Tell me the stories of your worst (speeding) tickets to comfort me

But still an overreach of authority IMO.

 

According to the OP in post #23, "It was a 4 mile mostly flat stretch of a 2 lane road that has buildings ,parks and stuff on both sides so its 50 km/h limit."

 

Curious: At what speed would you decide to pull someone over?

 

It would depend upon the speed limit I suppose. 10 over in a 25 mph might get my attention more than 10 over in a 70 mph zone.
Unlikely I would raise an eyebrow for anything less than 10 over.

 

I was a military police officer and yes we can write a ticket for 1 mph over but I would look at 5 over and see how the person is driving. If they are driving stupid then they are getting a ticket but if they are driving ok then I would usually just flash my light bar to get them to slow down. 10 over they are getting a ticket. It is up to the police officer's discretion which can make people mad because one may let them go while another gives them a ticket so even 1 mph over is risky. The two places I would ticket for even 1 mph over and I did not care for the excuse was hospitals and schools, you speed there and you would get a ticket and I believe there are many police officers who agree with that.

 

You flash your light bars at me 5 over I’d just smirk, and say to myself, “What a jerk.”
How is someone driving “stupid” doing 40 in a 35? If weaving, etc. then that is a different driving problem, but not the speed.
I see cops every day driving over the speed limit ya Bering away on cell phones or staring at the computer screen on center console...give yourselves a bunch of tickets then first, then come after us with your clean consciences.

 

Wow, I was just having a discussion. Sounds like you are guilty of speeding and has some anger issues to sort out. I flashed my lights so they could slow down since some people do not always look at the speedometer and it is just a friendly courtesy. And like I said since you appeared to miss what I wrote I said I would not pull them over for doing 5 over unless they were driving bad. I did not use my cell phone when I was driving and we did not have computers in the cars when I was one so I can't answer that except to say they should only be using both pieces of equipment while stopped. And yes I did pull over even other units if I saw them speeding and they did not have a reason to.

 

I’m just having a discussion too, and I’m not even the slightest bit angry. Like I said if I’m driving along at 40 in a 35 and some cop flashed his lights at me I’d think HE had some authority complex issue and should spend more time worrying about doing real police work than being a jerk.
Sorry if that doesn’t fit with your (previous) self image.

 

Worst ticket- 1985. 65 in a 55. Driving my "vette". That's a Chevette, floored it going down one hill to make it up the next, cop at the bottom of the hill. Ugh.

 

So the police officer has an authority complex issue because you are speeding and instead of stopping you and giving you a ticket, the officer is telling you to slow down with no repercussions? Speeding is real police work.

 

I hope you fought that, police can't give tickets on hills up or down because it can give a false reading. I would not even shoot radar by a hill.

 

In my world (North Carolina) it is "nine your fine - ten your mine". Nine miles over the speed limit does not even get you insurance points, just DMV points. Ask me how I know???

 

How many DMV points till you lose/suspend your license?

 

It really would be nice if they didn't speed so much though...... especially while laughing it up on their cell phones...... on their way to meet the crew for lunch..... again.

 

I talked to a local civilian cop why I see police here speeding on the highway without running code and was told they have to cover a big distance (not really) and I told him I know there are times a police officer is told not to run code even if they are speeding (domestics) but I also told him civilians seeing this like I did puts police in a bad light. After I talked to him I noticed the police did start slowing down unless running code. He knows I was a military police officer so I know what he is supposed to follow and what the others here are supposed to follow. I told him we are supposed to be the example and speeding past everyone with no lights or sirens is not good.

 

I suppose we could endlessly debate the virtues of speed limits as a safety measure in some situations and the revenue-generating aspects of it in others. I view most speed limits as purely arbitrary and designed for the lowest common denominator: the distracted fool in an overweight old SUV, almost zero driving skills, eating a burger, yelling at the kids, and talking on the phone, with brakes that need replacing. Or there is the sport cars enthusiast in a high performance machine concentrating on driving and doing the same 5 over. Who is more dangerous? Who gets the ticket?
I have cops who are friends, and I know the answer.
You will deny it, and no one here will believe you, but a great part of the whole ticketing thing is pure and simple revenue generation—the tax man.
And no, pulling someone for going 5-10 over is not real police work in my book, and neither is it to my police friends...they hate traffic duty. Now, working violent crime task forces, vice, domestics, going after drug dealers, going after human trafficking—that is real police work.
No point discussing this further. I’m sure you saved many lives pulling people for 8 over...not.

 

When I was in college, I delivered furniture (my parents would not help pay for my MBA- which I agreed with). So going to school full time and working six days a week (48 hours a week delivering furniture) put me on a tight time schedule. I was getting so many speeding tickets from driving the delivery truck that I had ten DMV points. I always went to court to represent myself. I was going to court so often - that one time the assistant DA looked at me and asked "do I know you"?

