What is Digg?177 Comments
- CraigJ, on 10/12/2007, -1/+54That's what I thought until my insurance went up $800 a year.
- black27696, on 10/12/2007, -6/+54Another good way is to drive a spy car that turns in to a different vehicle, like inspector gaget. THEN you can lose the cop, turn your car in to a van, and no one's the wiser.
- shifty2, on 10/12/2007, -7/+51For those of you who get speeding tickets, here is a great way to get out of a ticket based on technicalities and luck.
when you get caught for speeding ALWAYS ask the cop to see the radar gun's reading. ALWAYS!! they have to show it to you as proof of your violation.
if the cop doesnt show it to you or claims he cleared the reading, and he still gives you the ticket you can claim that the cop didnt show your the reading in court and the judge has to throw out the ticket since you asked for proof and didn't get it. you'd be surprised how many people NEVER ask for the radar gun to be shown to them.
if that doesnt work, when you go to court, ask the judge to have the cop show the calibration records of the radar gun and his training certification.
many state and local PD's require cops to regularly test the radar guns and do re-certification of the use of a radar gun. if the cop can not produce those records right then and there, the case is dismissed.
I got out of a 90 in a 65 in VA on 81 at 2AM, the cop showed me the radar gun reading, which was correct, but in court he couldnt show his current training certification. I got out of a $200+ ticket. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -8/+51Here's a better idea: Move bitch get out the way.
- nutsackninja, on 10/12/2007, -12/+51Simple solution be a real man make your girlfriend pay for the ticket.
- justintsmith, on 10/12/2007, -2/+22Do you know how fast you were going?
Uhh.. 65?
63
Isn't the speed limit 65?
Yeah. It is. - lburgguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19It's not about the dollar penalty on the ticket, it's about your future insurance rates. Fighting and winning one speeding ticket case could save you thousands on your auto insurance...even Geico.
- joeshlub, on 10/12/2007, -6/+24your point of view assumes the law is appropriate. Haven't you ever gone 70 on the highway when the speed limit was 65? gone 30 in a 25? I bet you have. Everyone has. Speed limits are rarely appropriate. They're good guidance, but if you honestly think that if a cop clocks me at 30 in a 25, i should bend down and let the law ***** me just because they want me to go 5 miles an hour slower?
That, and speed limits don't take into account driver skill and the cars handling. I bet there are people in cars out there that can drive 75 in a 65 more safely than someone of less skill in a crappier vehicle can drive 55. So who's to say that the formula 1 driver in a Bugatti can't drive a little faster than gramps in his lincoln town car? Only an idiot.
I don't think there should be speeding tickets. Either it's reckless driving, or the cop should shut the ***** up and give you a warning. I mean think about it. If your not driving recklessly, then why the hell are they hassling you? Because of an arbitrary speed limit? Were the people that drove 65 on the highway back when the national speed limit was 55 not safe?
Take your head out of your ass and question laws around you. Just because your momma the government tells you something doesn't mean you should obey it at face value. To me, speeding is civil disobedience.
And I apologize for the condescending attitude, you know how easy it is to flame people when it's this impersonal and they hold a viewpoint you find to be stupid. - datastorageguy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19You're always in a hurry aren't you.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20Also, be sure to delay your initial court hearing. There's a small chance that the officer will forget it was moved and not show up. Worked for me back when I was young and dumb. Hopefully it will continue to work for me in the future, because I'm still quite dumb on the road.
- captaincoconut, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19I avoid getting traffic tickets in the first place by outrunning the cops and finding the nearest Pay n Spray.
- FloppyLlamaDigg, on 10/12/2007, -8/+24What if I'm in a hurry?
- hadiz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16I've always heard to dispute the ticket in court, no matter what and plead no contest. That way the judge sees that you are at least making an effort, and at the very least will either withhold points or drop the fine. Best case scenario he'll throw the ticket out altogether.
- betterth, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17Easiest way to handle this?
Learn your local laws. There are many traffic violation codes that the police officer can use (he can cite any number of laws). Be very polite. When he approaches your car, hands on the steering wheel palm up, clearly visible. Have any passengers put their hands, palm up on the dash. When he is approaching your car this is the most nerve racking point. By showing this little bit of respect I've floored a couple cops before. They literally thank you outright for it.
Don't lie!!! Let me repeat this! DO NOT LIE. He knows why he pulled you over. He knows what you did. If you lie to him, you have a sure fire way to get a ticket.
When he says, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" you respond with something like "With all due respect sir, that question has the potential to be self-incriminating and on those grounds I am not comfortable answering". or something similar. Remember, if you admit to speeding, they're usually recording this and it's an admission of guilt - he wins no matter what you try.
