beansbaxter
Needs a life
Posts: 5911
|
posted March 20, 2004 11:47 PM
Officer...my speedometer must be off...
To make a long story short, state trooper cited me today for going 106 in a 60 zone. It was an open straight road with no traffic and I wasnt driving erraticly, just steady speed.
I said "my speedo must be off" but he didnt smile even to that one. And it doesnt look like all research into radar detection would have worked either because I got nailed by aircraft, he said a guy was sittin up in a helicopter using a stopwatch and timing me as I went by the v-marks on the shoulder of the road.
Still though, it could always be worse. He said he should be giving me a wreckless driving. He recommended I dont try to contest it because the prosector/judge will see how fast I was going and ammend it to a wreckless driving.
In WA state, the ticket bail is based on a number system, where so many dollars per how many miles per hour you were going past the posted speed limit. Mine topped off the pro-rate chart, but the ticket is still a whopping $385.00 HOLY SHNIKE BATMAN!
The ticket doesnt bother me as much as the amount I am going to have to pay. And its not even worth trying to contest, because the judge is going to wonder why I didng get a wreckless.
Just my time to vent. A lot of other things that money could have been put toward.
   
|
Hells Dark Lord
Needs a life
living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
|
posted March 21, 2004 05:04 AM
I may be wrong, but in GA and in MI as well, the judge cant raise the charges that you were cited for....call a laywer in your area and ask. And I would hire a lawyer as well to keep that shit as low as possible, stuff like 106 in a 60 will get your insurance revoked........
____________
When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
|
fish_antlers
Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21896
|
posted March 21, 2004 05:21 AM
tough lesson beans.... 1st rule of speeding...
"never speed on the straightaways"
.
____________
What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
|
Hells Dark Lord
Needs a life
living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
|
posted March 21, 2004 05:27 AM
and never never never over hill tops.....just assume if ya cant see over it, the man will hide behind it.....lol
____________
When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
|
swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
|
posted March 21, 2004 05:49 AM
Beans - GET A LAWYER! The lawyer's cost is $250, typically, and that's only if he wins.
|
deathpulse
Pro
Posts: 1688
|
posted March 21, 2004 07:53 AM
I may be wrong on this, but I don't think that the court system can "increase" your charges (to say wreckless driving). You have been charged with one offense, I don't think they can change that. Anyone a lawyer/know for sure?
|
MadMike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
Posts: 6579
|
posted March 21, 2004 08:39 AM
yep Call a lawyer!! for sure!
____________
200-MPH CLUB MEMBER!
|
frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
|
posted March 21, 2004 08:45 AM
stupid thing is, even tho 106 in a 60 is off the chart, it's really nothin for these bikes. it certainly FEELS like nuttin. of course, try convincing just about any officer or judge of that  hope ya can get this one sorted in your favour beans.
|
zx12richard
Pro
The Green Monster..
Posts: 1133
|
posted March 21, 2004 09:46 AM
 Edited By: zx12richard on 21 Mar 2004 16:56
You have a yellow box?????? Set if to where 106 shows a 60... Dyno it and prove it is off... Did it with a car once proved it was off and they threw it out.. Cost me 20 bucks to certify it wrong at KC speedometer.....
|
RAC4IT
Needs a job
Bergie
Posts: 3009
|
posted March 21, 2004 02:22 PM
Anything clocked and calculated by hand can be challenged, timing is everything including a person's reaction and ability to accurate time a moving vehicle. A fraction of a second difference can drastically alter the results. I would challenge this in court all the way!
|
ZXLNT
Needs a job
Kawpuke Extraordinare
Posts: 2853
|
posted March 21, 2004 03:55 PM
Any decent officer worth his salt and has the training under him will testify very well in court and is usually hard to beat.... The old speedo is wrong may just get ya defective equipment ticket. Get a laywer and see if you can plead it....
The reckless driving would have to be proved that by your actions put yourself or someone else in danger. 106 mph by itself isnt really dangerous depending on road conditions... Especially if its any kind of rurual setting. Now if it were in the middle of town on a 2 lane during rush our then yeah that would be reckless.
Good luck on whatever happens.
|
swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
|
posted March 21, 2004 04:53 PM
The most important thing is to get a lawyer that is familiar with traffic offenses. Even if they can't make it go away, they can usually broker a much lesser penalty, etc.
|
zx12richard
Pro
The Green Monster..
Posts: 1133
|
posted March 21, 2004 04:55 PM
Defective equipment is what they reduced mine too after I had it certified at KC speedometer........ Was a minor $50 violation... No points...
|
beansbaxter
Needs a life
Posts: 5911
|
posted March 21, 2004 07:39 PM
Thanks for the tips and advice everyone. I dont know how much lesser the charge can be since I was just cited for "Speeding"...but I will call around for a lawyer. I dont know about $250, cause everything I have seen for something like this has been a minimum retainer cost of $500, non-refundable under all circumstances.
|
TurboBlew
Moderator
BUSY DOING THE SCHIAVO
Posts: 4590
|
posted March 21, 2004 08:08 PM
Beans, find out what they do for the retainer. All the ones Ive spoken with will plead "no contest" for me.... When I asked, "What's different about me pleading that?"... they were clueless.
