Busted

[Agent M79]

A crisp cool night and a road devoid of any traffic. I found my foot heavy on the pedal as I roared past a concealed town cop snuggled in his dark hidey hole.

60 in a 35 wrote as 55 in a 35.

"I thought it was a Crown Vic when I came up on you. How long has Mercury been making Marauders?"

"'03 and 04 are the only model years in a long time." says I.

"If you decide to not make a court appearance, you can mail your payment...." and you know the rest of the speech.

So they got me. 3 years of mad antics behind the wheel of the GT, couldn't get a cop to chase me if I tried. 3 months behind the wheel of the MM and I've been pulled twice (but just this one ticket). Yeesh.

[Petrograde]

Dude,.. Agent,..

sorry to hear that!

My humble advice..
Go to court,.. plead No Contest, and say.. 'yer Honor' hey it was dark ... there was no traffic... I didn't preceive any risk...

you might just get a slap on the wrist! ... maybe... no harm in trying!

SergntMac,... anything to add? Ho 'bout some advice?

Tom

[Glenn]

Agent:

My advice, your only chance is to go to court and see what happens. If you pay the ticket, it's a done deal! By the way, I did not notice a radar detector in your mod list. I couldn't drive my MM without a good radar detector. It is just not possible particulary with any mods. My Beltronics has saved me many times. Yes, the laser detector does work! By the way, if you go fast you got to do it on a highway. I hate to tell you how many times I broke the century mark today.

Good luck,

Glenn

[Bigdogjim]

Agent M79: Well at least the officer knocked it down a few MPH's.

I have been in court and seen first hand the Judge really drop the fine down... It depends I guess who's on that day/night..

Good luck and don't let it get you down:)

[SergntMac]

Originally posted by Petrograde
SergntMac... anything to add? Ho 'bout some advice?

Advice..."If you play, you pay."

Thoughts...Bound to happen driving this monster around town, it's not just a car, it's a way of life. Look at your options again, see which option won't result in reporting the offense to a higher authority that counts assigns "points" against your DL.

I suspect the reason the speed was dropped, was to keep the offense bound to a local statute, and not a state violation. Around here, that's 30 over the posted limit. Then, the local town gets to keep 100% of the fine without reporting that to the state. They put you on supervision for 6 months, maybe driving school on your dy off too, but no one knows about it but you and the Judge. I'd look at this as the cost of admission to the amusement park. If you can't avoid the points, get creative with the explanations, or, ask for a trial by a jury of your peers...Other MM owners.

Wouldn't THAT be something to see...

[RedMM]

SergntMac- THAT IS A KEEPER!!! :beer:

[FordNut]

Go to court, usually they'll let you go to driving school or sometimes just put you on 6 month probation. You'll still have to pay the fine/court costs (sometimes it does get reduced), but it will stay on the local level and the state won't have it on record. So when the insurance company gets your MVR from the state it's still clean!

[Agent M79]

This is the 2nd ticket I have gotten.

The last one was 9 years ago in a '90 Mark VII LSC.

The circumstance this time was the same as last time: Not following my own rules.

Really wanted to get home, there were no headlights or taillights anywhere and it was an industrial stretch where all the plants were closed (permanently).

So, no traffic, no people, and me ignoring all of the rules I set up to avoid these entanglements. If any one of these three things were in place, I would not have gotten the ticket because I would have not been going fast enough to bother with.

Last time, I showed up in court, they lowered the speed below the insurance company's radar, I paid my fine and court costs. Unless I learn something new next week, that'll be the plan.

[Mad1]

Hmmm. Just thinking out loud, but aren't red cars more likely to get pulled over? :)

Gotta love that stealthy black look, even if it means you have to clean it twice a day.

[Agent M79]

Heh, Mad1! The "D" part of DTR means it virtually is black in the night!

I wish I could blame the color but I think it was the moving at nearly 2x the speed limit!

[frdwrnch]

My Vote: Go to court! Try to get it reduced even more. I think 15mph over is the magic number for another DL point and marks another leap on your insurance. I speak from experience. 15 years ago I had an admirable driving record, a page and a half long! Back in '90 when bought an '88 Crown Vic cop car I was still driving the same but got noticed less. It was my first of several of these big sedans and I loved it for that and many other reasons. Now I've grown much older and maybe just a little wiser so I pic my Hi-speed cruising grounds a little more carefully. I'll knock on wood because I'm probably due! Good Luck.