Now, don't try to get out of the ticket. You sped. You broke the law. Oh boo hoo. Fines are the taxes of driving fast. Deal or drive slower.
What you can do however, is like I said above, know the citation numbers. He will most likely cite you under a speeding citation, which cares a fine and points.
You can ask politely however, if he wouldn't mind citing you under a different traffic violation citation. All states have a "catch-all" citation that carries a small fine and no points. if you know the citation, ask him to cite you under that.
You pay a small fine, you were respectful and nice, and the officer isn't hurting his quota and still looks good on paper. Best of all, no points, and your insurance stays the same. - ngmcs8203, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13If you ever want to piss of a cop ask them to show you proof. If they said they had you on radar doing a speed limit than this may work. Many police vehicles are equipped with on dash radars that they can use to determine the speed of oncoming traffic or cars that they are following. Using a radar gun isn't the only way cops can check your speed. If they are behind you and matching your speed, that too will hold up in court since their speed is usually recorded by on board computers. The best chance you have at getting out of a ticket is if the cop doesn't show up to your court date. Usually they schedule all of their court dates on their days off, so there's a good chance that he/she will be there, but if you are lucky they may not show up.
- borninda818, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13In Cali, from what i heard, the cop isnt required to show you the radar when he stops you. If I am wrong please show me the law or link or something, otherwise I am pretty sure it isn't required. The second part of your argument is very smart and would get your ticket dismissed or reduced most of the time. MY first and only ticket was bout 6 months ago...wished I took it to court...but i kinda felt bad about challenging it because the cop had already reduced my speed and dismissed something else, leaving me with a pretty cheap ticket.
- drmangrum, on 10/12/2007, -23/+34Here's an idea. Don't speed.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13Easy. Be hot.
- airwalkery2k, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13NEVER admit to what speed you were going to the officer.
- elchupacabra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10This is an urban legend. There is no law that states a police officer must show you the radar reading. If you believe that is true, post the statute.
- saleem, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12plus points on your insurance, which is the real killer.
- Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"How can they argue with that? Tell you to pay less attention to the road?"
They could tell you that paying attention to the road includes paying attention to how fast you are driving along it. - Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9"I've always heard to dispute the ticket in court, no matter what and plead no contest. That way the judge sees that you are at least making an effort, and at the very least will either withhold points or drop the fine. Best case scenario he'll throw the ticket out altogether."
Agreed; this has really helped me out on my two tickets; I still had a fine but the points were removed.. and if you're lucky the cop won't show up and you get off scot-free! Plus there are few things more entertaining than Traffic Court Theatre. - datastorageguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10No myth at all. I was merging off a 2 lane highway while a state tropper was merging on with a yield sign. He didn't yield and I had to speed up a little bit to actually avoid hitting him or slamming on my breaks causing traffic behind me to brake. He gave me a ticket for some lane change violation.
I went to court and he didn't show. I kept my mouth shut and the magistrate dismissed it. Took 2 minutes. - j4son, on 10/12/2007, -16/+24Leave earlier.
- DDDavinnn, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11Why couldn't this have been posted a week ago?
- centerblack, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12Here's an idea:
If people would pay attention when they drove, and slower traffic really did keep right, and people gave the cars in front of them enough room, then...
It wouldn't matter how bloody fast anyone was going. I've seen more accidents in a few months of commute, bumper to bumper traffic than I ever have driving 80/85mph down the freeway.
I recently got a speeding ticket for 80 in a 65(max). I find this hilarious because the average speed is 75, but hey, the sign says 65. So I did what you said. I tried not speeding. I did it for about 4 months. I set cruise control to 70mph........... I cannot explain to you how many dumb females tried to have their SUV occupy the same space and time as my car. They move into the lane, you move into the shoulder. You honk. They look around in amazement "Who's honking", 5 seconds later, "OH! Theres a car on the shoulder/behind me. Did I do that?"
Speed limits do not make the road safer. It's not like 65 is a magical number where nothing bad can happen. Instead of pushing speed limits, we should be pushing good driving habits, such as checking your mirrors and looking before you switch lanes, leaving enough room between you and the car in front of you, and yielding to vehicles overtaking you in the left lane. If people would just pay attention to what they were doing instead of zoning out or distracting themselves with a telephone conversation, the road would be much safer. - vector13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Better to avoid the ticket all together. That's why I plunked down for a Valentine 1 many years ago. It's saved me many times. I'm lucky that most of the speed traps in my area are still radar and not laser. The few times I've been hit with laser I've not been going fast enough for the officer to bother with me.
