Why i hate my e34 (at least as daily driver)

[paul p (chi-town)]

So i was taking an unfamiliar route on the way to werk this morning.
To those that don’t know, the Eisenhower is a freeway that runs through some of our less upscale hoods here in chi-town. My normal route takes me on a tollway which is heavily populated by luxury vehicles (where i happen to know all the usual state trooper waiting spots).
Needless to say, between being the ‘richest’ target and the midrange punch of the small M60, i attracted some unwanted attention.
Usually pretty aware of my surroundings, but did not notice ociffer friendly behind me until he was right on my ass. Like a couple of inches. Valentine1 remained silent thu the whole thing.

“75 in a 55” (welll duh, if traffic was lighter it may have been more) but how the hell did he clock me?!? Could have easily over-estimated my speed if he was trying to catch up. Ticket says nothing about the measuring method.
“No insurance”, well proof......i have 3 cars dammit, sometimes can’t keep up w/ the expiring cards in the wallet. My agent loves me though and i am always reminded if in jeopardy of a lapsing. So i know i am covered as of today.
Oh here’s the kicker.....”Following too closely (while switching lanes)”. ********. I know how i drive, i do not like being tailgated and i do not do it to others. I am positive that at no time was i any closer than half a car length behind anybody. Unlike the friendly revenue enhancing agent of the state who was literally inches off my bumper. He didn’t hit the lights immediately either. Just in case he wanted to get by i moved a lane over but he stuck to me like glue with a very aggressive move of his own.

He starts up saying he could easily take me in for reckless.....if lane changing behavior is taken into account.
As if i ever do it w/o signaling and checking, unlike 80% of the other brain dead drivers out there on our urban roads w/ cell phones surgically attached to their ears.
Pisser...........i bet if i had taken the Sentra he would not have even noticed me.

SO can someone post a link to that ‘how to beat a speeding ticket website’?
ScottH, Josh any idea other ideas.

Since it is an automatic appearance ticket(s), no school. But i have had supervision dropped on me in the past by judges, once even a simple 'be more carefull' and let go. But i am really in the mood to fight this one, or at least be prepared to do so.


http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/sign05.jpg (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)
93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)
”It is not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error;
It is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."-- Robert H. Jackson

[scott540]

Geez, we drove through there last weekend. If that's the worst you were doing on that stretch of road you should get a good citizen medal. We had the minivan last weekend and traffic was flying at 80 and we were getting passed left and right, tailgated cutoof, you name it.

[Mike]

The speeding - remember that a police officer guages speed primarly by his or her experience; he or she then refers to a secondary speed measurement method, such as a radar/ladar or speedo in the car.

Following too closely - half a car distance is unresonable stopping distance in case of emergency; you're lucky he didn't get you for wreckles driving/improper passing.

My advice is to go to court and speak to the prosecutor - im sure he/she can get you a deal.

[Scott H]

you were well on your way to being in the EXACT same position I was in a couple years ago with my reckless charge.........total ********.

Those ****ing troopers in IL need to start enforcing the lane change and left lane occupancy rules instead of provoking people like you and I who keep the cell phones off and pay a lot of attention to what we are doing when we are on the roads.

I have no useful advice for regular tickets.....only reckless driving charges.........and that advice is: get a lawyer

Last night I was cruising on my way home from work at about 11:30PM....a Saab was probably going 120mph in and out of traffic and I was cruising the empty middle lane at 90mph. 5 miles later after getting off the Edens spur where 294/94 merge back together going northbound, I made a 95mph pass in the left lane. A trooper all of the sudden showed up on my ass......I though for sure he got me. I found a spot to merge in the lane to my right and he moved up to get a look at me.....paced me for a few seconds, and then sped off. How he missed that Saab and decided to eye me.....I have no clue.

[Derek A.]

Retain an attorney and request a formal hearing. Chances our a meeting with the presecutor will occur and most of, if not all of the charges will be altered. The investment in the attorney could be less, if you get nailed to the cross for all those infractions. I know Michigan has really jacked up the driving penalties.

[rickm]

My dad was driving down 85 from VA to NC when he was pulled...for doing 70. The unmarked car sitting on his bumper didn't see the semi blow by them both. Funny how that works. I guess he was PO'd because Krispy Kreme was out of hot donuts.

