Finally got busted...at least not triple digits

2093 Views 22 Replies 19 Participants Last post by ualdriver, Nov 13, 2005

barry007

Discussion Starter · Nov 8, 2005

so there i am leisurely driving to dinner saturday night (115) on one of our more rural freeways (M-14W). The ole Valentine is silent and all is well. I see up ahead (1/4mile or so) some brake lights being hit, so i let off the gas and coast - still no warning ---and then WHAMMY - laser by a state trooper. SOB, *$%*^&^& is all that came out of my mouth. I hope he was cold sitting there with his window open in 40degree weather.

Sure enough he got me at 89 and wrote me for 89/70. He showed no love at all and was quite annoyed with my standard response to his "do you know why i pulled you over this evening" - "No sir" - "did you know you were speeding" - "no sir, the last i checked i was within the speed limit".

I can't wait to take this one to court...wait a sec, i can. I'll see that officer next year some time.

B

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

heavymetals

· #2 · Nov 8, 2005

Well at least you didn't spend the night in the joint.

Whatever happened to the guy that happened to anyway?
Has he gone to court yet?

Hope it all works out for you.

Jack Ammann

· #3 · Nov 8, 2005

barry007 said:
The ole Valentine is silent and all is well. I see up ahead (1/4mile or so) some brake lights being hit, so i let off the gas and coast - still no warning ---and then WHAMMY - laser by a state trooper.
B

Barry...does your Valentine One (V 1) have Laser receiving capabilities? I would have thought your V 1 would have lit up when the Trooper "shot" the car ahead of you. I have an older version of a V 1 and Mike (Valentine) has been "buggin'" me for 4 years to send mine in for an upgrade/repacement to the latest configuration. But down here in Texas, we have no Laser and my "old" V 1 works just fine with the K-Band the Troopers use...in fact it'll "light up" 3 to 4 miles out when the Cop "shoots" the car ahead of me.

Good luck with the Ticket. Maybe you can get a "deferred adjudication" with a 30, 60, or 90 day probation...like if you get no more tickets during the probation period, they just dismiss the whole thing...they do that down here.

Anyway...the best luck to you.

Jack

NIK

· #4 · Nov 8, 2005

You were caught doing 89 in a 70 zone - not to be an as*hole, but what are you fighting? I grant you that 89 is not hard to hit, but if you admit to being caught at that speed, what's the issue? Again, I'm not trying to be an idiot, just trying to understand.

ccclarke

· #5 · Nov 8, 2005

Laser and radar work on a similar principle, where the emitter signal's reflected receiving time is measured to gauge speed. The BIG difference though is in the size emitters's signal beamwidth. K Band is easy to pick up miles away (depending on terrain and other factors) due to dispersal from reflected energy. A laser beam is much more narrow, so your chances of picking up reflected energy are minimal, --Another reason cops employ it. If you've ever shined a low-powered (5mw) laser beam on a surface a few hundred feet away, the beam isnt real big -- about the size of a quarter.

The main reason cops use laser is accuracy. With two vehicles side by side, a good operator can "paint" individual vehicles accurately and it will hold up in court. Laser detectors are good for one thing: Classifying what got you; don't count on to protect your driving record except in rare cases. That's why one of the best avoidance cues is brake lights activated (a common reaction by drivers upon seeing a parked partol vehicle, even if they aren't speeding) on a seemingly benign stretch of road.

Any detector is better than no detector, but employment of the MK 1 Mod 1 brain is your best defence. Know their usual hiding places, and watch for cues from drivers ahead, and behind. And then of course, factor in unmarked cars, and the challenge of hunting the hunters grows exponentially! Stay safe!!

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CTSV04

· #6 · Nov 8, 2005

For anyone who believes we don't have laser in Texas BEWARE! We have laser in Dallas. Just yesterday my Passport went nuts when hit by a laser in Flower Mound (suburb of Dallas). Also, I've been hit numerous times in other locations across the metroplex.

Vdrenaline

· #7 · Nov 8, 2005

Barry,
Good job not admitting to anything to the patrolman.
Definitely go to court on this and plea it down to a lesser offence. You may even get a non-points ticket with a big fine if you are lucky. More likely you will get a much reduced violation with 2 points. Call the court and speak with the clerk to ask her (his) advice on how to best proceed. She may tell you just come to the court and speak with the district attorney or prosecuting attorny before court begins. Tell him/her that you drive for a living and your insurance is high already and you would really appreciate a non-points violation and that you'll pay any fine he thinks is fair. Do your research. If its known as a tough court, hire an attorney. Ask the court clerk what attorney is most successfull and/ or wired into the court. Many times, former D.A.'s and former judges act as defense attorneys and their clients get preferential treatment.
Always try to get the ticket dismissed or reduced because your insurance rates will rise and stay high for a while. Also most cops now have a laptop in their car that will show your complete driving record. The less violations the better when they are deciding weather to cut you a break or not.
Good luck and contact me if you need any advice.

