Speeding Ticket Thoughts

[Bobbak]

so about 5 months ago i got a speeding ticket and im due in court in about a month and have been thinking of ways to help myself in my defense.

the cop used a radar gun on me and clocked my at 68 MPH in a 40 MPH zone
i didnt ask if the gun was calibrated.


everyone knows that 1 mile is the equivalent to 5280 feet
and i measured the distance from the turn i made to the turn into my street and its 1056 feet. 1320 feet is 1/4 of a mile so my question is that do you think that a 1.8 liter BMW can go 1056 feet which is less then a quarter mile and manage to accelerate to 68 MPH

a stock ti has the average 1/4 mile time in 16.3 secs and 0-60 in 8.3 secs

is this any good info that i should use to help me or will it make me look like a smart ass

[Bobbak]

sorry posted 2 thread (comp lagged)

[Marv17]

hmm... i dunno... to me, that wouldnt help you out. how many speeding tickets have you gotten?

[Bobbak]

1

[jgrimm]

Did you take into consideration the speed at which you took the corner. If you take that, multiply times pie, subtrack how many donuts the cop had that day, then you should figure out your theoretical output velocity....

Just pay the ticket.

[1996 328ti]

Originally Posted by Bobbak

a stock ti has the average 1/4 mile time in 16.3 secs, 0-60 in 8.3 secs, and a stock ti weighs about 3,020 LBS

is this any good info that i should use to help me or will it make me look like a smart ass

Don't pretend to be lawyer.
I have heard of stories people getting away with things.
Just never works with me.

[roadrash]

Using facts and math to prove that your car isn't capable of going that fast within that distance is a good idea. However...

1) You'd still have to prove that you turned where you did.

2) I don't think the math helps you. I'm sure everyone will check me on this so... assuming a constant rate of acceleration, if the car can achieve 60 mph in roughly 8 seconds, but it takes roughly 16 seconds to go 1/4 mile, you can make a rough guess that it takes 1/8 mile (660') to go 60 mph. So, you still have roughly 300' to accelerate the extra 8 mph. I'm sure there's a more exact method to solve this math problem, but my rough estimate is that the math does not work in your favor.

[Philly]

there just going to laugh at you for that....
the "my car can't go that fast in that short of a stretch" will never hold up well enough to get you out of a ticket.

I suggest going to court, and either hope the officer does not show up OR try to plea bargain it to a lesser charge.
Ask the Crown for their evidence, they have to give it to you in order for you to prepare yourself for it. Also ask for the Calibration Sheet for the radar gun and things of that nature.
There are many good write-ups all over the net on how to get out of a speeding ticket, of course results vary, but it will tell you what you'll need to prepare and other tidbits you may need to know to fight your case a little better.

[elchicano]

They are gonna plea bargain with you. They will probably drop it to reckless driving and a broken tail light. That's what i got, but I ran two stop signs. Which I don't believe, because the cop didn't stop me until like 12 blocks away. But whatever just pay the ticket and i think within a year you will get your points back. I'm not 100% sure so correct me if I'm wrong.

[Borg561]

Originally Posted by elchicano318ti

They are gonna plea bargain with you. They will probably drop it to reckless driving and a broken tail light. That's what i got, but I ran two stop signs. Which I don't believe, because the cop didn't stop me until like 12 blocks away. But whatever just pay the ticket and i think within a year you will get your points back. I'm not 100% sure so correct me if I'm wrong.

Well, 28mph over isn't that bad. My last ticket was 58mph over plus wreckless driving.

I've never fought a ticket, so I can't really give you any advice there. I would have suggested taking one of the classes to dismiss the ticket (if you can do that in California), but you probably can't for 28mph over. I say pay the ticket. If you fight it and still get convicted, the judge might give you a harsher penalty.

Regarding plea bargaining and dropping it to wreckless or something, I'd suggest checking the laws and penalties thoroughly. In Nebraska, speeding simply gets you a fine and points on your license. Wreckless driving has the potential for jail time (luckily I didn't get any). I also think states vary on how long before you get your points back. I believe in Nebraska it's two.

Justin

[mickd]

In some states 26 mph over is considered a criminal traffic offense (willful disregard for safety) and is treated the same as DUI or reckless driving. Drag racing also falls under this category. I would check your state laws. If you must appear, it very well might be this category. If I were you and this was a criminal traffic offense, I would get a lawyer. In the long run, you will be better off, even if it costs a bit more now. This type of offense stays on your record a long time, I think it is 7 years, and your insurance will stay high for this amount of time. If you get a lawyer it will probably get reduced to a 4 pt. violation and you might not even have to go to court.

[Kohote]

If it is not that serious and just a normal speeding ticket, I would wait until just before the deadline to change dates and set it as far away as posible. Reschedule as many times as possible always at the last minute they let you. Hopefully when you do go to court, the cop will not remember clearly or even better not show up. My friends do this all the time and it seems to work great. Not sure about the rules in california though, so this may not help you.

[PettitWC]

just hope he doesn't show

[thesk8nmidget]

i had almost the same ticket and i pleaded not guilty and then the cop didnt show!
all charges dropped

[mickd]

I found a question on the net about the cost of a speeding ticket in Orange County. The source for the answer at the bottom of the page is from "Starting my 20th year of California law enforcement". Here's the link:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...3235330AAd4CFC
It shows speeding 26mph or more over the limit as a $380.00 fine in 2007. I hunted the net pretty hard to find if it was a criminal (misdemeanor) traffic offense, didn't find anything. I would make sure it isn't before I went to court without representation. Some bigger offenses don't allow for traffic school but a judge can override that. Hope this helps.