[paul p (chi-town)]

Those ****ing troopers in IL need to start enforcing the lane change and left lane occupancy rules instead of provoking people like you and I who keep the cell phones off and pay a lot of attention to what we are doing when we are on the roads.
Oh i totally agree w/ u Scott, had others been showing proper lane usage and not clogging the left lane (or center for that matter) i would have been happy running my speed all i one lane. Funny i didn’t even think of the provocation angle when he was on my ass, i mean marked w/ full light bar, did he think i would be that stupid or oblivious (well more than not catching him in the 1st place).

Just for the record........=P.........3 tickets.
1 - No insurance: Non issue (trooper said it himself) as i simply didn’t have the card for the vagon in my wallet.
2 – Following too closely: Well according to HIS driving (no lights on yet) 10-14 inches is accepatable @ 58mph. But legally and if his comments bout all of this being on vid-tape bear out, technically he has me.
3 – 75 in a 55: With no V1 braap and the ‘method’ on the ticket checked as ‘marked’ i assume it was by pacing me.

Honestly, part of me wishes that i had the balls to slam on those autobahn bred binders when he was inches away w/o his lights on. Hey the vagon has full coverage. I could have just said that something ahead spooked me, unaware that someone was behind at such an unsafe distance. Technically the accident would have been his fault (at least if he had been a civilian).

93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)

[TheGeak]

sometimes cops really just piss me off. I only ever had 2 encounters with them in the m5. one was i was going home from philly up I95 north in Pa doing about 130 (its about 3am, NO ONE is on the road) and there was a pig sittin' in the median. He threw on his lights for about 1/2 a second then turned them off and backed into his spot. i didn't even tap my brakes, i figured if he wanted me, he had me.

the second was when a pig in an unmarked car tailgates me, passes me on the right (after i had my right turn signal on and was going to merge because of the @#& behind me) cuts me off and has the AUDACITY to flash his badge at me as if I was the one in the wrong.


I agree whole-heartedly that the po-po should focus more on these idiot mothers on cell phones driving SUV's while putting on make-up, yelling at the kids, and reading the newest issue of "Red Book".

[Jon K]

you were well on your way to being in the EXACT same position I was in a couple years ago with my reckless charge.........total ********.

Those ****ing troopers in IL need to start enforcing the lane change and left lane occupancy rules instead of provoking people like you and I who keep the cell phones off and pay a lot of attention to what we are doing when we are on the roads.

I have no useful advice for regular tickets.....only reckless driving charges.........and that advice is: get a lawyer

Last night I was cruising on my way home from work at about 11:30PM....a Saab was probably going 120mph in and out of traffic and I was cruising the empty middle lane at 90mph. 5 miles later after getting off the Edens spur where 294/94 merge back together going northbound, I made a 95mph pass in the left lane. A trooper all of the sudden showed up on my ass......I though for sure he got me. I found a spot to merge in the lane to my right and he moved up to get a look at me.....paced me for a few seconds, and then sped off. How he missed that Saab and decided to eye me.....I have no clue.

I am with Scott H on this one, I got hit for "careless driving" for not using a signal when merging, except I did use a signal. he also told me that I was speeding in a 40 zone, yet i had JUST left a green light... i should have told him that I WISH my car could get to over 40 in 30 feet. Jason (TheGEAK) was there that night, I apparently "cut off" a vehicle and was speeding, all while behind a Geo Metro with no emissions. Its a beautiful freaking world. I ALWAYS signal and I ALWAYS look.

[TheGeak]

Jon, don't lie. I saw you trying to race that Geo, only to get SPANKED! ;)


seriously though, that was MESSED UP! I still wish i coulda gotten you and conners attention...i saw that cop turn to follow and just though "oh @*^# they're done!"

[Jon K]

Honestly, part of me wishes that i had the balls to slam on those autobahn bred binders when he was inches away w/o his lights on. Hey the vagon has full coverage. I could have just said that something ahead spooked me, unaware that someone was behind at such an unsafe distance. Technically the accident would have been his fault (at least if he had been a civilian).


You and me both, I remember when I got ticketed, TWO cops pulled me over, and then when all was said and done they proceeded to PASS ME on the right on a one way 2 lane road while I had my signal on and was moving back out into the road. Maybe I am naive but i was under the impression that the officer stays to assure safe continuing on the road. My bad, I guess I should anticipate a cop flying from behind me and around me, right after ticketing me... must have been a sale at the Dunkin Donuts

[Jon K]

Jon, don't lie. I saw you trying to race that Geo, only to get SPANKED! ;)


seriously though, that was MESSED UP! I still wish i coulda gotten you and conners attention...i saw that cop turn to follow and just though "oh @*^# they're done!"
The funniest part is that Conners tires were corded and of course they squeaked. Its not hard to decifer 15 - 20 mph around a 30 degree bend vs. "speeding" around a bend. Stupid cops.