[frdwrnch]

P.S. I here radar doesn't pick up the black ones!

[merc]

I have another twist to this court thing. If you have chip and gears you could disconnect the chip and have a shop check your calibration on your speedometer. If you could demonstrate to the court that your car was not displaying the proper speed ,then you could ask for a reduction or dismissal, don’t laugh; it works in the State of Virginia.

[Mongoose]

My $.02, get an attorney, plead no contest, request traffic school.
No points off your license and no blip on your driving record that would show up on the ins. co. radar.

[Marauderman]

Originally posted by Glenn
Agent:

By the way, I did not notice a radar detector in your mod list. I couldn't drive my MM without a good radar detector. It is just not possible particulary with any mods. My Beltronics has saved me many times. Yes, the laser detector does work! By the way, if you go fast you got to do it on a highway. I hate to tell you how many times I broke the century mark today.

Good luck,

Glenn

Hummmmmmmmmm............looks like another call to Dennis while it's still in his shop......maybe another item for him to consider selling with his set-ups----okay --I'll be the first.......now where is his number again..........gotta have something ,,thats for sure now!!!

Tom

[jgc61sr2002]

Originally posted by merc
I have another twist to this court thing. If you have chip and gears you could disconnect the chip and have a shop check your calibration on your speedometer. If you could demonstrate to the court that your car was not displaying the proper speed ,then you could ask for a reduction or dismissal, don’t laugh; it works in the State of Virginia. Merc - That excuse will not work in NY. I you don't realize you are going almost 2X the speed limit you don't deserve to have a license. This is what a judge told a motorist who was clocked at 83 in a 55. :(

[jgc61sr2002]

Agent79 - The best advice is to plead NOT GUILTY and have your day in court. If the officer fails too appear and your driving record is good the summons may be dismissed. I've seen this happen numerous times. Advise the judge you didn't make this date the court did. You have already lost a day of work and it is unfair to adjourn the case. Good luck.

[merc]

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/enforce/stspdlaw98/ncspeed.htm

In my experience, a lawyer in this type of case is useless and costly. If you don't believe me then spend a day in traffic court, get educated on the subject and strike your own deal with the State attorney.

Also you could argue that the officers detection device is out of calibration.

http://www.courts.state.va.us/txtops/1511022.txt

To add to this information is some case history of other police calibration cases.

http://www.norman-law.com/page29.html

This is a great Website for education on speeding and how to defend.

http://www.speedtrap.org/stetlaws.htm

[SHERIFF]

I shouldn't tell this..... but.....

All you had to do was say your cruise control mysteriously took over and accelerated the car, and that you were trying to get it off when you went through radar. Ask the officer to call a tow truck, explain to the officer that you don't want to drive it anymore until it is checked out, and have the car towed away. Even if he writes you the ticket, the judge will most likely dismiss it. Especially since you refused to even drive the car away from the scene.

Keep in mind now..... I don't endorse perjury. I am merely telling you how a slick dude would pull off getting out of a ticket. It works in court, a guy pulled the trick on me in court about 7 or 8 years ago. The judge bought it too.


I knew the guy was lying, but I couldn't prove it. :)

[MapleLeafMerc]

Originally posted by SHERIFF

All you had to do was say your cruise control mysteriously took over and accelerated the car, and that you were trying to get it off when you went through radar.

:up:

[teamrope]

Originally posted by frdwrnch
P.S. I here radar doesn't pick up the black ones! You may be on to something there...Barney Fife saw me doing 5 over the limit coming up the grade out of Raineer, WA. 2 nights ago, but I got it down the the limit before he could swing the gun my way. He knew I was speeding so he thought he would pull in behind me and cath me that way. (Like I have STUPID writen all over my face..) From there on I kept it 5 MPH under the limit, even for curves. Damd fool followed me for 6 miles, all the way threw Ft. Lewis! (Then again it may have been a case of WTF is it.):coolman:

[bigslim]

Go to court. Sometimes the cops don't show. Here they throw it out if the cop dosn't show.

[RCSignals]

In Oregon I don't think you are allowed a Lawyer in traffic court.