This resulted in getting a letter from the State of North Carolina that offered "dumb dumb driving school" to reduce the DMV points by 3 points and let me keep my license.

To say the class was full of interesting people would be an understatement. The person sitting on my left was attending class due to rolling a cherry picking truck that he drove for the electric company and at the same time getting a DWI. The person to my right was a rough looking guy that was there due to "vehicular manslaughter".

The class was two nights. You were expected to read and know the book they gave you the first night. On the second night of the class, the two instructors asked "what are the three times in the State of North Carolina that you do not have to wear a seat belt"? Well nobody read the book, so nobody knew the answers. The instructors were getting frustrated and kept asking the same question. Finally one guy rose his hand and said
"I don't know all three reasons, but I know one of them". The instructors said "well we will take one of reasons - so tell us one of the reasons that you don't need to wear a seat belt?" The guy answered back "when you are riding a motorcycle!!!!!"

I almost got kicked out of the class due to laughing out loud.

All the tickets were 12-15 MPH over the limit and all on the highway. I was a master on how to plead them down. First (if they didn't pull your driving record) try to get improper equipment - no points at all. If that did not work, then try to get exceeding a safe speed limit or under ten MPH - I think those were 2 DMV points no insurance points. If all else failed, then settle for "prayer of judgement". You had to be careful with POJ as a new ticket will bring the last ticket back for the remaining three years at full penalty.

I still occasionally get pulled (thirty years later). Always respectful to LEO, as I am at fault and half the time just get a warning. These tickets are normally just over 10 mph over the limit.

BTW - the three times are 1) a medical excuse that was in writing from a doctor 2) Riding in a vehicle manufactured before 1969 3) a commercial vehicle. This was thirty years ago, so the law may have changed.

 

I agree this is the crux of the debate.

We've all gone fast on public roads. In his OP he said a residential area, in my parts that's a 25mph zone. He added it was a 35 mph zone.

I admit, if it was something like this, I would be more forgiving:
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But something like this? No sympathy

 

duxz360
Simple solution, tell us what the xact location is. You wanted sympathy right?

Here's your chance to set me and many others right.

 

Good points. Part of my harshness is admittedly trying to cook the fish in this story. By no means am I the moral police here. As somebody that has gone as fast on public roads, let me make sure I keep these stones in my pocket.

The critical thing that makes me raise an eyebrow is he said a residential area (that's his word, not mine.)

I think he tried to soften it when he quickly amended his story to say it's a 4 mile stretch of road with some 'buildings' (what happened to houses?) on either side. To me, that's now a commercial zone. Very different story.

I admit I don't know of any residential block in my life that has a 4 mile stretch of road with homes on either side, hence I said Dubai maybe?

To me, there is a big difference between being caught up in a moment foolhardiness vs. a kamikaze pilot.

 

He doesn’t post speed limits, his job is to enforce them. He’s giving you a 5 mph leeway on posted limit and you’re acting like an ***. Sure it would be a different story if someone else blew through a stop light and T-boned you, and this officer was one to step up and offer you assistance while other bystanders stood there with their phones out.

 

I got pulled over for passing a MN Highway Patrol for 56 mph in a 55 mph zone. He was the biggest ******* - basically chewed me out for passing him, no matter what his speed was. Got a warning - I was in my 20's.

Worst was when I was making the run to Chicago and back to MN in the 1990's. Early 20's, going to school, and would go back and forth for breaks. Anyway, had a red 5.0 Mustang GT at the time and used to drive pretty "aggressive" with a Valentine One hanging on my windshield. Somewhere West of Madison, WI, I was heading East, and passed an off duty law cop or highway patrol ( I was probably driving 85 mph or so ). He starts following me and I thought he was trying to use my red car as a "blocker" - so I tried to outrun him. Probably tapped 120 MPH a few times but couldn't shake him. As we entered into more traffic and the Madison area, I slowed down and kind of forgot about it. He went zipping by and I thought that was the end of it. A few miles later I get pulled over by a State Patrol and this off duty guy I was trying to outrun. Needless to say I got my ass chewed and three warnings: unsafe speed, unsafe lane changes, and something else. This dumb punk kid got lucky that day.

MDS

 

In one of my coast to coast drives in TX got clocked & pulled over at 105 As always I was respectful &replied to his question with I was not paying attention to the speedometer ... he said too much paper work &he'd write me 10+ after he runs a check on me. All good &told me to drive safely

 

He came here for a little camaraderie...... not being preached to by a bunch of poseurs that have Ferraris, whose only use for the car is to impress 12 year old boys and get a good valet spot.

Obviously, what he did wasn't the best choice. He knows it. I actually have raced, instructed and fractured more than a few speed laws. So, I never, ever throw stones. But, the vast majority of the 'community' who are owners (and not dreamers) don't even drive the cars because they are terrified to put miles on them and they can't drive to save their lives.