[TheGeak]

Teenagers in BMWs are ALWAYS up to no good remember?!

[Jeff N.]

Get an attorney the SPECIALIZES in traffic tickets.

In the seattle area, there are a couple of attorney's that are basically traffic ticket gods. All they do are tickets and they are highly regarded by local CCA members for their ability to get the ticket excused. I'd try to find one of them vs. a general attorney.

Good luck.

Jeff

[Russell]

So i was taking an unfamiliar route on the way to werk this morning.
To those that don’t know, the Eisenhower is a freeway that runs through some of our less upscale hoods here in chi-town. My normal route takes me on a tollway which is heavily populated by luxury vehicles (where i happen to know all the usual state trooper waiting spots).
Needless to say, between being the ‘richest’ target and the midrange punch of the small M60, i attracted some unwanted attention.
Usually pretty aware of my surroundings, but did not notice ociffer friendly behind me until he was right on my ass. Like a couple of inches. Valentine1 remained silent thu the whole thing.

“75 in a 55” (welll duh, if traffic was lighter it may have been more) but how the hell did he clock me?!? Could have easily over-estimated my speed if he was trying to catch up. Ticket says nothing about the measuring method.
“No insurance”, well proof......i have 3 cars dammit, sometimes can’t keep up w/ the expiring cards in the wallet. My agent loves me though and i am always reminded if in jeopardy of a lapsing. So i know i am covered as of today.
Oh here’s the kicker.....”Following too closely (while switching lanes)”. ********. I know how i drive, i do not like being tailgated and i do not do it to others. I am positive that at no time was i any closer than half a car length behind anybody. Unlike the friendly revenue enhancing agent of the state who was literally inches off my bumper. He didn’t hit the lights immediately either. Just in case he wanted to get by i moved a lane over but he stuck to me like glue with a very aggressive move of his own.

He starts up saying he could easily take me in for reckless.....if lane changing behavior is taken into account.
As if i ever do it w/o signaling and checking, unlike 80% of the other brain dead drivers out there on our urban roads w/ cell phones surgically attached to their ears.
Pisser...........i bet if i had taken the Sentra he would not have even noticed me.

SO can someone post a link to that ‘how to beat a speeding ticket website’?
ScottH, Josh any idea other ideas.

Since it is an automatic appearance ticket(s), no school. But i have had supervision dropped on me in the past by judges, once even a simple 'be more carefull' and let go. But i am really in the mood to fight this one, or at least be prepared to do so.


http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/sign05.jpg (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)
93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)
”It is not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error;
It is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."-- Robert H. Jackson

[paul p (chi-town)]

My 1st choice would be to go myself and get out of it. You know, ‘common man VS. the traffic court machine’. If it was just the speeding ticket, no brainer. There seems to be enough info out on the web. I would go very prepared and even if i were to lose it would have been worth the experience. Just to NOT be another lemming and stand up to say ‘ENOUGH’. But throw in that following too closely and it’s time to swallow pride and make sure i protect my driving history.
Getting in touch w/ the local CCA guys sounds like an excellent idea.

Uh guys, on the other hand could we stop with the ‘pig’ comments, please. I have friends that are officers, (granted city cops who end up in much riskier situations), but remember these guys are just doing their jobs. Many of them find it ridiculous as well, but that’s what it’s all about, quotas are real. Sure many have let the position go to their heads and being above traffic laws themselves is a way of life. But it is still a dangerous profession. Even my guy, once a little more comfortable, was very polite and even encouraging about the potential for a supervision solution.
Now the donut jokes, well those i would say are fair game (hey they do eat for free 99% of the time)


93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)

[joshuagore]

Sad sad day when 75 is ticketable on the Eisenhower. Now that I am legit and commuting it frequently I can attest to the left lane being cruised by officers at 85mph on a regular basis.

Here is a idea, a good one to help.

First thing is first, the insurance, since you have it its dismissed.

Were you ever going below 75 mph while he could see you?
If so, or even if you think you were then here is what you argue. When you go to the judge plea not guilty, they will tell you to wait until the end where you and the officer will be called up. So you both go up there and you ask the judge if you may address the officer, she will say yes, and you ask 'at what point was I breaking the law' he will say when you started speeding. So why didn't you pull me over when I was going 56 was it not dangerous when I was going 1mph over? Why did you wait, is 74mph not dangerous?