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keeksv

· #8 · Nov 8, 2005

Go to court. You're entitled to a hearing. You can always plead guilty with some kind of explanation, especially if the officer shows up. If he/she doesn't show....well go home with a smile on your face.

Best thing to do, in my experience, is to stress your previously stellar driving record (if you have one). You can always enroll in driving school before your hearing and tell the judge this. Otherwise, without some very creative lawyering, you may not have much of a case. One thing that is good is that it sounds like you were cooperative and not combative during the stop. This is the first thing the judge asks of the officer many times.

These traffic court judges don't want to hear excuses for why you were driving fast, or going through stop signs. It will most likely matter that you care enough about your driving record that you took the time to come to court. Be pleasant, show remorse, etc. Watch out though, as the judge has the power to increase your fine...

ew

Koooop

· #9 · Nov 8, 2005

NIK said:
You were caught doing 89 in a 70 zone - not to be an as*hole, but what are you fighting? I grant you that 89 is not hard to hit, but if you admit to being caught at that speed, what's the issue? Again, I'm not trying to be an idiot, just trying to understand.

Three good reasons to fight::want:

1) Michael Jackson
2) OJ simpson
3) Robert Blake

You can't win if you don't fight.

turbojimmy

· #10 · Nov 8, 2005

Vdrenaline said:
Also most cops now have a laptop in their car that will show your complete driving record. The less violations the better when they are deciding weather to cut you a break or not.

Tell me about it. I got nailed going 84 in a 65 a few weeks ago in the DTS. The cop asked me how my record was, and I said 'okay'. His opinion was that it was not okay, so he decided to make it worse with a fat speeding ticket. I have a lot of 'activity' but no recent (past 5 years) convictions for moving violations. I've been able to negotiate other things with the prosecutors (and the help of a lawyer).

I'm going to court on 11/22 to fight this one. We're going for an obstructed view fine since a bird had exploded on my windshield seconds before I got pulled over (actually I didn't get pulled over, I stopped when the bird hit the windshield - the cop pulled up behind me). Obstructed view is a long shot, so I'm hoping to plead down to unsafe operation which carries no points. Since it's a 4 point ticket, worst case is I'll plead down to a 2-point ticket but that will affect my insurance.

Always, always fight your tickets. Speeding is very cut-and-dry, no doubt about it. But there's no reason to bend over and simply pay the fine. It's very hard to come out of court worse than when you came in. All the municipalities want is money - they don't care about the points.

Jim

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CTSV05

· #11 · Nov 8, 2005

It is definitely true if you have a good record you'll get some slack.

I haven't had any type of violation , except seatbelt since '83, I scraped a car with our kennel carrier on the RV making a turn.

I gave all pertinent info, but she called the cops anyway. He arrived and after finding I had done all by the book, and was void of any record, he became very impatient with her.

He and I became fast "friends" :cool2: after she left, and he even came to court to testify on my behalf, he helped me get a moving violation down to a muffler charge:highfive:

Then a Highway Patrolman stopped me in the 'Burb while humping along with the trailer on an Amerilift delivery, and after finding I was clean

he let me go with a warning:tisk:

So it helps being a good boy:thumbsup:

Luna.

· #12 · Nov 8, 2005

turbojimmy said:
Always, always fight your tickets. Speeding is very cut-and-dry, no doubt about it. But there's no reason to bend over and simply pay the fine. It's very hard to come out of court worse than when you came in. All the municipalities want is money - they don't care about the points.

Jim

In California, success is often impacted by what you are written up for. The two most common vehicle codes ("VC") violated for speeding are 22350 or 22349. For those of you in CA that have received speeding tickets, take a look at your ticket and you have about a 99.5% chance that it's one of these 2 VCs.

For 22350, the law is commonly referred to as the "basic speed law." What this basically says is that you are driving at an unreasonable speed given certain factors, like visibility, traffic on the road, weather, the surface and width of the road and so forth.

NOWHERE does it mention a speed in it, nor does it say you broke the law because you exceeded the posted speed limit. Yes, it will be up to you to prove that the speed you were traveling wasn't unreasonable/unsafe, but, given what the law says, it's vastly easier to beat than a 22349.

VC 22349, on the other hand, says that, unless posted otherwise (i.e. 70mph), you are breaking the law if you drive over 65. This one is MUCH harder to beat as, technically, you are breaking the law doing 66!! Now, no officers in his right mind will ever write you up for doing up to 70, but the law says you can't go over 65.

