Budget Buster: speeding ticket. GRRR...

[eyeheartgoofy]

I picked up a shift in another store about 1 hour from my house today. I was happy to do it b/c I was getting paid drive time and mileage. More Disney money, right??

Ha! I took a wrong turn and got lost on the way home. I found myself in a very small, unfamiliar town. I was promptly pulled over and issued a ticket for going 30 in a 25 zone.

I got a failure to stop 20 years ago, but haven't had a thing since then. Sigh.

This extra shift is probably going to cost me more than I made.

[JOCAmom]

Aww, that really stinks. We have quite a few towns around here that are real sticklers for speed limits. I always have to remind my husband to watch his speed when we cross over into their jurisdiction.

I really hate those unexpected expenses that cut into my Disney fund.

[fakereadhed]

Show up for the court date instead of paying. If the police officer doesn't show it isn't a budget buster after all. It's worth a try!

[BridgetBordeaux]

Your story sounds reasonable and you have a clean record. 30 in a 25 is not all that much over. I would try going to court. The judge may just give you a verbal reprimand and drop the ticket itself.

The issue is not the 40 or 80 dollar fine, it is the potential for 3-4 years of increased insurance rates.

[seashoreCM]

Name that town (name those towns).

Let the rest of us know what towns to avoid driving through if possible.

Now perhaps those towns and their shopkeepers don't want strangers coming through anyway and will be happier also but we don't know that.

Can you be extra careful for the next few years? Including going in the direction of the arrow for your lane instead of trying to cut over at the last minute, stopping for pedestrians at a mid-block crosswalk, aiming to return to your metered space 10 minutes before the meter runs out, slowing down and also getting back behind a car you could not overtake briskly at the speed limit, etc. In some states your insurance rates go up for up to six years if you have a coupl'a minor violations, hopefully just one won't hurt.

[PatMcDuck]

In NJ, you go to court a little early. You see the LONG line of folks and get on the end. This is the line to the DA. They OFTEN change your ticket from speeding, unsafe lane change, whatever, to "unsafe operation". Unsafe operation is NO points but a larger fine. The towns love it, that fine goes to THEM, not the state. They do this for people like you, who have otherwise clean records, not for repeat offenders.

In NJ you would rather pay more $$ than take those points, because our insurance is the highest in the US, as far as I know.

I never knew ANY of this, until my sons each got a ticket. Ask around about how it works in your state/locality. Before learning this, I would have just mailed in the fine...... (I have had no ticket in the last 25 years, just lucky)

[mjkacmom]

Originally Posted by PatMcDuck

In NJ, you go to court a little early. You see the LONG line of folks and get on the end. This is the line to the DA. They OFTEN change your ticket from speeding, unsafe lane change, whatever, to "unsafe operation". Unsafe operation is NO points but a larger fine. The towns love it, that fine goes to THEM, not the state. They do this for people like you, who have otherwise clean records, not for repeat offenders.

In NJ you would rather pay more $$ than take those points, because our insurance is the highest in the US, as far as I know.

I never knew ANY of this, until my sons each got a ticket. Ask around about how it works in your state/locality. Before learning this, I would have just mailed in the fine...... (I have had no ticket in the last 25 years, just lucky)

I've done this, as has DH - fines are nothing compared to increased insurance rates and state surcharges here!

[Leajess99]

Originally Posted by eyeheartgoofy

I picked up a shift in another store about 1 hour from my house today. I was happy to do it b/c I was getting paid drive time and mileage. More Disney money, right??

Ha! I took a wrong turn and got lost on the way home. I found myself in a very small, unfamiliar town. I was promptly pulled over and issued a ticket for going 30 in a 25 zone.

I got a failure to stop 20 years ago, but haven't had a thing since then. Sigh.

This extra shift is probably going to cost me more than I made.

I would advise against paying it and go to court over it. You may be able to have it deferred or dropped altogether. There is a lot of great info online for fighting speeding tickets. I fought my speeding ticket last year (dumb butt cop pulled me over because of plates being from out of state and claimed I was doing 80 in a 70 which I was not and he was also moving on the opposite side of highway when making claim. wrote it up as plates were from home state when they were from California) and they just deferred it for 6 months in which I did not get another ticket because I normally do not speed so no money out or anything.

Good luck.

[tinkerjack]

Hello,

Did you ever consider that had you not made that wrong turn, something far worse may have occured? Like the Beatles say, "Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be." Even so, for only 5 miles over, I'd fight the ticket. Good luck, Jeffrey

[englishteacha]

Our last budget Boston trip ended up costing $250 because DH was pulled over for speeding about 2 miles from home. Bummer!

[victorandbellasmom]

I figure most cities are struggling with their budgets in this economy and are looking for ways to increase revenues. So I am really cautious about driving the speed limit + 4mph. My boss at work recently received a ticket for going 5mph over as well as my husband's grandmother. Both had never had a driving infraction before.

5mph over speed limit used to be the safe magic number to drive, but dh and I have readjusted down to 4mph over speed limit, but even that's not a guarantee.

I'd dispute the ticket though OP. Hugs to you

[rigs32]

Originally Posted by fakereadhed

Show up for the court date instead of paying. If the police officer doesn't show it isn't a budget buster after all. It's worth a try!

In many jurisdictions the court date is just to see if there's a plea offer. The officer need only show up for a trial date, which would be on yet another day/night.

[rigs32]

Originally Posted by PatMcDuck

In NJ, you go to court a little early. You see the LONG line of folks and get on the end. This is the line to the DA. They OFTEN change your ticket from speeding, unsafe lane change, whatever, to "unsafe operation". Unsafe operation is NO points but a larger fine. The towns love it, that fine goes to THEM, not the state. They do this for people like you, who have otherwise clean records, not for repeat offenders.

In NY, the standard non-speeding reduction is to Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device and the fines/surcharges STILL go to the state.

[rigs32]

Originally Posted by Leajess99

he was also moving on the opposite side of highway when making claim

Many speed detection devices these days are designed specifically to track the speed of oncoming traffic, so that alone doesn't discredit the ticket.

[Pappa Bear]

Originally Posted by rigs32

Many speed detection devices these days are designed specifically to track the speed of oncoming traffic, so that alone doesn't discredit the ticket.

This touches on a question I had when I read the OP. What was the basis of the officer's judgment that you were speeding? Radar? VASCAR? Or, was it that personal favorite of so many old time Southern redneck sheriff’s wearing reflector sunglasses. "Personal Judgment?"

For years now, local judges have refused to accept personal judgment speeding charges because they were abused so frequently for financial reasons. It may not matter in your jurisdiction but it sure does around here. An officer needs a measuring device for a speeding ticket. For DUI charges, some sort of video evidence, along w/breath test results are expected by most judges in this area.

If you decide to go to court it might be useful to ask for the basis of the charge if the officer did not tell you or write it on the citation.

Or, it might just aggravate the judge.