So more than likely you can either get your ticket down to a lower mph or get your following to closely thrown out, because if you were breaking the law in any way before you followed to closely then you can argue that you should have been pulled over the instant you were breaking the law. Because wouldn't it be reckless for a officer to keep following a motorist while they keep breaking the law and putting others lives in danger? Its his duty to stop you before you do more. Heck I would go as far as to say since he didn't pull you over immediately then he was probably trying to egg you on.

If this doesn't work, just say that you would like to take it to trial.
When you utter those words someone comes up with a deal real real real fast. You may have to take a hit but you wont have to take both.

It works trust me.... of all people trust me lol.

Good luck.

Josh

[TheGeak]

cops aren't pigs....

pig, to me, is a slang term for a &#%$ guy with a badge on a power trip. Sometime i'll retell the story of how i got searched for 2 hours in philly because i was driving home from my job at 3am (worked at a resturant) in the M5.

No offense to the 99% of police officers who are out there protecting people and doing their jobs. its a shame that 1% gives them such a bad rep.

[paul p (chi-town)]

1/2 a car length is tailgaiting IMHOOh, i agree.
But............
1) Rush period on a major metro highway? Just try and maintain anything resembling a proper following distance and the empty space will fill up faster than a hungry cop can find that donut. Not to mention, what i was trying to do was to get out of the traffic clot i was in and find a more spacious zone of traffic to run in.
2) And seriously, i do not t-gate. I have seen many times, someone trying to ‘push’ the car ahead of them and i find the behavior abhorrent. If stuck behind someone i will simply back off and wait for some other opportunity. Even if some yahoo behind me is ‘pushing’. Like i said “..at no time”, that was the closest i may have gotten and it would have been for only a moment untill reaching an open spot in another lane. I simply don’t feel comfortable being boxed in or having a lack of escape routes.


93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)

[Mike 'n AZ]

Hey,
That's how it is for us BMW drivers. I was recently pulled over in my '94 540i for "not using my turning signal long enough" in a city where NO ONE uses their signals. I had to pay a 135 dollar fine and had three points put on my record. The cop testified in court that he actually followed me originally because I was speeding, then he accused me of cutting someone off, then when he could not get me for drinking, he went for the weakest moving violation EVER...and I could not get out of it. The judge sided with him because he was actually a Sheriff and not just a regular cop. Needless to say, I was livid. -- Mike

[paul p (chi-town)]

Sad sad day when 75 is ticketable on the Eisenhower. Now that I am legit
Were you ever going below 75 mph while he could see you?
It works trust me.... of all people trust me lol.
Good luck.
Josh
Ain’t that the truth. Sign o the times i guess. Enforcement seemed a little heavy today in general. I guess it’s less of a strain to write tickets when the temps are above freezing.
Legit, eh? Well like you said, “of all people”
lol indeed.

Oh yeah, he must have seen me doing every speed from 75 down to the 56ish that i held for what felt like forever before he finally hit his lights. Honestly i have no idea when he 1st noticed me. I will cruise the route again and try to get a better idea. But yeah, i was very perplexed at why he needed to get on my ass and stay there for so long before making it official

Normaly i have a 6th sense about feeling these guys out, saved my butt many a time. I dunno how many times i’ve spotted one and by the time he hits the instant on, i’ve had a chance to slow.

Oh well, must have been a little tired. I was called into the city last minute kinda late by my teacher ‘friend’.

Thanks for the advice Josh, maybe we can talk more when we get together for Bimmerdood's visit.

93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)

[Warren N.CA]

I think your main failure was to allow your "situational awareness" to lapse (You didn't see him until it was too late.). Constant 360 degree monitoring is required.

Of course you should try to beat it if you can. But prevention is much more effective.


So i was taking an unfamiliar route on the way to werk this morning.
To those that don’t know, the Eisenhower is a freeway that runs through some of our less upscale hoods here in chi-town. My normal route takes me on a tollway which is heavily populated by luxury vehicles (where i happen to know all the usual state trooper waiting spots).
Needless to say, between being the ‘richest’ target and the midrange punch of the small M60, i attracted some unwanted attention.
Usually pretty aware of my surroundings, but did not notice ociffer friendly behind me until he was right on my ass. Like a couple of inches. Valentine1 remained silent thu the whole thing.