- kitwaites, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Exactly. I know there was a case in the UK a while back where a guy took a speeding offence to court. The cop bought the radar gun and left it on the front bench. During a break in the trial, the defendant's lawyer picked up the gun and aimed it at the wall at the back of the courtroom - it recorded 4mph! Radar guns are really difficult to target accurately! The case was, of course, thrown out.
Incidentally, if you are being prosecutd for speeding in the UK, http://www.pepipoo.com/ is an awesome resource. - dgriessmann, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14I'm related to an lawyer and when I got a ticket one time I asked her about these sure fire ways to beat the ticket. This is what my lawyer had to say about it in Ohio...
The police are not required to show you a thing but their badge, their gun and your ticket. But if you're an ass they'll show you the pavement before they show their cuffs and the back of the car. (That's the only way to see the radar gun)
As for the old calibration play in court, well be prepared to accept all the point, fines and court costs because believe it or not that doesn't work. - TheCount, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10"That, and speed limits don't take into account driver skill and the cars handling."
Yeah, that's because every moron thinks they're a better driver than they really are and thinks their Honda Accord is a Formula One race car. Those same morons are the ones that cut me off in traffic just so they can get to a red light .5 seconds before me.
The reason we have all these ridiculous ***** traffic laws is because the world is full of idiots that think they are Mario Andretti. - fun4stuff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7@billygreen
actually it does work most of the time. Only the first scheduled date is the one that is schedule according to cop's other court dates. My uncle is a cop and when I asked him the best way to get out he said that it was to reschedule the court date 2-3 times. It has worked for me 8/9 times.
Also, if the cop shows up just simply ask if there are any alternative to the points and/or fine. Most of the time they are understanding (esp if it is your first offense) and give you a no-points ticket. - TheCount, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7After reading that, I've got a headache.
- Homunculiheaded, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7My general policy with cops is that if have pulled you over for something legitimate, don't be a pain in the ass. Cops have to deal with countless smart assess everyday, you know what really surprises them? People being just decent, and owning up to what they've done.
One time I was going near 60 in a 30, I saw a cop pass me going the other direction and then quickly turn around. So I quickly turned down a side road to avoid him. He found me and pulled me over, and immediately asked where i was headed, which wasn't the direction I turned, when I answered he said "So why are you going down this street if it isn't the way you were going?" . I said to myself, hey this guys not an idiot so why treat him like one. I told him because I was stupid and trying to avoid him. You know what happened? He gave me the lowest possible ticket, even though my insurance card was expired and I was traveling around 30mph over the speed limit. He could have easily taken my car b/c of the insurance, but because I decided not to treat him like an ***** he wasn't going to act like one.
Yes there are ***** cops, but there are even more if you assume that's the case and act accordingly. - Markers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@iburgguy
I know they work for the CHP (California Highway Patrol). After my last speeding ticket I donated money to the CHP 11-99 Foundation and received a sticker which I promptly placed inside of my back window and when I was pulled over, again, the officer and myself had a conversation about the foundation along the side of the highway – anyways, I didn’t get the ticket. - booger8, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@vertigorider:
I spent $400 on a Valentine One and have NEVER received a ticket with it (had it for 9+ years). In fact, it helped me get out of a ticket when a local cop used a type of radar gun that is acknowledged as inaccurate in its own user manual (see: http://www.valentine1.com/pop/whatispop.asp . I asked the cop what he got me with because I had a Valentine One and it never went off. When he went back to his car, my wife accused me of being a dumb-ass for challenging him. When he came back to the car, he gave me a warning - it ended up that he was using the radar gun mentioned in the above article!
I cannot say enough about the Valentine One - the laser protection alone has saved me 3 times and (not that I am bragging) the radar detection has saved me at least 150 - 200 times over the years. If you tend to have a lead foot, get you one - the best return for my money for anything I have ever bought! - MikeDawg, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I'm calling BS on this one. From everything I have heard, the cop does NOT have to show you anything to prove to you that you were speeding. In fact, in a CJ class that I took, the Sgt of the local city police department told the class that cops don't even need to clock you on their speedometer to know that you were speeding, and to give you a ticket. He said cops can go to court and use their guesstimation of speed in a zone to a judge, and it could possibly hold up.
- Markers, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9My insurance skyrocketed to nearly $4,000 every six month from just a little over $1,000 after I received my 128mph speeding ticket on I-5... good times.
