Got a speeding ticket today... (update :)

How about points? did you get points?

It might have been me on the bear tracker. I have one. I don't think you can buy them anymore. I see used ones on ebay every now and then and they sell for a lot more than they were new.

 

Here is some more info copied and pasted from an ebay auction

Uniden Bearcat Bear Tracker BCT-12 mobile scanner in EXCELLENT physical and working condition including:

Uniden BCT-12 Bearcat Bear Tracker Scanner
Sun Visor Clip
Rubber Antenna
Hard-wired Power Cord
Printed Uniden BCT-12 User Manual
BCT-12 Features:
· 800 MHz BAND COVERAGE - With the power of 800 megahertz, the BCT-12 covers all the latest public service frequencies.

· TOTAL PROTECTION - The BCT-12 alerts you to the presence of secondary transmitters installed in most Highway Patrol vehicles, no matter what form of speed monitoring they're using (Radar, VASCAR, Airplane, Clocking and Laser).

· HIGHWAY ALERT WITH 9 LEVEL STRENGTH METER - This lightning fast technology gives you an accurate indication of distance to the source when radio transmissions are detected.

· INSTANT WEATHER - Automatically scans all NOAA weather channels and two Canadian Coast Guard channels.

· PRIORITY SCAN ON/OFF FEATURE - The BCT-12 alerts you to transmissions from "mobile extender" radios in highway patrol vehicles. You receive an audible (beep tone) and visual alert (flash of warning light) whenever you are within an approximate three mile radius of the source. With priority scan off, no audible or visual alerts are activated, minimizing the chance of interruption while listening to highway patrol or local police transmissions.

· 2 DIGIT/STATE LED DISPLAY WITH PRE-PROGRAMMED FREQUENCIES - The BCT-12 comes equipped with 1583 pre-programmed frequencies which include all 50 states and Canadian provinces. Just select your state and go, the scanner does the rest.

· MEMORY BACK-UP PROTECTION - The BCT-12 comes with a memory back-up system that remembers your state selection, frequency selections and deletions even after turning off the unit.

· BCT-12 ACCESSORIES - The BCT-12 includes a "quick-clip release" dual suction windshield mount, cigarette lighter adapter plug, hard-wired power cord, 360° high gain flexible rubber antenna and window mount antenna for extended range.

 

Interesting, I've got one I've never used. I may have to put it up on ebay?

 

You should give it a try. They do work pretty well while coupled with a V-1. I have a V1 in all my vehicles except my Tundra. I have a snooper 360 in the Tundra and that works excellent. It is very similar to the K40 system. Radar detectors do work very well but if you get pulled over expect to get a ticket IMO. After all it really shows intent to speed.

 

+1.....the fine amount is meaningless. The Points amount, and the type of violation that is posted against your driving record are what is really important.....if you were foolish enough to plead guilty to a moving violation, your insurance company is going to make you wish you plead guilty for Capitol Murder instead....prepare to be financially raped by the 'real' system.

 

+ friggen one billion.

I could not care less about the fine it's the insurance increase that really matters. It's not even the increase it's the fact you will pay more and get nothing for it. You get the same insurance you had last year for 20-40% more than you paid before the ticket. It's a BS system. I wouldn't be surprised if the insurance companies pay for the police cruisers and radar guns.

 

They do..........insurance companies pay for radar/laser systems quite regularily.

 

I bet that would be illegal if any other business operated that way.

 

I use one all the time when traveling on the highway. It has saved my _$$ many times. Not that I speed, but when going along with the rest of traffic at about 75 in a 70 zone and then all of a sudden hitting a 55 mph zone can catch one off guard. The radar detector is great at reminding me of radar in the area. I have an older Passport radar detector with all the K, Ka, laser bands and works really well. I like the laser feature because when you get lasered, you know what got you when being pulled over.

 

The audible warning for laser should be...you're screwed.....you're screwed......you're screwed.......Sorry Charlie wa..wa...wa

 

A laser jammer should solve this problem

 

I had the passport SRX system on a Lightning pick up I had. It's a great system but I swap in and out of cars so much it's a PITA to install the jammer type systems over and over again.

 

I had a Beltronics detector, and got pulled over after being hit with laser. My detector never went off so I went to court. They claimed to use the flash on method when getting speeders. I was able to argue that even if the laser had just hit me for a fraction of a second the detector would have picked it up. I even offered to let them test the working order of the detector outside. In the end the reduced the fines and points as I had admitted to being slightly over the limit..

 

So what you are saying is that you pled guilty....doesn't sound like a big victory to me.

 

plead innocent. The judge only reduced it because of my past record. Any reduction in points and fines is seen as a big victory in my book. And for the record, I haven't gotten a ticket since then. Before that is another story all together....it took a while, but I finally learned from my mistakes.

 

I agree, It only works if it is coming from the car in front of you

 

Sorry to hear that mate!
As a matter of principle you should never pay a ticket: you should get a ticket attorney instead and have him get you off the hook without points and without paying court cost.
They know very well how the system works and they get the ticket dismissed on technicalities and that is the end of it.
Now your insurance company will hold you hostage for years, after they have contributed to setting up the trap that got you the ticket in the first place.

 

The key is realizing the court uses the ticket as a method to collect money. When you get a ticket in a state where the ticket will affect your insurance for years then commit to fighting it to the point it costs the court money. It's no fun but drag it out for as long as it takes to make it ineffective for them to use the ticket for a revenue collection method. Now if you get a ticket out of state and that state has no reciprocity with your home state then just pay the fine and be done with it.

 

One note: in previous discussions about insurance, after a ticket you should call around for new insurance quotes. This will be reported to your current insurer. They will be less likely to bump up your insurance costs if you are looking around at prices.

 

The ticket won't show up on the insurance until the policy renews. It won't come off until it the policy renews as well. If the policy renews and there is only one month left for the ticket to affect your rate the ticket will in fact affect your rates until the policy renews or you call and ask to have the ticket removed. You can buy about 6-8 months no raise in premiums this way.

 

steveny360: it is actually better than that from what I hear. The internet chatter says (FWIW), the insurance companies share information on who is asking for insurance quotes. If you get a ticket and ask other companies for a quote, they will feed that info back to your current company, who want to be competitive. So, your new rate from your current company is less than it would be without being pro-active.

There was a thread on this several months ago.

 

Often times up here they pull you over, knowing that if you go to court and lose then you'll get nailed with a moving violation and you're insurance will go up. Since that's the last thing you want they offer a "defective speedometer" ticket and just rake in the revenue because people are too scared to challenge. Happened to me, now I'm just waiting on insurance, though it is a non-moving violation.

 

The other, and possibly more effective, strategy would be to negotiate with the judge to agree to plead guilty to a NON-moving violation and pay a higher up-front fine. OR, agree to perform some community service in lieu of paying a fine at all. Pleading guilty to a speeding offense = bending over and grabbing your ankles.....

In my experience, once that moving violation hits your record, ALL insurance companies put the policy holder in a different risk category - everyone will jack you up, if they even agree to cover you at all. I have had companies flatly say 'NO' to insuring my Ferrari over a 4-year old, $50 speeding ticket I got driving another vehicle entirely. Your only leverage is if you have multiple cars/home policies with a single company, and you threaten to pull ALL your coverage and transfer it to a competitor. That hits the insurance company's wallet much harder than one car/one policy.