“75 in a 55” (welll duh, if traffic was lighter it may have been more) but how the hell did he clock me?!? Could have easily over-estimated my speed if he was trying to catch up. Ticket says nothing about the measuring method.
“No insurance”, well proof......i have 3 cars dammit, sometimes can’t keep up w/ the expiring cards in the wallet. My agent loves me though and i am always reminded if in jeopardy of a lapsing. So i know i am covered as of today.
Oh here’s the kicker.....”Following too closely (while switching lanes)”. ********. I know how i drive, i do not like being tailgated and i do not do it to others. I am positive that at no time was i any closer than half a car length behind anybody. Unlike the friendly revenue enhancing agent of the state who was literally inches off my bumper. He didn’t hit the lights immediately either. Just in case he wanted to get by i moved a lane over but he stuck to me like glue with a very aggressive move of his own.

He starts up saying he could easily take me in for reckless.....if lane changing behavior is taken into account.
As if i ever do it w/o signaling and checking, unlike 80% of the other brain dead drivers out there on our urban roads w/ cell phones surgically attached to their ears.
Pisser...........i bet if i had taken the Sentra he would not have even noticed me.

SO can someone post a link to that ‘how to beat a speeding ticket website’?
ScottH, Josh any idea other ideas.

Since it is an automatic appearance ticket(s), no school. But i have had supervision dropped on me in the past by judges, once even a simple 'be more carefull' and let go. But i am really in the mood to fight this one, or at least be prepared to do so.


http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/sign05.jpg (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)
93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)
”It is not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error;
It is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."-- Robert H. Jackson

[Jeff N.]

A "well known" attorney will have several advantages you won't have:

- a relationship or reputation with the prosecutor
- credibility with the judge
- solid knowledge on process and procedure

I've sat in traffic court and watched people attempt to defend themselves vs. use an attorney. It's almost comical to watch the self defense efforts as some of them are sooo bad. You, by association, will be heaped into the class of idiot no matter how prepared you are.

A traffic attorney will mitigate a lot of those issues just by being there. To me, that alone is worth the price. Depends how bad you really want to or need to "get off".

my 2 cents...

Jeff




My 1st choice would be to go myself and get out of it. You know, ‘common man VS. the traffic court machine’. If it was just the speeding ticket, no brainer. There seems to be enough info out on the web. I would go very prepared and even if i were to lose it would have been worth the experience. Just to NOT be another lemming and stand up to say ‘ENOUGH’. But throw in that following too closely and it’s time to swallow pride and make sure i protect my driving history.
Getting in touch w/ the local CCA guys sounds like an excellent idea.

Uh guys, on the other hand could we stop with the ‘pig’ comments, please. I have friends that are officers, (granted city cops who end up in much riskier situations), but remember these guys are just doing their jobs. Many of them find it ridiculous as well, but that’s what it’s all about, quotas are real. Sure many have let the position go to their heads and being above traffic laws themselves is a way of life. But it is still a dangerous profession. Even my guy, once a little more comfortable, was very polite and even encouraging about the potential for a supervision solution.
Now the donut jokes, well those i would say are fair game (hey they do eat for free 99% of the time)


93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i


........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)

[Jeff N.]

hmmm...dangerous strategy...

The judge is not there to determine if the law is fair or not. That's the job of the legislative branch when the law was passed. The judge is only there to determine if sufficient evidence is presented to find you guilty of crime charged by the state (prosectors office) or not. That, and to determine if the correct processes and procedures were followed.

Now if there was a law you could cite that made it illegal for a police officer to wait to ticket you after the first offense and you could prove they waited, you might have a chance. Without that and using Josh's argument, you have presented no evidence that exonerates you. Instead, you have substantiated the state's case.

Risky approach at best...

[Rory]

So i was taking an unfamiliar route on the way to werk this morning.
To those that don’t know, the Eisenhower is a freeway that runs through some of our less upscale hoods here in chi-town. My normal route takes me on a tollway which is heavily populated by luxury vehicles (where i happen to know all the usual state trooper waiting spots).
Needless to say, between being the ‘richest’ target and the midrange punch of the small M60, i attracted some unwanted attention.
Usually pretty aware of my surroundings, but did not notice ociffer friendly behind me until he was right on my ass. Like a couple of inches. Valentine1 remained silent thu the whole thing.

