$125 Speeding Ticket for driving 5 miles over posted limit!!!!?

LARRY J7

In Texas
the most common defense put up by defense attorneys here (that are successful in such cases) hinges around the date that the radar equipment was last "certified" !! This has to be done on a regular basis (don't have any idea in the world what that statute is in CT ) And, if the equipment used to clock your speed is "out of certification"--and many that are in use are--- the readings that it was giving on that day can not been held as reliable --- and. therefore can not be held as "evidence" of ANYTHING !!!

Just a thought for you !!
Sorry that this happened -- some cops are SO gung-ho that they'd have a tendency to arrest themselves if they thought for a second that they could get out of paying the fine !!!

miss lacey

the speed limit is the limit. that 5 mph "wiggle" room is mostly dependant on what side of bed the cop woke up on that morning

xbamabadboyx

Go to the courthouse and take 125 bucks with you.
You don't have to go to court
And 125 bucks for going 5 over is ridiculous

leroy jenkins

OMG I WENT OVER THE SPEED LIMIT AND I GOT A TICKET! WTF?!?!

ok...listen...you went over the limit and got a ticket..yeah you should have the wiggle room but you were speeding..and got caught..

going to court would cost you even more money..

and the "wiggle" room isnt a law..its more like passed down drivers advice.

you speed..you get caught..you get fined..its legal..deal with it.

Christopher G

You don't want to plead not guilty because then you have to go to court and state your case which you already said you did speed so you will lose and then not only have to pay the fine but also court cost.

gomanyes562

This seems pretty ridiculous to me. However, in most states, exceeding the speed limit is prima facie evidence of illegal behavior, so you don't have any legal defense.

The 5 mph wiggle room is not a law, it's just an informal policy used by most police departments to account for inaccurate radar and such.

You can go to court if you want, but I don't know if you'll get anywhere.

ABCDEF U

you dont come up w/ something, when you go to court, there going to give you the 125 + court costs............

Lavrenti Beria

A congressman got caught in one of those speed traps a few years ago and managed to sink millions in fed funding for the town in reprisal - LOL!

Mike

If the ticket says you were 5 miles over the limit, the TRUTH is usually that you were 15-20 miles over. Cops do this so that you will ONLY get a fine, not arrested or lose your license for a far more serious violation. By the way, is this your FIRST offense? When they call in your license, they do a check to see if you have a prior offense on record. If so, the officer checks a MUCH HIGHER FINE, because you had previously broken the same law.

D squared

Hate to tell you but, most states have zero tolerance laws for going above the limit. It is up to the Officers discretion whether to issue a ticket or not. Sounds to me like you were pissed about being stopped and got an attitude. You can fight it if you wish or even not pay it. You are only harming yourself in the long run.

Barry auh2o

Let me explain something. The police and EMT's are sick and tired of scraping people's bodies off the insides of a car which was involved in an accident because of speeding. you speed, you get written up.

Also, the fine itself was probably very low, but after they add on court charges, EMT surcharge,. fuel surcharge and all sorts of other things , the cost of the ticket obviously went through the roof.

You can try to defend yourself, but be assured, the judge has heard it before.

If it'll make you feel any better, CT is one of the hardest states on speeding in the country. If you think CT is rough, try speeding in Virginia.

Barry C

Its the cops discretion.

too bad for you - I am sure the discretion has worked in your benefit many times over the last 15 years. C'est la vie.

Unlike a preovious poster said, you will not be able to make this an "all day affair"

Seriously, your mostr likely chance is if th cop doesn't show u, or if he testifies by rote and remembers the wrong case (happened to me once, but it was not a speeding case).

Other then that, you better take more then 125 to court if CT is like CA becaus ethere will be various other fees tacked on.

In CA, the amount you pay in fees could be like 80% or more of the fine. So you might want to check into that!

Also, be prepared to do what it takes to keep this from affecting your insurance liek drivers school if available, because otherwise youwill be paying some more every year for a while!

CGIV76

The law is the law. Even if you were driving 51mph, you violated the speed limit. It may seem ridiculous to you, but it doesn't change the law, or the officer's duty to enforce it.
Technically and factually, exceeding the posted speed limit is a violation, and if you admit that you were going that fast, then you have no defense.

vtecpakiness

your lucky actually, here in northern cali a speeding ticket even if u go 5mph over the limit is around 300.00

FaZizzle

You sped. You even admit that you sped.

No judge in this world is going to agree with you no matter what your excuse. There's a posted speed limit sign, and even going a single mile over is speeding. It wasn't an emergency.

Just because the average cop gives drivers a 5 mile wiggle room doesn't mean that you aren't guilty.

My advice? Stop whining and trying to fight and just pay the ticket. Welcome to the real world.

"The ticket says the limit is 50mph and that my actual speed was 55 mph. (On CT State Route 63, between Naugatuck and Bethany; clear sunny conditions).
My understanding is that drivers generally have 5 mile "wiggle room" around posted limits. If this is true, how is fining me legal? "

How is that not admitting it?! If you didn't admit it there, you wouldn't have even MENTIONED that drivers have a 5 mile 'wiggle room'.

I know you're upset, but now it's time to just get on with life. Is this REALLY worth it? No.

They change the law that you can only drive 3 mph up the speed limit... Any higher would be speeding... Everywhere is different... I'm in Calif. that their speeding law...

Your really unlucky that day... You should of ask if the police use a radar... If he/she didnt you could of got off... You might get lucky and the officer won't show up... I know alot of people got off from speeding ticket..

CuteYoungCop

it sounds like a rookie got you. No veteran cop would write a ticket for just 5mph over. If it was a rookie, then make a big deal about that.

here is a few tips

demand a trial
dont waive your right to a speedy trial - in ohio you have to be tried and convicted w/ in 30 days. Most Courts Cannot get it done in 30 days.
see if the cop got you with radar or laser or estimated your speed.
plead not guilty and then ask to speak to the prosecuting attorney.
you will get a chance to speak to the prosecutor just before trial, and explain to him that this ticket is totally bogus
explain to him that you will draw this out into an all day trial if needed, and will go public. Most likely the prosecutor will drop the case, because he will think its stupid to waste his time on a 5 mph over case, when he can go after real crimminals.
write a letter to the editor, and file a complaint against the officer, this will put political and departmental pressure on him
Never ever admit guilt, you were doing the speed limit.
Most radars are off 2-3 MPH
Stand up for your rights!!!!

linda

Its coz you're black haa. I advise you to use that in court, especially if the cop who pulled you over is white. Say you were going the same speed as the rest of the traffic and wonder why none of them got pulled over, including the ones who were going much faster. Say this is a sad sad world we are living in and then also bring up the fact that you've never received a speeding ticket either! But mainly the black thing hahaha. Good luck.

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