I dont mind paying the fines.... just the points suck. My recent "Driving award" carries 4 points. A wreckless ticket is 5 by comparison.
____________
Official Charter Member of the RIDERS OF KAWASAKI MEMBERSHIP REVOCATION CLUB
Also a BadAss Internet Forum Moderator 4 Hire!! Come at me brah!
|
swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
|
posted March 21, 2004 10:07 PM
http://www.alllaw.com/state_resources/Washington/Attorneys/Spokane/
Here's some info. You can either fight it or be a victim.
|
wormser77
Expert Class
Posts: 223
|
posted March 22, 2004 09:31 AM
Where did they pop you at? Palouse highway?
|
beansbaxter
Needs a life
Posts: 5911
|
posted April 01, 2004 01:05 AM
Talked to a few lawyers today since I need to figure out what I want to do by week's end. And yep, if I contest the ticket, then the prosecutor most likely will file a motion to press charges for wreckless driving, let alone negligent driving.
Technically, charges can still be filed. If I mitigate instead of contest, it is not likely any judge will lessen the penalty since the charge alone was not as bad as it could have and should have been.
Best advice they tell me is to pay the ticket and dont chance getting a wreckless out of the deal.
The only thing I have to work with is to investigate whether or not the state patrol followed all the policy/guidelines for a speed trap since that was what it was. And state has harder guidelines than city, so its most likely it will hold. I brought up the human error in reaction time thing, and I got no love with that.
So unless anyone can think of a reason to fight it, then I guess I'll just pay the stiff fine. I am concerned about having a ticket on the driving record over 100 because doesnt that revoke any insurance I ever decide to get?
|
MadMike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
Posts: 6579
|
posted April 01, 2004 05:43 AM
You better take a look at that. cause it doesent do you any good if you have to get high risk ins.
____________
200-MPH CLUB MEMBER!
|
zxfingyz
Expert Class
Posts: 424
|
posted April 01, 2004 08:32 AM
Get a lawyer that has experience in traffic court. If there is any way to find one who is constantly in traffic court then you are in business. Who knows the baliffs and the clerks. Cuz it is a business with the lawyers and the courts. It is a revenue generator. This whole protecting society from you evil bikers is just bunk. In most countys and munis the money goes into general funds and those judges and politicos love the general funds let me tell you. You are going to pay money and you are right to accept that but somewhere, wherever you are there is a lawyer or ten lawyers who facilitate the payment of your money into the system rewarding you with lesser penalties. I may not be saying that exactly right and it may be debated, but for sure look hard into traffic attorneys and think in terms of lesser penalty not less money.
|
beansbaxter
Needs a life
Posts: 5911
|
posted April 01, 2004 11:12 AM
what kind of penalty is lesser than a speeding ticket though? aside from the ticket not showing 106 in a 60, but having the specific speed reduced
|
Otis
Needs a job
Captain Kickstand
Posts: 3028
|
posted April 01, 2004 12:35 PM
Beans, when I got popped last summer, he clocked me at 140 in a 70 but wrote me for 100 in a 70. I paid $250 for an attorney that got it dropped in court to 5 over. I didn't even have to appear. Cost me $105 for the ticket and $250 for the attorney. I was loving attorneys at that moment.
____________
It's a free country brother
|
D
Needs a job
Posts: 3365
|
posted April 01, 2004 01:43 PM
Honestly - $385 for over 100 and you drove yer ass home after the citation sounds cheap!
I would say 95% of violations like that here get the "go to jail and do not pass go" treatment.
Still sucks but like ya said - could've been worse.
|
Megabyte
Pro
Posts: 1047
|
posted April 01, 2004 02:58 PM
Edited By: Megabyte on 1 Apr 2004 14:58
Gray Bar Motel
Only 106 mph? I surely deserve to be locked up  Bout 3 months ago, passed a GSXR1k. He said he was doing 150 and I passed him like he was parked... I wasn't here, You didn't hear this from me....
____________
We First make our habits and then our habits make us.
|
zxfingyz
Expert Class
Posts: 424
|
posted April 02, 2004 08:52 AM
attorney that got it dropped in court to 5 over
and I think when it goes into the records as 5 over it is 5 over to any insurance company or whoever. That might be worth the money to you down the road.
The other thing you can do is just blow it off and move to mexico and work as a bartender at sammy hagars restaurant. Have sex with tourist girls and drink lots of tequila when sammy isnt around.
|
|
|
HOME
NEW TOPIC