Speeding ticket

[mattyr33 0]

I've been driving for 4 years and I got my first speeding ticket yesterday for going 82 in a 70. The cop just asked for my license and the year of my car. He didn't ask for registration/insurance. Since this was my first ticket I asked my roommate about it and showed him the ticket, he said he didn't see anything about points or anything. Here's some details:

-I have an Illinois driver's license, and I got the ticket in Indiana

-On the ticket, the "Dr. lic. #/ ID #/ SSN #" has the last 8 numbers of my drivers license correct, the first 4 are wrong.

-Also he put yesterday's date for the expiration date of my license. My license doesn't expire until 2013.

-Everything else on the ticket appears to be correct.

Basically off of this information, what are my options here? Also, will this go on my record or impact my insurance? If I choose to go to court, the court is 2 hours away so keep that in mind. I'm wondering if I should call the court and bring up the issue about my drivers license number but I will wait to do that.

[Drewhunz 3]

So were you speeding?

[mattyr33 0]

Yes I was. My friend and I saw him in the undercover mustang in one of the no U-turn things on the highway. We even said something about it but we didn't even think about him being undercover. That was like 15 miles before my exit and he turned on the lights a quarter mile before my exit which kind of sucked.

[shotty 7]

he said he was going 82 in a 70.

if you take it to court, the judge is going to ask if it was you that was driving, and if you were speeding. you'll say "yes" and he'll tell you to pound sand and quit wasting the court's time. cops fuck up on tickets all the time, but it doesn't make you any less guilty of the offense. just pay it and move on.

i'm not sure how the points system works in your area, but where i live, its 2 points for a minor moving violation and the points penalty system kicks in at three, so essentially you get one "freebie" so to speak.

[dsjunior1388 81]

A lot of the time, at least around here, if you fight the ticket they'll drop the points and change it to a charge that has no points but costs you 50-70 dollars more.

[Race4LastPlace 31]

Those hoosier cops! they are vigilante sometimes! ;) Seriously though last time i went to the LHS in Indianapolis i got my first speeding ticket also. It was about 8 or so months ago i think. Pretty much same as you, they did take license (and my registartion tho), but not insurance card. So that wasnt on the ticket. I got hit at 86 in a 70, so it was like a $116 ticket or somewhere around there i dont remember exactly. I was told i had 90 days to pay or appear. I waited 87 days :D but sent a check. Ive never heard anything from my insurance company, so i dont think anything was ever turned to them. I have checked online with my carrier and nothing appears on my record with them.

Also, and whether this is true or not i have absolutely no idea, but i did question the validity of this. I was told that if you pay $1 more on a ticket, the city/county clerk's office will issue you back a check and until you cash it, they cannot close the case. They cannot submit anything to your insurance until the case is closed. So i did that thinking well its only a buck why not. I received a check back from them for $1. But i have not received anything else regarding my ticket, the fine, or submitting anything to my insurance carrier. I still think it's a myth, but eh, just a buck.

Good luck!

[Drewhunz 3]

Yes I was. My friend and I saw him in the undercover mustang in one of the no U-turn things on the highway. We even said something about it but we didn't even think about him being undercover. That was like 15 miles before my exit and he turned on the lights a quarter mile before my exit which kind of sucked.

Pay the fine then and stop looking for ways of getting out of it. In most cases insurance will give you 18 months between tickets before your policy goes up.

If say you are pulled over for going over 100, your license is suspended for 90 days and your insurance goes into the high risk category until you are 25. Or so I've heard ;)

[yrhmblnr8r 69]

Those hoosier cops! they are vigilante sometimes! ;) Seriously though last time i went to the LHS in Indianapolis i got my first speeding ticket also. It was about 8 or so months ago i think. Pretty much same as you, they did take license (and my registartion tho), but not insurance card. So that wasnt on the ticket. I got hit at 86 in a 70, so it was like a $116 ticket or somewhere around there i dont remember exactly. I was told i had 90 days to pay or appear. I waited 87 days :D but sent a check. Ive never heard anything from my insurance company, so i dont think anything was ever turned to them. I have checked online with my carrier and nothing appears on my record with them.

Also, and whether this is true or not i have absolutely no idea, but i did question the validity of this. I was told that if you pay $1 more on a ticket, the city/county clerk's office will issue you back a check and until you cash it, they cannot close the case. They cannot submit anything to your insurance until the case is closed. So i did that thinking well its only a buck why not. I received a check back from them for $1. But i have not received anything else regarding my ticket, the fine, or submitting anything to my insurance carrier. I still think it's a myth, but eh, just a buck.

Good luck!

Snopes claimed that one false a while ago. I think you're just within your insurance limit, Race4.

Mattyr33, if you show up on your court date they may reduce the charge/points. Since you didn't get any points you could save some cash. Can't hurt if you have the time to spend in bureaucratic limbo. If you're missing a day of work or driving across town to attend, is it really worth the time?

