Well, I got my first speeding ticket after 6 years of driving today. A traffic cop on a bike got me for doing 78 on I75 (60 MPH limit) in Plano while driving to work. Obviously, I don't want this ticket to go on my record. It looks like my best option is to take the driving safety course and pay the $65 court fee. At least my insurance should go down a bit. However, I can't figure out if I'll still be held responsible for the speeding fine under this scenario. I've read past Usenet posts by fellow victims that conflict: some say they still had to pay the fine, others say it was just the court fee and associated driver's ed course cost. Anybody have firsthand experience with this?
Um...yes. I got 2 in 1 week last month after not getting one for 8 years. Take defensive driving and it never goes on your driver record. No, you don't pay the fine, but you pay the court costs and the price of the class which may end up being as much as the fine. Now days, you can even take DD online if you have a fast connection. Or you could take defered adjudication. It's kind of like probation. If you don't get caught...er, uh..if you don't speed for a certain amount of time, they dismiss the ticket. I had a court date last week and another this Wednesday. I'm taking DD for the first, and defered ad for the second. I've heard some people say that you should ask for a trial, then if the cop doesn't show up (which he never does) they dismiss the ticket. Is this true or just an urban myth? I'd hate to request a trial and have the cop actually show up.
OK, I was concerned about getting double dipped for fines and fees by going through the driving course route. In my case, the cost of the course and court fees will be less than the speeding ticket ($145 I believe). As for the officer showing up to court, I look at it this way. If he's a traffic cop, he's going to show up. That's his job. From what I understand they are highly disciplined about that kind of thing. Sure, you can probably try a couple tricks to defer the court date and luck into a bad time for the officer. If it was a patrol that just happened to bust you for speeding, then you may have a shot. I'm not going to risk going to court, and ending up with a ticket on my record.
Happens all the time in Dallas. Don't know about Plano since it's much smaller than Dallas. If you weren't an A-hole about the ticket, I would maybe go into a Trial
Deferred adjudication is usual 90 days, plus about the cost of the ticket. When you go to court dress neatly and be respectful of the Judge because he does not have to offer you defered adjudication. Then drive like a saint for 90 days. Been there twice in the last 5 years.
I thought I was going to get one today...I was traveling down the Grand Parkway and saw a trooper ahead...he did a big U-turn in front of me...I glanced down and saw that I was going 65 (in a 60)...he pulled over to the shoulder, let me go by and then came after me. I'm freaking out knowing I wasn't going THAT fast. I pull over...he says I was speeding. I asked how much and and said I was clocked at 77!!! There is NO FREAKIN' WAY I was going 77. I seldom go 70. I know you aren't supposed to argue with a trooper but I said to the guy that I was going 65 when I saw him and asked if there was there anyway at all his radar was off. He said I was the car he clocked going over a hill...he said he was going to give me a WARNING anyway. He was actually pretty cool. I said maybe my spedometer is off (I doubt it) and he said something about different tires could throw off the reading (huh?). He thanked me, I thanked him and drove 55 the rest of the way home. Oh, and as far as advice: http://www.defensivedriving.com Take the course online and keep it off your record.
meet some bad cops and some good ones. one time, I did a left turn which u suppose not. then the cop came and saw my UCSD sticker, so he asked me "hey, you go to UCSD?" I say "yes", then he said his bro goes there too and start to chat with me and let me go haahhahaahha
YoYao has his own YoYao sig. Sweet! The cop who pulled me over last month was pretty cool even though he gave me a ticket. You see, I was coming home from the Dave Matthews show and let's just say I had had a few pops before and during the show. I was driving fine because my buzz had long since gone away, I had my cruise control set at 70 going down the Hardy. The cop asked me if I'd been drinking and I said no. He said he smelled beer on my breath. At that point, I thought is was all over. He just told me to go straight home and said "and I think you know why". I was happy to just get a ticket....
Ask around. Get a lawyer who specializes in traffic tickets. Get it dismissed. Not really any more than defensive driving and less of a hassle. Look in the yellow pages or go down around the police station on Reasoner? by Houston Ave dt and get one of the guys with the big signs. 2nd best and not bad. Take defensive driving, but it is a pain to take the 6 hrs class even if you do it with I believe texasdefensivefriveing.. com or some such.
I live in Plano, too! Best advice is def. driving... should just have some court costs, and course costs... it will be about the same cost as the ticket, but with no record. Just a tip, btw - 1 ticket won't make your ins. go up... so if you don't have the time for the course, just pay it. And slow down.
best advice is to just take the defensive driving. i will say this though, i've had several (at least 5) traffic tickets that have been dismissed by the cop not showing up. definitely not a myth. these were all city of houston officers so i don't know about the risk elsewhere but if you do get another violation, chances are you can set it for trial and get off when they don't come.
Listen up I got a little advice on this a while back form a trusted Lawyer in Florida. Anyone with knowledge of this can feel free to comment. First AGBee, Take it to trial. most cops dont bother to show up if its JUST A speeding ticket. If you have more on there, chances are he will more than likely show up. I dont know how it works up there in Dallas, but I heard and have had instances with them. They are REAL ASSHOLES. But anyways, if he shows up, ask the cop, "when was the last time he had his speed gun calibrated (sp?) ?" By department regulations, cops have to have there guns calibrated every two months or so to correctly radar speeds of a moving object, like a car. Most cops dont bother to calibrate there guns cause it takes too much time in sending it bact to the manufacturer. If he says "NO" then the judge has to throw it out automaticly. If he says yes, then ask him when last was this procedure preformed. If it meets requirements, then just for the heck of it, ask him how it got calibrated? Most rookies dont know the procedure so they just reply, "I did it at the station or at home." Then YOU can just be a real smart ass and hit him with this line, "I didnt know the cops had the expensive technology to preform this procedure?" or something along those lines to piss him off. Why? Cause they dont have that technology, that's way it goes back to the manufacturer. Hopefully for your sake AGBEE, he is a real "Donut-gobbling" assclown and screws this up for you. Good luck.
Also for anyone else in the know................ The "foil ball in the wheel well" trick really does work. Speed guns are designed to get the speed of a moving object. One of the only moving objects on your car that actually moves when you drive is your WHEEL. This is a cops favorite target. But if there is something inside the wheel.............LIKE SAY A FOIL BALL moving around as the wheel moves, by laws of physics, it should move up to TEN TIMES faster then the wheel it is in. The speed gun is designed to catch the fastes speed on a moving object, thus catching the speed of the foil ball going per say.......800 miles instead of the wheel it is in, going about 80. That should throw off any cop. I know, cause I am currently doing this trick and have gotten a lot of carzy looks from cops come ticket quota time. The reason why foil is used is because the gun has a high tendancy to catch metal. Guns just love metal. Take the SMALL foil ball, put it in the space created the rims upper lip and the tire itself. Make sure the ball has a smooth surface as well so it wont damage your tire. If you have a car, keep the tire pressure at 30 so your tire will be soft enough. A ball hitting around the inside of a HARD TIRE can have disasterous results.
This is excellent advice. Judge: Do you have any questions? Defendant: Mr Cop, when was the last time you had your speed gun calibrated? Cop: No Judge: In lieu of this new evidence, I find that the cop is insane and will throw the case out. Dismissed.
How about they fine the cop's lousy ass and pay me for the horrible inconvenience he has caused me, not to mention the trama and stress this has given me. Make it sound real bad so you can get more money. Maybe even a date with his hot wife so you can take out your frustrations he has caused you on her fine ass........in bed that is. This would be perfect for YoYao. and oh yeah, I almost forgot one thing.............then they can throw out the damn case.
