYS at one of the rest areas or on top of the hill at exit 9. It's just not a place to speed (the Merritt is a different story...). The limit is 55 on i95 so 85 is standing out from the flow of traffic. I drive this road at least 2-4 times every day and many more on a weekend and anyone going over 70 definitely stands out which is why you were pulled over. Frankly, I'm thrilled if I can break 40mph on that stretch because traffic is always dense.

Now, as for fighting it... You've done this a few times before, I'm sure. Go and talk to the assistant DA and tell them you simply were not going as fast as they said and they will more than likely reduce the amount. The worst case is that they change nothing and you have to pay.

Edit: Just realized you had your license suspended four times. There's a very good chance you're going to lose your license for a while. You'll need a lawyer for this one... Man, you said you were reckless when you were younger but lost it twice last summer!?!? Damn dude, slow the eff down!!

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

First, I am in the area as well (actually commute to Stamford every day) and know full well that if I'm going over 70, I'm at risk of getting a ticket. State troopers are almost ALWAYS at one of the rest areas or on top of the hill at exit 9. It's just not a place to speed (the Merritt is a different story...). The limit is 55 on i95 so 85 is standing out from the flow of traffic. I drive this road at least 2-4 times every day and many more on a weekend and anyone going over 70 definitely stands out which is why you were pulled over. Frankly, I'm thrilled if I can break 40mph on that stretch because traffic is always dense.

Now, as for fighting it... You've done this a few times before, I'm sure. Go and talk to the assistant DA and tell them you simply were not going as fast as they said and they will more than likely reduce the amount. The worst case is that they change nothing and you have to pay.

Edit: Just realized you had your license suspended four times. There's a very good chance you're going to lose your license for a while. You'll need a lawyer for this one... Man, you said you were reckless when you were younger but lost it twice last summer!?!? Damn dude, slow the eff down!!

I was on I95 South.

I got suspended twice because 4 tickets in 2 years is a suspension. I had 5 thus two suspensions.

Since then I got a ticket once at the beginning of this year for driving my drunk friends home in his car, passed a car at 3am on the right while on cruise control 75 in 65.

Now I got this. It was 3 am and practically almost no cars out.

I already have a lawyer, but he's going to charge me $500 this time...

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by maswastage

So...judges and cops are suddenly experts on automobiles and automotive safety? Puh-lease. Judges are experts in the law, and cops are experts in enforcing the law. That does not mean that the law (in this case, speed limits) is correct.

Research has shown that the less restrictions you place on motorists, the safer they drive. Case in point- unrestricted autobahn's have less accident's per vehicle than those with speed limits. Second case-in-point, the social experiment in....well crap, I forgot where it was, but essentially they removed all signs, speed limits, and stoplights from a busy city intersection and found that the traffic flow actually smoothed out and there were less crashes. I have to look it up again to see what the details were.

But it is waaay too politically incorrect to suggest that speed limits be updated or (gasp!) removed, because people have been brainwashed into thinking that speed kills and is the root of all evil on the motorway. So we're stuck with traffic laws and speed limits from 60 years ago.

This all relates to the topic at hand because what I'm saying is that the OP did not deserve to get a ticket, in this case.

completely agree. my mentality is that I won't speed on anything but the highway where there are no pedestrians. On an empty highway going fast, it honestly just skipped my mind. I didn't realize how fast I was going.

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by UltimateBMW

Sorry, I think you were missing the point of my original comment. My point is, as right as you might be, or might think you are. It doesn't matter as you are a citizen, a 'nobody'. Just another voice bitching about getting a ticket that the law enforcement has to deal with.

Whether your right, wrong, expert, or layman doesn't matter. To everyone else but you, your just some guy spouting wishful conjecture in the form of ideals and how things 'should be'. Effectively of little significance since you don't actually hold the role of enforcer.



Again, no where in any of my posts have I even begun to touch on the topic of what is or isn't actually considered safe. I have no opinion or opposition to your stance on that topic here in this thread.



This last statement of yours was pure conjecture. Unless I'm just missing something important here, in the form of you knowing the OP personally outside of these forums, I don't believe you can truly know if it was deserved or not. The OP didn't even provide a picture, movie, or any valid information of what went down or how he was truly driving. He was just at odds because his ticket toll has stacked up to the point of dispare.

Just for good measure, the OP isn't even complaining about getting the ticket. Let alone contesting its justification. It happened and now he is concerned with how he should handle it.

Oh thank god for actual reading comprehension...

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

Perhaps it's job knowledge and experience combined with statistical analysis of all types of motor vehicle crashes as part of their training that qualifies cops or judges to have an opinion on what constitutes safe driving.

