there are a lot of law enforcement officers here, right? Need a little help...

I

ibanezplayer470

Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Messages
95
I got my first ticket today. it was for going 70 in a 50. I'm 17 years old, and i live in virginia. I WAS WRONG. But i also need help... whats the best way to make this go as smoothly as possible? I am freaking out right now...


thanks
 
You won't get out of paying the ticket. So consider the money gone and let that be a reason not to do it again. 5 over is one thing and usually just a warning, but more than that and you are probably starting to get dangerous. Limits are posted for a reason, most of the time.

I believe most states have a class you can take that will drop the points for the first few tickets. Take the class and have the points reduced or dropped. Being a 17 year old male with points on your license will jack your insurance up. Try to get it lowered so you don't have to pay the increase in insurance premiums as well as the ticket.

Then don't speed in the future. If you drive the speed limit and watch the person speeding and weaving in and out of traffic, you normally are next to them at the next light. It normally doesn't even get you anywhere quicker.

Just think of that kick butt knife you could have bought ;):D:foot:
 
Good advice above. Nothing to freak out about. Unless you haven't told you're parents yet. :)

Settle down. Pay the ticket. Don't do it again.
 
Go in repentant, admit you were wrong, and tell them it won't happen again.

Don't get defensive, don't talk about why you did it, etc. They won't care. 20 over the limit is 20 over the limit.

Most courts I've dealt with will negotiate a 0-9mph over ticket....some even a 10-14 over....fewer still 15-19 over.

So, I hate to say it, but you're screwed and are going to have to pay something. See if you can get it reduced, or have the number of points against your license reduced, etc. That is not uncommon and worth asking for.

Dan
 
My 17 year old daughter got caught out here in California doing 64 in a 45. It cost me $400.00 She took some kind of class on the weekend that kept her from getting any points on her license and also no increase in insurance.

Be very polite when you see the judge, don't make excuses. The judge actually commented to me about how well behaved my daughter was and how respectful she acted towards him. Good luck.
 
70 in a 50 is very significant even for an adult.

With all due respect to any officers we may have here, a police officer is probably not the person you need to talk to about this. You already talked to one police officer about the matter and look where it got you. This is a serious charge and could cost you not just the fine but a whole lot more for years to come when the insurance company finds out. It's worth a hundred bucks to talk to an attorney BEFORE you do ANYTHING else.
 
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Living in VA, and having had to had to pay multiple 5mph tickets, I suspect you'll be paying the fine.

Go on the VA State website (one of the links lets you pay online and gives one a bunch of info on the tickets) and see if the class thing will get the points off the ticket.

If you take it you can see why everyone who drives as the instruct is a bad driver.

Remember, they want the money most.
 
One way or another, you'll pay. Consider one of the "traffic law" outfits if they are available in your state. This will still cost you, but the citation will be reduced to a "non-moving" violation and you won't accumulate points against your license.
 
You may well need a lawyer. There are three levels of speeding in VA with penalties that vary from $200 fine with 3 license points that last 5 years to over $3000 fine+fee with 6 license points that last 11 years (for exceeding the posted limit by 20 MPH). Find out what you are charged with and the potential penalty and then decide what to do. If you are charged with "Reckless Speeding" (20 MPH over) it can also be a felony so you better tell your parents you screwed up and need help (but I don't think you were charged with that or you would probably have been locked up and had to pay a bond to get out). You need more information to know what you are up against - maybe the public defender's office or local legal aid office can explain the charges to you. Don't fool around with this - get out in front of it, get the best deal you can, and take responsibility or you may regret it for a long time.
 
the actual citation number or whatever is for speeding, not reckless. it is speeding by 20mph, but I'm curious as to why he didn't put it down as reckless, as the reckless citation includes the actual speeding... is this just a speeding ticket? that would be A LOT better...
 
You need to slow down for one. I got 2 speeding tickets in the last 5 yrs. Online traffic school in CA is punishment enough regardless of the 300plus dollar fine. My wife scolds me for speeding, and that has been enough for me to use my cruise control to keep me within acceptable range.

For the record, when I was your age, I had a highly subjective ticket that would have pushed me over the point level, and I got popped for a very familiar intersection where there were 2 left turn lanes and then develepments eliminated the 2nd lane. I used the lane to turn left, the officer ticketed me. I pleaded that if he was familiar, that intersection had within the last month been changed. I was still wrong, but had to try to not get a ticket, my butt was in sling. I was polite, repentant, and really pleaded to not get a ticket, but got one anyway. The officer actually mentioned to me to contest the ticket, maybe he will not show up. I did, and I got dismissed. I walked out of court on cloud nine. Rare case, and I am not usually that lucky, but a great relief none the less.