“75 in a 55” (welll duh, if traffic was lighter it may have been more) but how the hell did he clock me?!? Could have easily over-estimated my speed if he was trying to catch up. Ticket says nothing about the measuring method.
“No insurance”, well proof......i have 3 cars dammit, sometimes can’t keep up w/ the expiring cards in the wallet. My agent loves me though and i am always reminded if in jeopardy of a lapsing. So i know i am covered as of today.
Oh here’s the kicker.....”Following too closely (while switching lanes)”. ********. I know how i drive, i do not like being tailgated and i do not do it to others. I am positive that at no time was i any closer than half a car length behind anybody. Unlike the friendly revenue enhancing agent of the state who was literally inches off my bumper. He didn’t hit the lights immediately either. Just in case he wanted to get by i moved a lane over but he stuck to me like glue with a very aggressive move of his own.

He starts up saying he could easily take me in for reckless.....if lane changing behavior is taken into account.
As if i ever do it w/o signaling and checking, unlike 80% of the other brain dead drivers out there on our urban roads w/ cell phones surgically attached to their ears.
Pisser...........i bet if i had taken the Sentra he would not have even noticed me.

SO can someone post a link to that ‘how to beat a speeding ticket website’?
ScottH, Josh any idea other ideas.

Since it is an automatic appearance ticket(s), no school. But i have had supervision dropped on me in the past by judges, once even a simple 'be more carefull' and let go. But i am really in the mood to fight this one, or at least be prepared to do so.



93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)
”It is not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error;
It is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."-- Robert H. Jackson
Paul,

This sucks, sorry to hear it. It is never fun when this happens to anyone. But, your best bet is going to be to find an attorney. You are going to pay the same amount out of pocket up front, the difference is that it will go to the attorney and not the state. Also, you will save a lot down the road in insurrance costs if you keep it off your record. So, pay a little now or a lot later.

On another note, let me prefeace this with what happened to you SUCKS!! But, if you count the number of times that you break the law (Speeding, changing lanes without a signal, etc) you are most likely coming out ahead. Just look at this as your "price of admission" in order to drive as fast as you do and break the laws that you do on a regular basis. It doesn't make it right or fair, but it is a fact of the society we live in. Hopefully you won't have this happen for another X years. Keep the shiny side up.

Best,
Rory

[Tiger]

At least you didn't do a 3+ counties chase...

[Patrick]

Yep. I've posted it before -not much chance of getting out of a ticket in a BMW. I even had a traffic cop compliment me three or four times on my 740i (when I had it) as he was writing the speeding ticket. Finally I asked him point-blank to not issue me the ticket, but he wouldn't go for it.
On the other hand, in my old, really ugly, 4wd S10 Blazer, I've been let off a few times doing 80+ in 55 zones by the State Patrol.

[DueyT]

....Now the donut jokes, well those i would say are fair game (hey they do eat for free 99% of the time)

93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)


http://www.dodge-charger.com/Charger/BoardImages/cheesy.gif



http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/Duey/tim::s_safe_place.jpg

[Dave Rutkowski]

due to the new highway laws (including no dawdling in left lane) effective 1/1/04. If you're 40+ over, you get cuffed and hauled off to jail and charged with a criminal offense!

Dave

P.S. we need to hit that karting place again soon.....

[tdgard]

While I'm not familiar with IL traffic law, let's just say I have some experience with the Atlanta and surrounding area's traffic court. Hell, we pass the APD through the center of town WHILE THEIR DOING 70MPH :p --Never ticked for that, they are too busy dealing with shootings.

Some things that work here (your mileage may differ):

If you take a defensive driving class your fine must be reduced by 20%. If a fine is altered from the original, it will not go on your record. This is allowed once every five years--I've found it works once every five years for each court system. I'll bet it could work once every five years per judge.
Downside--you waste a weekend. You spend $100 on the class. You may still have to pay 80% of the fine. The judge is going to ask why you did this. I first told them it was for work insurance reasons--thrown out completely. Once I was cocky & told him the truth--paid 80% but no points.

Second is a little risky and downright immoral. If you have ever sat in traffic court you hear people say their speedo is wrong. The judge will then ask if you have had it checked. Most say no. There are places out there that will check them & some of them have people working there that need a little extra cash. I was once told that the test was $20 and if $20 was accidentaly left on the passenger seat, he'd help me out.

Finally, you could always go the "I was keeping up with traffic" route. Since it was morning rush hour, you did not want to become the 56mph hazard (at least here in Atlanta). These judges live in your town and can probably empathize. Hell, you wrote about just that for the following too closely charge.

Lawyer? Could be a good idea, but I like Dave Berry's suggestion for dealing with Iraq.
"We fly over there and drop lawyers on them. If that doesn't work, we fly over and drop more lawyers on them. If that dosen't work, we put some parachutes on the lawyers."