You could try what sheriff suggests, but can you imagine the condition of your car after you get it back out of the Impound lot? that's likely where they would tow it to.

Teamrope, you know the WSP has ticket quotas.....

[SHERIFF]

Originally posted by RCSignals
You could try what sheriff suggests, but can you imagine the condition of your car after you get it back out of the Impound lot? that's likely where they would tow it to.



On a simple speeding 55/60 in a 35 mph zone they can't confiscate or tow your vehicle to the impound lot???? :confused:

I meant..... ask the officer to call a tow truck for you, to take the car to the closest FORD dealer. :)

As far as the proverbial "quota", departments don't have such a creature. They are now called "performance expectations". If the boss thinks you should be capable of writing 45 tickets a month, and you don't, your performance evaluation is rated down. In other words, a "quota". HAHAHAHA!

Another trick, for the drinking man, that use to screw us up in court royally, keep a fifth of liquor soemwhere in your car. If you become involved in a wreck, and while waiting for the cops to show up...... open it and take 3 or 4 drinks with witnesses watching. We can't determine if if you were drunk when you crashed, or if the drinks afterwards pushed you over the legal limit. :)

"Your honor, after the wreck, I had a few drinks to settle my nerves."

[RF Overlord]

This might be seen by some as heresy, but might I humbly suggest that the MOST appropriate course of action would be to obey the damn speed limit in the first place?

My company has a rather strict policy concerning getting ticketed while driving company wheels. Because of this, I try to be no more than 5 MPH over any posted speed and I find that it's actually refreshing to NOT have to be rushing about all the time. This behaviour has spilled over to my civilian driving as well, and I now notice there are a LOT of fools out there who will tailgate me when I'm going 45 in a 40 zone, and then roar around me at the first opportunity...most of the time they get stuck in traffic anyway, and end up only a couple of cars in front of me, so what have they REALLY accomplished? Great...you got there a whole 15 seconds before I did...congratulations, dumbass... :rolleyes:

[SHERIFF]

RF, there's many stages in life. :)

At age 16 to about age 19, people drive 20 mph over the speed limit. This is a given.

At age 20 to about 30 they usually drive about 15 mph over the speed limit, assuming they have gotten by with no tickets long enough, and might now be pressing their luck.

From 30 to 45 the average driver assumes they can talk their way out of a ticket going 10 mph over the speed limit.

Over 45 the average driver does 5 to 7 mph over the speed limit. They realize their sight and reaction time is not exactly what it was at age 18.

The only exception to the above stages, IMHO, is when something as great as a Marauder comes along..... and you just simply have to let it free flow occasionally. :)

[Petrograde]

lol RF!

I agree... I don't speed very much,.. and never in dense traffic. It's kinda weird. The faster I get my car to go (i.e. mods) I am less inclined to use them.

"great power requires great responsibility" someone once said.

Tom

PS- Sherrif,.. thanks for the info... but, I personally won't get behind the wheel even if I've only had 1 beer.

[RF Overlord]

Originally posted by Petrograde
It's kinda weird. The faster I get my car to go (i.e. mods) I am less inclined to use them.

"great power requires great responsibility" someone once said.



I agree, Tom...just KNOWING my car will perform a certain way is enough...I don't feel that I have to PROVE it at every stoplight...

SHERIFF: You're right on with your "stages in life"!

...but you forgot Stage 5: Over 65, the average driver does 20 mph UNDER the speed limit and will NOT, under ANY circumstances, pull over to let faster traffic go by; puts their blinker on 4 miles before they actually turn; swerves into the gutter every time a vehicle comes toward them in the opposite lane; puts the wipers on HIGH for 3 drops of rain (then won't turn them off, even after the sun comes out); and is always wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves when the temperature is below 60°F...

[martyo]

Always, always, always go to court in response to a moving violation. You can only improve your situation; you can not worsen it.

Often the ticketing officer will try to work out a plea arrangement in advance of the Court calling the matter for a hearing. Be up front and try to negotiate for a larger fine and fewer, or, better yet, no points.

Has worked for me and my favored clients on several occasions, although I generally don't spend my day in traffic court.

Okay, that's enough free advice for me. It's back to dispensing advice for hire for me....