[kredmore 2]

Yes I was. My friend and I saw him in the undercover mustang in one of the no U-turn things on the highway. We even said something about it but we didn't even think about him being undercover. That was like 15 miles before my exit and he turned on the lights a quarter mile before my exit which kind of sucked.

Pay the fine then and stop looking for ways of getting out of it. In most cases insurance will give you 18 months between tickets before your policy goes up.

If say you are pulled over for going over 100, your license is suspended for 90 days and your insurance goes into the high risk category until you are 25. Or so I've heard ;)

+1

[RecLeagueHero 0]

If it's a first ticket you could almost be certain of getting some reduction in the fine. If the cop used pacing to determine you were speeding you could probably get a pretty good discount as courts are generally aware that method is not the most accurate.

As for tickets, like every other legal document they need to be done correctly. You probably aren't going to get out of a speeding fine on a minor technical error, but there certainly are cases where screw up's can and will leave a court unable to enforce a fine on a traffic ticket.

[The Mafia Line 0]

I few years back I had the worst month and got three tickets. 2 speeding 1 illegal u-turn. Lets just say I learned a lot about traffic law that year.

Regarding points, you need to check with your state law to see if they accept out of state points. Example: New York doesn't take points from out of state and I got one of those tickets in Jersey. If thats the case, Just pay the fine, learn your lesson and walk away.

Regarding mistakes on the ticket. A ticket is technically the officers complaint against you, or something like that. In New York the officer needs to identify you and the car correctly. If the he doesn't, even if he testify's that you were driving "then why did you write that this # was driving?", then "are you sure this person was driving?". By the time you fight the ticket the cop can't positively identify you. He stops so many people, you think he remembers you? Really I suggest you consult a lawyer. You could do it yourself, but with a lawyer it's like 99% win for you.

Even if you were speeding, always fight it. The law gives you the right. Most traffic laws are not created to protect the people as they should but rather to make money for the government. Europe has insanely high speed limits, if there even is a speed limit and they have less crashes than in the states.

[Rustpot 1]

Even if you were speeding, always fight it. The law gives you the right. Most traffic laws are not created to protect the people as they should but rather to make money for the government. Europe has insanely high speed limits, if there even is a speed limit and they have less crashes than in the states.

Riiight. Where'd you pull these facts from?

[B19Kress 0]

As for tickets, like every other legal document they need to be done correctly. You probably aren't going to get out of a speeding fine on a minor technical error, but there certainly are cases where screw up's can and will leave a court unable to enforce a fine on a traffic ticket.

If you try to fight tickets based on information being wrong they will just re-write the ticket.. really doesn't help to try and argue that...

[Big Glove Save 0]

If it's a first ticket you could almost be certain of getting some reduction in the fine. If the cop used pacing to determine you were speeding you could probably get a pretty good discount as courts are generally aware that method is not the most accurate.

As for tickets, like every other legal document they need to be done correctly. You probably aren't going to get out of a speeding fine on a minor technical error, but there certainly are cases where screw up's can and will leave a court unable to enforce a fine on a traffic ticket.

Yes. Listen to this guy and give that some thought.

Also in a few states there are circumstances where they have changed the traffic laws so that speeding in some areas are a lesser charge and only a monetary fine is levied and no point accessed. I mean it would be interesting to show the court and judge that perhaps the ticket has some discrepancies and hope for a reduction, but I would not count on that. The judge will just give the officer a glance in slight disdain and you will still be punished. But it will be an experience in the judicial system and crime and punishment. Especially if you name is near the end of the alphabet.

[Miserable 6]

You're not going to get out of the ticket for incorrect numbers on the citation.

You need to:

Find out if there are points

Find out if out of state points are transferable to your state

If either of these are a no, just pay it and move on.

If you can be tagged with the points you can go to court and try to get it reduced. Don't bother with the wrong information tactic or try to say you weren't speeding. Go in asking to have the points taken away. I have done this many times. Most times, you speak to the officer in the court and he'll work out a deal with you before you see the judge. I've always had the points removed and even got some fines reduced by just being polite and respectful and not trying to BS them. They have so many cases each day that they usually have no problem working out deals with minor offenses to get them out of the door quickly.

[dsjunior1388 81]

Europe has insanely high speed limits, if there even is a speed limit and they have less crashes than in the states.

I'm assuming your talking about Germany primarily here, because Germans have the reputation of being the best drivers. German drivers get in less crashes because they are FAR better drivers. Here in Michigan, a 16 year old kid can get a license after 30 hours of class time, 6 hours of driving with an instructor, and 50 hours with a parent, for under $300. In germany, an 18 year old gets a license after two years of extensive training that costs the equivelant of $2,500. They are also much stricter about driving in the right lane and passing on the left. You won't find people riding in the left lane on the Autobahn. Tickets and fines are also much stiffer than here in the US, so they serve as more of a deterrant and less of an acceptable inconvenience.

[MorePower4me 0]

I'm with the majority.

I'd just pay the fine and learn the lesson. You were indeed speeding.