Many, many years ago I argued with an officer and basically had him admit that he couldn't guarantee that he paced me doing 80, which is what he wrote me up for. The traffic commissioner, however, pretty much believed I wasn't doing 80, but did believe I was traveling > 65. Translation? GUILTY... UGH... (if only I knew then what I know now...)

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OldRoadDawg

· #13 · Nov 9, 2005

Luna. said:
In California, success is often impacted by what you are written up for. The two most common vehicle codes ("VC") violated for speeding are 22350 or 22349.

And the really expensive part of 22349VC is subsection (b) . . .

22348. (b) A person who drives a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than 100 miles per hour is guilty of an infraction punishable, as follows: (1) Upon a first conviction of a violation of this subdivision, by a fine of not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500). The court may also suspend the privilege of the person to operate a motor vehicle for a period not to exceed 30 days pursuant to Section 13200.5. (2) Upon a conviction under this subdivision of an offense that occurred within three years of a prior offense resulting in a conviction of an offense under this subdivision, by a fine of not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars ($750). The person's privilege to operate a motor vehicle shall be suspended by the Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 13355.

Add in the court costs (usually an equal amount) and it gets very pricey. :bonkers:

crowan

· #14 · Nov 9, 2005

koop said:
Three good reasons to fight::want:

1) Michael Jackson
2) OJ simpson
3) Robert Blake

You can't win if you don't fight.

:histeric: :histeric: :histeric: :histeric:

Truer words were never spoken!

CR

barry007

Discussion Starter · #15 · Nov 9, 2005

Jack Ammann said:
Barry...does your Valentine One (V 1) have Laser receiving capabilities? I would have thought your V 1 would have lit up when the Trooper "shot" the car ahead of you. I have an older version of a V 1 and Mike (Valentine) has been "buggin'" me for 4 years to send mine in for an upgrade/repacement to the latest configuration. But down here in Texas, we have no Laser and my "old" V 1 works just fine with the K-Band the Troopers use...in fact it'll "light up" 3 to 4 miles out when the Cop "shoots" the car ahead of me.

Good luck with the Ticket. Maybe you can get a "deferred adjudication" with a 30, 60, or 90 day probation...like if you get no more tickets during the probation period, they just dismiss the whole thing...they do that down here.

Anyway...the best luck to you.

Jack

V1 does p/u laser - it went 0 to full blown chaos in about a millisecond...too late to do anything. like i said, very little traffic on the road.

Our judges here in MI get there election money from insurance companies, hence no probations anymore. Sometimes you can plead to blocking traffic but need to get lucky.

Don't worry, i'll be fighting this one. i'll call for my court date the very last minute, post-pone the court date as many times as possible (sometimes 2-4 times). hopefully it will be early spring before i have to fight this one...maybe the state trooper will be at a different post by then or on vacation, or laid off, something.

B
PS
NIK - you fight it because you can.

rand49er

· #16 · Nov 9, 2005

Geez, Barry, I travel M-14 now and again, and I rarely see smoky out there. At least you slowed down those precious 26 mph from 115! Good luck. (Can't you claim you were in a V and the judge will understand? Let him/her drive it, maybe that would convince them ... on second thought, maybe it would be worse!):hmm:

Flyboy

· #17 · Nov 9, 2005

Barry, that's why I sold my V1.....loved it. But......when the Michigan State Trooper:cop: "lasered" me on I-94, the "detecter" was simply telling me I was getting pulled over. I have a PERFECT driving record. The Trooper lasered me doing 90 in a 70. Wrote the ticket for 90 in a 70:wtf:

Anyway, my attorney went to court twice, the officer nevered show......ticket dismissed.

Good luck, hope your's turns out as good as mine did:thumbsup:

barry007

Discussion Starter · #18 · Nov 9, 2005

flyboy, we outta meet up sometime - you're so close. i've got to see the 12.84 machine...come to think of it how does "1284 V" sound as a plate?

Yep, the V1 told me I was busted. My buds I was having dinner with are from way back (when i was really stupid)..they asked why i didn't run like i used too. honestly, i don't know why i didn't come to think of it.

Let's work it out, i would have been to 160+ by the time he took the donuts off his lap and covered his coffee. i would surely have been able to get a few miles on him...damn, should have.

B

malcolm

· #19 · Nov 10, 2005

crowan said:
:histeric: :histeric: :histeric: :histeric:

Truer words were never spoken!

CR

Yeah, Michael Jackson got off cause he's white.:histeric:

Flyboy

· #20 · Nov 10, 2005

Yeah, we need to meet. My Personalized plate reads 1MEANV. The car is getting a "line lock" installed this week. It'll make the burnouts at the strip so much easier.

My email is: [email protected] Message me anytime.

Jimmy

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