[SHERIFF]

Originally posted by RF Overlord


SHERIFF: You're right on with your "stages in life"!

...but you forgot Stage 5: Over 65


In Virginia..... they're not a stage of life. We call them "disabled motorists". Been cases where an officer has actually called a tow truck for them before finally realizing they are indeed moving. :)

[JGaignat]

This worked for me to get out of a ticket.
"MY WIFE IS IN LABOR!!!" Six AM, a motorcycle cop pulled me over on my way to the hospital. We were less than a mile away from the hospital. I was probably doing 55 in a 35. I jumped out with both arms in the air screaming this. The cop (who weighed more than his motorcycle) didn't even get off his cycle to check to see if I was telling the truth. He waved me on, and about 25 minutes later our daughter was born. He didn't give me an escort either. I was in our former Blazer. If I'd had the MM then.....I would have made it before the cop pulled out of the lot he was sitting in.

[SHERIFF]

Originally posted by Petrograde
PS- Sherrif,.. thanks for the info... but, I personally won't get behind the wheel even if I've only had 1 beer.


While that is commendable, 1 beer alone won't push you over the legal limit in any state.

We use random roadblocks in Virginia. They are always set up on main arteries or throughways. The main problem is they catch all the wrong people. Decent honest hard working people who might drink once a year (leaving a Christmas Party for example). The true habitual alcoholics know to travel the backroads and avoid the roadblocks.

IMHO, most random DUI roadblocks are not about catching drunk drivers.... they are about profiling for the public and appearing as if they are doing a good job. :)

[Glenn]

Sheriff:

I enjoy reading your posts and I think your MM picture is great. Where did you get it? I agree with your statement on driving MMs. I only let it loose on our 3-4 lane interstates around South Atlanta where you are ticketed for going less than 12 miles over the limit and can not safety go less then 10 miles over. At 15+ miles over you run the risk of a day in court. Fortunately the black MM looks almost the same as alot of CVPI police cars in Atlanta and the surrounding countys. For some reason black is the favorate color for cop cars and there are very few large black sedans around except the police.

Glenn

[MapleLeafMerc]

Originally posted by SHERIFF
While that is commendable, 1 beer alone won't push you over the legal limit in any state.

We use random roadblocks in Virginia. They are always set up on main arteries or throughways. The main problem is they catch all the wrong people. Decent honest hard working people who might drink once a year (leaving a Christmas Party for example). The true habitual alcoholics know to travel the backroads and avoid the roadblocks.

IMHO, most random DUI roadblocks are not about catching drunk drivers.... they are about profiling for the public and appearing as if they are doing a good job. :)

I admire your candour, Sheriff.

The people you refer to leaving the Christmas party are scared to death and not the danger that the habitual drunks are.

In Ontario the criminal limit for blood alcohol is .08. Several years ago MADD and others helped pass a new law that takes away your licence for 12 hours after .05. While I realize that drunk driving is reprehensible and indefensible, I think it diminishes the respect people have for the "law" in general when they decide to suspend civil liberties of those not criminally negligent. It leads you to wonder "what IS the law?"

[Paul T. Casey]

I recently had the unfortunate experience of being ticketed for 85 in a 55 on I75 in Chattanooga. If I am back down there at work, I will go to court, otherwise, I'm pretty much trapped into mailing in the fine. So much for black not showing up on radar. It was night, open road, and I just hit it for a few seconds. BTW, good thing I was slowing down at the point of radar!

[Glenn]

Casey:

Did you have a radar/laser detector??? You cannot drive a MM without one. It should be a mandatory safety requirement.

Glenn

[gja]

Never, repeat, NEVER set foot in court without a lawyer.
It is their ball, their bat and their field.
And YOU are a non-player. At least show up with someone who can pinch-hit.

I was given two rules from a friend that have served me VERY well over the years.

1. Never set foot in court without a lawyer.
2. If it is not in writing, it just plain ISN'T.

I got a GREAT result in my ticket via LASER (before I had the Blinders), and that is due completey to my lawyers fast thinking and knowledge of the system. He had them look "at the pretty shiny object" (a $$ fine) while he quickly suggested no points/no speed. They grabbed at it and dropped the former, like a dog faced with the "two bones dilema"...

HAHAHAHAHAHA I win.
Sure it cost a few bucks, but I have no mark on my license.

