...in El Campo, TX on the way back to Houston. I was going 76 in a 65. Question is, how do I keep this off my record? Have no clue what to do in this situation.
Just opt for defensive driving. Call the number on the ticket and ask them how to go about taking the defensive driving class. They should allow you take one locally and send the results to them. Welcome to adulthood.
Yeah, request defensive driving or deferred disposition. As long as you follow the requirements, it won't go on your record.
I don't want to jinx myself on my drive back up to Nacogdoches from Houston tomorow, but I too have never had a speeding ticket. I'm currently 24....and am hoping to continue to be lucky. There's always some other idiot going faster than me who gets caught when I would have otherwise been pulled over.
Ha! I'm from El Campo. What's the officers name? You didn't admit to speeding did you? FYI, If you know you're speeding and he asks you how fast you were going or what the posted speed limit is, just say no comment. You have the right not to increminate yourself. Then it's just his word against your word in court. And I like those odds.
Know your rights fellow Clutchfans! Never incriminate yourself. Guitly or Not. Silence is golden. Let the judge/jury decide: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iY3UOERrk_M&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iY3UOERrk_M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Oh, noooooooooo, sir. All men are created equal. Cops, Trucker, Doctor. How is a cops word better than yours? That doesn't sound like a fair country to live in where cops word is always above a civilans word.
His name is JR Soza. He didn't let me say a word. Came up to the window, told me I was going 76 and that I would be getting a citation. Then asked for my license and insurance. If yall have never driven on 59N from Corpus to Houston at night, there is literally nobody on the road. I'm 19 so I guess a speeding ticket was bound to happen sooner or later. Of course I'm wishing it was later instead of tonight. Defensive driving it is, hope the parents don't find out.
In the real world -- on a speeding ticket case -- you really shouldn't like those odds very much. As a former prosecutor I can tell you that unless something very weird or unusual happened, the Justice of the Peace (or a jury) will give greater weight to the Trooper's (or officer's) testimony. Expect a guilty verdict. One could then appeal it to county court and try it again de novo (essentially starting over since the JP court isn't a court of record). However he's probably going to lose there, also. And the court costs are significantly more expensive than if you simply take care of it at the JP court level. When you factor in the valuation of one's time in litigating it it may simply make sense to go the route of deferred adjudication or defensive driving and move on with life.
Tell your parents... why not? They might help pay for the def. driving class to keep the insurance from going up. Mine did back then... Plus you can do one on a Saturday at some restaurant and get a good meal out of it to boot.
The worst case scenario I've had by doing this was a three month probation with court costs and it didn't go on my driving record. It cost me about $100 less by going this route if I had admitted my guilt and then my insurance would of gone up. And the best case is when he didn't show up at all.
My parents would flip out, even if I paid for the defensive driving myself. Can't risk being car-less.
If they don't show up that's definitely best case. And you know from being from Wharton county it's a little different out there than, say, Houston. Most of the time they'll show up -- which isn't a good thing for those of us unlucky enough to get caught speeding.
sometimes those little towns dont even report it to the state. they just take your money. my dad is a truck driver and got a ticket in a small town while working. he tried everything to fight it but obviously its hard to fight a ticket in a town far away. long story short...he ended up paying the ticket but it was not reported so he didnt get penalized at work
With such high gas prices, I don't see why people would want to speed anyway. When I drive to work, I take the Chevron commercial advice: Drive 55mph when it's 65mph and you go a miminum of 30 miles further. That adds up over a course of a year.
I drive 59 South every night from Houston to Refugio. While there is not much traffic to speak of, the cops in El Campo and Edna are fierce. I just set my cruise control to 70 (speed limit at night is 65) and I've never been messed with. Of course, I drive a company truck but I'm not sure that makes a difference.
Oh, and by the way... NOTHING will keep it off your record. Deferred adjudication and defensive driving will help keep your costs down, but the police will forever have on record that they pulled you over for speeding.