You are correct that speed alone doesn't cause crashes, its the combination of speed and the a-hole behind the wheel that cause crashes. It's the ease with which drivers can exceed the abilities of their car or their own skills that cause accidents, and all of the things you mentioned above are contributing factors, but it still comes down to the driver.

I agree with you about the speed limits being out dated, but I disagree that they are arbitrary. Take an average 1971 american made vehicle and try and drive it at the speeds you can safely drive a comparable modern car and tell me what you think then.

In our societey of short attention spans, easily provoked anger and distractions, it's no wonder we don't have more crashes. Especially considering that YOU might be in perfect control of your car and the other distratcted/debilitated/stupid driver then crashes into you...

To the OP, either you really draw attention to yourself, behave poorly when stopped by officers, or you have seriously BAD karma. No matter which one of the above it is, I would suggest modifying your behavior.

I completely agree with the last comment.

I always treat the officer with respect even if i'm aggravated at the situation.

If you met me you would understand, the car is practically murdered out. There ya go there's the attention I'm bringing to myself. My driving is not erratic by any means. Realistically speaking I could explain every single one of my tickets and I could make sense of each one, but in that regard, I believe I have some bad luck. From driving my drunk friends home to getting a stop sign ticket for "stopping but not for full 3 seconds" at 2am with no traffic. It happens.



My point to the thread was for some advice/suggestions. If you want to bash me without actually knowing me, go ahead, doesn't bother me since none of you know me...

[graider]

damn, that's lot of ticket bro. i would go to the court and they usually give you chance to reduce the fine and point. atleast that's how it works here in canada.

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by graider

damn, that's lot of ticket bro. i would go to the court and they usually give you chance to reduce the fine and point. atleast that's how it works here in canada.

yea im going to go down. i've got a lawyer that i used last time, he's pretty good. i wonder if there's a better stamford lawyer though that would charge me less.

[Hawkeye]

I would not do 30 over the speed limit if I had 5 tickets the two years before (even if it was in 3 years) and knew my license would be suspended if I got another one. That is just plain dumb.

If I was you I would turn in my keys for a while and see how hard it is without a car. It does wonders for your temperment and lead foot if you know the consequences. I had my license suspended after 11 tickets when I was 17 (I got a good # of them thrown out). In the 7 years since I got my license back I have only got one ticket, and I "speed" all the time, just not as noticably to others apparently.

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

I would not do 30 over the speed limit if I had 5 tickets the two years before (even if it was in 3 years) and knew my license would be suspended if I got another one. That is just plain dumb.

If I was you I would turn in my keys for a while and see how hard it is without a car. It does wonders for your temperment and lead foot if you know the consequences. I had my license suspended after 11 tickets when I was 17 (I got a good # of them thrown out). In the 7 years since I got my license back I have only got one ticket, and I "speed" all the time, just not as noticably to others apparently.

i agree. i've put my car up for sale the same day i got the ticket. it's in FS section and on autotrader. I'm driving the beater from now on for a while.

[immiketoo]

Hey I'm not bashing you, only suggesting that you look at what the common thread is regarding all of your tickets. It's very easy to create a "look" that stands out and brings attention to your car, even without driving like a cock. I know, because I see it daily. And, having driven like a cock, I find that I bring too much attention to myself, so I stopped. There is a saying, "Perception is greater than reality," and I think this might apply to you unfortunately. Look at it from a marketing standpoint. You need to re-brand yourself, and if you are driving a murdered car or driving like a cock, you bring attention to yourself. Get a 10 year old STOCK Toyota in that awful blue color they paint cars in and I guarantee invisibility, even with mild cock-like behavior. Either way, good luck with your ticket...

[darkphantom]

get a chauffeur if you can afford all those speeding tickets + lawyer

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

Hey I'm not bashing you, only suggesting that you look at what the common thread is regarding all of your tickets. It's very easy to create a "look" that stands out and brings attention to your car, even without driving like a cock. I know, because I see it daily. And, having driven like a cock, I find that I bring too much attention to myself, so I stopped. There is a saying, "Perception is greater than reality," and I think this might apply to you unfortunately. Look at it from a marketing standpoint. You need to re-brand yourself, and if you are driving a murdered car or driving like a cock, you bring attention to yourself. Get a 10 year old STOCK Toyota in that awful blue color they paint cars in and I guarantee invisibility, even with mild cock-like behavior. Either way, good luck with your ticket...

yea that's why it's up for sale. going to get a beater truck for a year or two until all this nonsense clears up...