Good luck

[BigD]

My first and only ticket was when I was 17 and did a handbrake slide around a corner through a stopsign, around a tree behind which was a cop. I pulled right in beside him, didn't even give him a chance to turn on his lights. He didn't even give me a speech, just said hi, and sat there writing the ticket, smiling. Thankfully he only gave me running the stopsign.

I got all the standard talk from friends that I should go to court, they usually never show up blah blah blah. ********, they almost always show up. I even tried to play a real detective. I parked where he was, behind the tree, and took polaroids of the intersection and I was going to claim that there is no way he could have seen the stopsign line from where he was - maybe I just stopped and accelerated in a fraction of a second. :-)

The only thing that saved me was the fact that my case was one of the last ones to go. I've been to court three times. Twice to see friends get it in the arse, and once for myself. The only thing I can tell you for a fact from what I saw, is that the ONLY thing you can hope for realistically to save your skin is to be NIIIICE! Admit you were an idiot, be sorry, say you'll never do it again, and you will be ok.

I sat there, with my polaroids, my strategy all lined up, told the prosecutor my plea was not guilty. I was looking around for the cop and couldn't see him. I figured I got lucky. Then this guy walks up to me, are you Dmitry? Yes. How are you going to plead? I'm going to say I stopped sir. He just raised his eyebrows and walked away. I was hoping he wouldn't even remember - he remembered everything, and had every last detail in his logbook in case he didn't. I didn't recognize him because he was wearing some weird, navy blue swat like uniform.

As the cases went on infront of me, one thing became painfully clear. The court has infinite respect for the officers. Without INDESPUTABLE evidence, they will ALWAYS trust the cop. AND, on top of all that, should you dare to challenge their integrity with ********, you will get it where the sun don't shine. One black lady came in with a screaming baby. Said that the cop gave her a ticket because he is racist. The judge said I am charging you court costs, get out of my sight.

So, it was obvious that if some teenage punk goes up playing Matlock, he will just tell me to shove those polaroids up my ass. They called a break. I realized it was time to be political. I went down and sat next to the cop. I gave him a sad puppy look and said how I'm going to university next year and no way I can afford the ticket. The cop smiled, said:
"Here's what you do. Change your plea to guilty with an explanation. Go to the judge, be VERY respectful, humble, and SORRY. Tell him what you told me about school. Say you were very close to your house (which I was, like 200m away) and have driven through the area hundreds of times and know almost instinctively when there's no one around, and simply didn't come to a complete stop. He will then ask me to back up your story, I will, and he will throw out the charge."

I thanked him, changed my plea and sat down. My turn came up, I did everything as he said, then he went up, said that's exactly what happened. Judge taps his glasses, says, are you a good student? Yes your honour. Good luck next year son, fine suspended. I then talked to the cop for like an hour about all kinds of stuff. A pretty cool life experience.

The only time I've ever known a charge be thrown out personally, was when a buddy of mine got a ticket. He went to a little strip mall to buy groceries. But the mall entrance is off an off ramp from the highway (so you get into the mall off the offramp, and get out of the mall onto the offramp). He bought his stuff, came out, and just as he started rolling, a cop at a speed trap at the end of the ramp (long, segregated road really at that point) waves him down. He was rude too. "You know what you did, sit there and be quiet". So he went to court. The cop claimed the guy came off the highway and never slowed down from highway speed. My friend said he just came out of the mall and never even had a chance to accelerate. The judge asked for proof, and my friend showed the receipt, which was timestamped like a minute before the ticket date. Judge said have a nice day. And THEN, my friend said the cop caught up to him in the parking lot, said I'm sorry sir, it was just one of those days. WTF, you have "one of those days" and he has to pay for it?

So anyway, the conclusion for my essay is that if you don't have irrefutable proof, like a video tape of your speedo and the situation, with that day's newspaper visible, the only thing you can realistically hope for is to be sorry and humble as hell and give a reasonable explanation (something like that it was stressful rushour traffic, and you lapsed watching your speed).