If the points cause some tragic outcome I'd consider showing up and pleading for a reduction in pts/$, but don't try and BS the cop or judge or take too much time. This ticket fight, while important to you, is shockingly low on their priority list.

While you have the legal right to fight, they have the ability/discretion to be extra harsh for a perceived waste of time.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

As for tickets, like every other legal document they need to be done correctly. You probably aren't going to get out of a speeding fine on a minor technical error, but there certainly are cases where screw up's can and will leave a court unable to enforce a fine on a traffic ticket.

If you try to fight tickets based on information being wrong they will just re-write the ticket.. really doesn't help to try and argue that...

You absolutely could not be more wrong about that. A ticket cannot be re-written to suit the state's case, anymore than a botched chain of custody on any other peice of evidence can just be re-written. That would be a massive voliation of our constitutional right to due process of law. Once a ticket is written the state is stuck with what's on it.

[Drewhunz 3]

Europe has insanely high speed limits, if there even is a speed limit and they have less crashes than in the states.

I'm assuming your talking about Germany primarily here, because Germans have the reputation of being the best drivers. German drivers get in less crashes because they are FAR better drivers. Here in Michigan, a 16 year old kid can get a license after 30 hours of class time, 6 hours of driving with an instructor, and 50 hours with a parent, for under $300. In germany, an 18 year old gets a license after two years of extensive training that costs the equivelant of $2,500. They are also much stricter about driving in the right lane and passing on the left. You won't find people riding in the left lane on the Autobahn. Tickets and fines are also much stiffer than here in the US, so they serve as more of a deterrant and less of an acceptable inconvenience.

+1 Besides the Autobahn and Autostrada have speed restrictions on them for most of their length. Last time I drove in Switzerland I recieved a traffic every other day. They ranged from failure to turn off my engine at a red light to going 5km over the speed limit. Driving is a privelege in Europe and not an expectation. The difference is that we as Americans have lost all sense of accountability and now expect to be able to get out of everything.

[CAmmon 2]

failure to turn off my engine at a red light

Seriously? I mean it may just be because I'm from the states but I find this one odd.

[Drewhunz 3]

The canton of Vaud requires any car stopped at a red light to turn off the engine if there are more than two cars in the queue. There are timers at the lights telling you the time until they go back to green. I explained to the officer that I was no longer a local and was unaware of the law. His response was a ticket, and a copy of the motor code. The Swiss don't mess around.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

The American state of mind regarding how we interact with the legal system is very different than what you'd find in mainland Europe, and our courts reflect it. Mistakes of law and procedure are taken very seriously here, whereas these types of things are often overlooked by European courts. The crux of the issue is individual rights vs. state interests. The US was founded on the legal prinicipal that individual rights outweigh state interests. The European systems come down on the side of state interests more often than not. As a result Americans come to the table in court proceedings, whether it's a speeding ticket or serious criminal charge, with a typical combative attitude towards government authority and demanding nothing short of full due process of law. Europeans might be tolerant of the state kicking the ball in the hole, but here the American sense of accountability includes a healthy dose of holding the state accountable to correct procedure. I have a serious problem with a cop that's too lazy to make sure a speeding ticket is filled out correctly. If that lack of attention to details carries over into other areas of police work far more dangerous people than speeders could beat criminal charges.

[porky45 1]

In California you can go to traffic school to have the points removed from your record. You are only able to go to traffic school every 18 months (some exceptions...level 2 traffic school blah blah), however tickets play a huge roll on insurance prices here.

[mattyr33 0]

The American state of mind regarding how we interact with the legal system is very different than what you'd find in mainland Europe, and our courts reflect it. Mistakes of law and procedure are taken very seriously here, whereas these types of things are often overlooked by European courts. The crux of the issue is individual rights vs. state interests. The US was founded on the legal prinicipal that individual rights outweigh state interests. The European systems come down on the side of state interests more often than not. As a result Americans come to the table in court proceedings, whether it's a speeding ticket or serious criminal charge, with a typical combative attitude towards government authority and demanding nothing short of full due process of law. Europeans might be tolerant of the state kicking the ball in the hole, but here the American sense of accountability includes a healthy dose of holding the state accountable to correct procedure. I have a serious problem with a cop that's too lazy to make sure a speeding ticket is filled out correctly. If that lack of attention to details carries over into other areas of police work far more dangerous people than speeders could beat criminal charges.

Yeah I don't really understand how you can make a mistake on the license #, that seems pretty important to me. I don't know the process that the officer goes through once he has my license, but the ticket I got was printed out on a 8x11 piece of paper which none of my friends have ever seen before. I don't know if they entered my correct license # or the incorrect one on the ticket into their database or whatever, but it makes me wonder if I got any points or anything on my license from this ticket. Anyways I'm just going to pay the ticket and contact my dmv and see what else I can do

[Zamboni 6]

Call the court clerk, request the case be tossed based on the incorrect info on the ticket. In Ontario they must toss the case if certain info is missing or incorrect on a ticket. May not be the same there but at least research that online or call the clerk.