I love ya marty, so don't take this to heart:
Lawyers are heartless sharks, scum incarnate.
Better to have one working FOR you than AGAINST you.

The system runs on an archaic protocol designed to confuse and beat those without a good solid knowledge of how it works.
Lawyers are therefor a MUST in todays world, unless you like taking the switch-on-the-butt treatment on a fairly regular basis.

[Petrograde]

Originally posted by SHERIFF
While that is commendable, 1 beer alone won't push you over the legal limit in any state.

When I was stationed in Germany I drove the Autobahn everyday. German's (for the most part) take driving very seriously. I guess it rubbed off on me.

I realize one beer won't get me a DUI, but it will ever-so-slightly impair my ability to see and react to threats on the road.

Along the same lines: I never use my cell phone while driving, I don't eat while driving, or do anything else that will draw my attention from the road.

I'll be damned if I'm gonna be the cause of an accident!

Tom

[SHERIFF]

Originally posted by Glenn
Sheriff:

I enjoy reading your posts and I think your MM picture is great. Where did you get it?
Glenn

Battlefield Ford/Mercury, Culpeper Virginia

[SHERIFF]

Originally posted by MapleLeafMerc
I admire your candour, Sheriff.



Really? :)

Let me lay another one on you..........

Before MAD, and 20 years ago.... if the police wanted to net their fair share of legitimate habitual drunken drivers around here where I live..... all they had to do was set up a roadblock 1/2 mile from the FOP lodge at 3 a.m. in the morning. Cops use to be the worst offenders around here!

They still are too, in the domestic violence category. Too bad there's not a MABW chapter (mothers against beating wives).

[merc406]

Join the crowd, tickets suck.

[martyo]

Originally posted by gja
I love ya marty, so don't take this to heart:
Lawyers are heartless sharks, scum incarnate.
Better to have one working FOR you than AGAINST you.


I assume that the "heartless shark, scum incarnate" that helped you out was the lawyer I sent you to, no? Glad I could help!!

Lawyers. You gotta love us!!!

[Agent M79]

I posted my predicament as a warning to pay attention and don’t let your guard down. That’s what I did. I let an impulse override years of driving experience (and a dash of common sense) and it got me busted.

Had I behaved as I normally would for that place, time, and circumstance, I would have been no more than 10 over and he probably woulda cared less. And if he did care enough, I’d show up to court and get it reduced to improper equipment, pay the fine and the court and been on my merry way with no other entity aware of my transgression.

Before the officer lowered the speed for the ticket, I could have been without a license for 6 months. All indications are that the court will take it to 9 over, fine, and court costs but when I get pulled next time it will come up as speeding instead of clean and what break I could have gotten will likely evaporate. My bag. Like Mac says, you play you pay. You play badly, you pay more.

As interesting and entertaining as lying and putting on a production for the officer would be, it’s not for me. I played by the same rules he played by. He didn’t lie. Even gave me a break so I could keep my license. I suppose that I could get creative and nasty if he were the same with me but I wouldn’t have taken the lead in that play.

[TAF]

Well said Dave :up:

[SHERIFF]

Originally posted by TAF
Well said Dave :up:

60 in a 35 mph zone??? Is it automatic that you would lose your license for 6 months in NC? If so, that's pretty stiff.

[BISHOPSS95]

Originally posted by Glenn
there are very few large black sedans around except the police.



Are you forgetting the other side?

30 years of driving without a ticket. No inspector detector and no CB. Keep it sane and don't be the fastest one on the road.

IMO

;)

[don]

who wants to go slow in the kind of car we have

[Breadfan]

http://www.neuralimpulse.com/macros/6.jpg

[jgc61sr2002]

Old thread alert.:D What he said. ^^^^^

[GRIFFEMT]

I dont get to read or respond to too many threads. I enjoyed reading this one tho. I drive a MM 04 I love it when rice rockets pull up near me and rev up the hamsters its funny as hell to watch them take off while I putt putt along Having the speed and not using it is like having a gun and never having to use it. I know I have it. Why should I waste my $3.30 a gallon 94 octane on a kidd with a souped up honda.....

[knine]

...."old age and trechery will over come youth and skill, besides, I have more car insurance" Thats why.