[mikey535im]

Sometimes you get hammered no matter what! 17+ yrs ago I had a 60's muscle car that had a gas gauge problem to where it would register FULL when I filled it and would be empty when it got to where the gauge indicated 1/2.Approaching a busy intersection(1/16 mi.) the car started stumbling,3 lane road each direction and I happened to be in the center lane,I then made a left hand turn down a back road from the center lane to avoid having run out of gas in the busy intersection.Sure as hell a cop was in the vacinity and pulled up behind me (about 5 minutes after I was sitting there) and wrote me a citation for making an illegal left turn with no sympathy at all to my running out of gas.After recieving the ticket I was able to limp it to a nearby gas station and filled the tank with 17.8 gallons,held on to the receipt indicating such,and went home to make a copy of the 'Chiltons' repair manual indicating that the vehilcle holds 17 gallons of gas.Took all this to court thinking this would be a slam dunk in my favor.....I was wrong! Ticket held,needless to say I was pissed.
p.s When I was pulled over I did not mention to the officer the condition of the gas gauge.
Mike

[paul p (chi-town)]

I think your main failure was to allow your "situational awareness" to lapse (You didn't see him until it was too late.)Oh, i totally blew it. Every on ramp, nook and cranny on that highway is a potential trap. It is not wide open like my normal route. Too many possibilities and traffic was a little heavy to have a clear view of each and every one. Loss of total situational awareness indeed.



if you count the number of times that you break the law (Speeding, changing lanes without a signal, etc) you are most likely coming out ahead. Just look at this as your "price of admission" in order to drive as fast as you do and break the laws that you do on a regular basis.
Rory
Paying off some driving ‘carma’ u say Rory? Probably right.
I do take exception (very minor), other than speed i am anal about my driving. By the book. Don’t know how many times i’ve sat at a light, seeing only 1 out of 5 cars make right turns correctly. Full signal, complete stop, and the part everyone blows, ‘right lane TO right lane’. 80% of cars simply turn into whatever lane they choose, it’s maddening to watch.
Oh well, that’s what happens when driving is a right and not a privilige.
Example: Last time i took IL written test, 2 years ago i think. Guy many spots in front of me gets his test and starts up. We finish at the same time. My score; one answer wrong, the other dude failed. I mean he got less than 70% right or something out of 25-30 questions. I didn’t even pick up the ‘rules of the road’ booklet.
But yeah, considering that the only time i ever actually obey the speed limit is in residential areas and construction zones (w/ workers in them) i suppose you could say i’m due. Gotta pay to play, eh.
In a way, you can drive w/ impunity if you can afford it. Barring true stupidity, ie drinkin and drv, serious road rage that is.

Oh well, i’ve gotten a few responses on the local CCA message board w/ refferals. Since it is mulitple and i want to walk free and clear, i will prolly hire a pro. See if i can observe a bit too, pick up some pointers for next time (whenever that happens). It’s like every two years it seems. Never in the vagon before so it was always just one ticket (speeding) or less, warning, let go outright (cause my wallet w/ lic/ins was blocks away).

BTW as additional prevention, got the 3er back on the road. Yay. Maybe the drivers window is finally fixed w/ new plastic track socket clips.
The Sentra is waiting for 24 hour above freezing temps. ;)

93 SE-R---94 530iT&A---92 325i........”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)

[aardvark]

I got a 72 in a 45 zone ticket in High Point, NC two days ago. I thought I was screwed, but visited a traffic lawyer yesterday and the cost will be 300 total. Charge will be automatically dropped to improper equipment and no points. His fee 125, court fee 100, ticket 50-75. He can do that because I have had no prior speeding violations. If you do, you will get screwed. I still suggest to get a lawyer from the town you got the ticket in. Somehow they seem to be able to minimize the damage a lot better than you could yourself.

Have a good day and obey the speed limit (That's what the cop told me when he left.)

[Jeff N.]

.

[paul p (chi-town)]

$150 for the lawyer (his son i think actually).
$50 court costs.
No school, straight supervision, counsel recommended keeping my nose clean for 3 months (thought it was 6, whatteva).
Counsel also said that if i am chronic i should get a bond card. Not in my loss of ‘situational awareness’, that was very temporary. *rolleyes*

BTW, officer showed. Should a seen the pile he was carryin. A real hard ass. Man that dude young and short, xplains alot. Counsel said it 1st after we walked out.
Chicagoans, keep an eye out on the Ike weekday mornings. You have been warned.

”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)
”It is not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error;
It is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."--Robert H. Jackson.

[Unregistered]

First time here, my girlfriend got a ticket here in MA going 86mph in a 55mph on Rt. 93north. She asked for a warning, no luck, the State Trooper was also a female. I spoke to a friendly State Trooper one day at the airport in Boston about it, and he recommended the book "How to get out of a speeding ticket" or some title like that. Written by a CT State Trooper, she got out of the ticket by using some of the tricks in the book about scheduling the court date around holidays that would require the State Trooper to work extra details, and pick up extra overtime, or something like that, I didn't read the book. I know every state is different, but it might be worth a look.