- strydr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I was stopped for "not wearing my seatbelt" by a bike cop last year. I had my seatbelt on, but tucked under my arm. The officer and I argued for a while (I know, not a good idea), before his threat of taking me to jail calmed me down. I told him I would fight, and win in court. Sure enough, come trial day, he didn't even show up. It took way more time than just paying the $79 ticket, but it felt soo good to hear the judge dismiss the case when officer jackass didn't show.
- keyboardduder, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8You make sure that everything on the ticket is completley correct. If it is false in any way, its void. You can have it thrown out. Make sure the road is correct, the speed you were going (if it was speeding) if your information is corent (name spelling really doesnt matter). If your under 18, make sure that what you did is stricken from the record once you turn 18. There have been issues when people have had things carry over.
- g30ph, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I send the ticket and a check for $69 to my trusty traffic attorney. About a month later I receive a letter that says Congratulations! Your ticket has been dismissed, which means no points are assessed on your license and your insurance wont go up.
It was actually my insurance agent who told me to never plead guilty to a ticket, always try to dispute it or at least plead no contest. Guilty automatically raises your insurance. - EvilGnome, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Following the links the article provided. That VA law about them having to show you the radar gun has been repealed. http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/laws.html#key I'm sure it doesn't hurt to ask still because it sounds like a lot of cops will "estimate" your speed.
- billygreen23, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9bradmw, that normally doesn't work. Cops are assigned a day where they pretty much stay at the court house all day to handle their tickets for the last month or so. If you moved the court date back, it would be assigned to another one of his days. Cops don't just randomly come to the courthouse for individual tickets, they are assigned in bulk.
- DivisibleByZero, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@airwalkery2k: "NEVER admit to what speed you were going to the officer."
I have to disagree. I have a cop uncle who told me he almost always lets honest people off because he's sick of people lying about it.
Don't volunteer your speed if he doesn't ask for it, but if he says "You know how fast you were going?" just tell him..."about 75". A lot of times you'll be right on the edge where 75 will cost you more than 74. Don't be cute with the cop and tell him you think you were going 74. He'll think you're an ***** and write you up for 75. If you tell him 75, at the very least he'll write it down to 74.
Don't give him BS excuses either. Sure, if your grandma is dying or something, tell him as soon as he initiates the conversation. Otherwise, wait until he asks why you were speeding. That question isn't an invitation for an excuse though. On the contrary, he's trying to bait you into saying something stupid. Just tell him you were running late to work/movie/murder trial/whatever. - DivisibleByZero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I got pulled over for speeding one time, and the cop told me he was being nice by lowering the charge down to "failure to keep right", which he said was cheaper. Got home and looked at the pay scales... it was $50 more. That bastard.
- debtman7, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Asking to see the radar gun is a great way to make a lasting impression on the cop, ensuring that he shows up on your court date to nail your ass. If you want to beat a ticket, don't do it with the cop. Be as polite and uninteresting as possible. Make him forget the details. If in court he can't recall details about you or your car, how can the judge believe his testimony? On the flip side, if you ask to see the radar gun, that's going to piss him off. He's going to remember you. He's going to mark your court date on his calendar and make sure to be there even if you reschedule, because if there's one thing cops hate it's a smartass who tries to get off on a technicality.
- MeThePeople, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5maybe you should get a bike
- MortiMouse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@ duhstupid : "I think i'll just pay the damn fine. My time is worth more than the measly $100 ticket."
It took me a total of 18 minutes to have my ticket reduced from a 4 point ticket to a nothing/fix-it ticket (unsigned registration).
I walked into the court room at 8:58 and by 9:16 I'd payed my $115 fine and was walking out the door. If I'd have paid the measly $150 fine, I'd be paying for it by way or increased premiums (for a 4 point ticket, something to the tune of, at minimum, $100 a month = $1,200 a year) for at least the next year, if not the next three.
Best 18 minutes spent in a looooong time!!! - MikeDawg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Interesting topic, since I was in court yesterday fighting a parking ticket I had received. I parked in front of my house (back in February, in MI, aka cold weather, and snow) so that I could plow my driveway, and I got a ticket in the 2 minutes I was in my house getting dressed for warmth.
I finally got to court yesterday, and admitted guilt with an explanation, and the judge dismissed the fines/fee (there is no point deduction for parking tickets), and that was that. - blastus7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I got a ticket for doing 5 miles over the limit because I had a four wheel drive truck with large tires. The state trooper was just annoyed that I passed him on the interstate. I took it to court and it was thrown out after the judge yelled at all of the officers for writing tickets for 5 miles over.
I wasn't being a dumbass, I guess you could say I was a smartass. -
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