Now, if it is your first offense, try to get a lesser degree of penalty if possible, pay the fine, and attend traffic school. Put a rubber band around your wrist and snap it til your skin bleeds while in traffic school so you have such an unpleasant experience, you will never speed again. At 17, you are highly likely to cause an accident due to careless testosterone charged brainless Dukes of Hazzard stunts. You have a highly likely possibility your bad driving may put your friends, strangers, and family members as well as yourself; in the hospital, in a wheelchair, or in a coffin. Straighten up and fly right soldier, you are almost an adult, so thicken your skin and make some responsible adjustments to your habits, because the repurcussions can be permanent. I blather on and on because........ I was an idiot driver from 16 to 22, and thank God still I never killed anyone, or seriously hurt anyone. You are getting off cheap. If this is a felony as Mycroft said, I would spend the money on a lawyer to get that reduced. A felony sounds way to harsh for 20 plus speed limit.
 
Here in my area the jugde probably would offer you traffic court. Unless you are a repeat offender then I doubt getting out of it at all. If they do offer you traffic court, take it by all means. Here it keeps the points off your license and can reduce your fine. But the most important thing is that it shows the judge and court that you are regretful and willing to do what ever it takes to correct your mistake and not let happen again.,,vwb.
 
You're asking the wrong people!
I once called a local police dept. I was thinking about buying a hunting knife, and wanted to make sure I didn,t break the law.
I was told that any knife with a blade over 3" would be confiscated.
So I looked up the law, and called a couple of other State Police posts and asked them the same question. I was told the same thing, they would take away any knife with a blade of over 3".
I called another State post and was told this again, this time I read the law to them.

Michigan -750.226... Carrying with unlawful intent
Any person who, with intent to use the same unlawfully
against the person of another, goes armed with a pistol
or other firearm or dagger, dirk, razor, stiletto, or
knife having a blade over 3 inches in length, or any
other dangerous or deadly weapon or instrument, shall
be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in
the state prison for not more than 5 years or by a fine
of not more than 2,500 dollars.

They told me that they would just assume I was carrying it with unlawful intent.
This is coming from the Troopers who 2 of their fellow Troopers were found guilty of Poaching Deer From their Cruiser while on duty with a confiscated rifle.

Moral of the story, listen to Gollnick
 
ibanezplayer470 said:
the actual citation number or whatever is for speeding, not reckless. it is speeding by 20mph, but I'm curious as to why he didn't put it down as reckless, as the reckless citation includes the actual speeding... is this just a speeding ticket? that would be A LOT better...
Click to expand...

I'm not an LEO, but have some experience with this.

If the ticket only says speeding, it's a speeding ticket.

How fast were you actually going? If it was more than 20 over, the officer already did you a favor, but may have left a note somewhere on the ticket with you actual speed which will make it less likely the judge will give you a break as the officer already did.

I got popped when I was about your age for a 72 in a 55, the officer wrote the ticket for 5-10 over (no points in MI, 90 dollar fine), and I sent in the check and went on my way happy with how things went. I didn't bother to fight it, mostly because it happened about 5 hours from where I live and the ticket cost more than the gas money to drive up would have. Also he wrote "actual speed 72" in the memo portion of the ticket, would have made it harder to fight.

Tell the parents (if you haven't already), and see what they think about talking to a lawyer. A lawyer will likely be able to tell you exactly what you need to do.

Good luck.
 
If your pipes were leakin bad, you'd get a plumber, right?

You got a legal problem. Get a lawyer.

Keepin the ticket "off your record" will save you 5x the rise in your insurance rates.
 
ibanezplayer470 said:
the actual citation number or whatever is for speeding, not reckless. it is speeding by 20mph, but I'm curious as to why he didn't put it down as reckless, as the reckless citation includes the actual speeding... is this just a speeding ticket? that would be A LOT better...
Click to expand...

reckless driving typically needs additional elements. there would have to be a specific endangerment of lives or a minimum speed requirement, like say, 100mph.

speeding, while dangerous, is not generally considered reckless in and of itself. where you weaving through much slower traffic or endangering pedestrians, this may have met the elements.

if you take a lawyer, you may need to request a trial in order to have it worth his and your time/money. in ca, if trial is requested, this waives any opportunity to attend traffic school. at least here, for a simple infraction, a guilty plea and traffic school is the simplest way to dispo since it allows the driver to avoid the point on their driving record.

if you think you have a valid defense, a lawyer may be a viable option.
 
AR fan said:
You're asking the wrong people!
I once called a local police dept. I was thinking about buying a hunting knife, and wanted to make sure I didn,t break the law.
I was told that any knife with a blade over 3" would be confiscated.
So I looked up the law, and called a couple of other State Police posts and asked them the same question. I was told the same thing, they would take away any knife with a blade of over 3".
I called another State post and was told this again, this time I read the law to them.

Michigan -750.226... Carrying with unlawful intent
Any person who, with intent to use the same unlawfully
against the person of another, goes armed with a pistol
or other firearm or dagger, dirk, razor, stiletto, or
knife having a blade over 3 inches in length, or any
other dangerous or deadly weapon or instrument, shall
be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in
the state prison for not more than 5 years or by a fine
of not more than 2,500 dollars.

They told me that they would just assume I was carrying it with unlawful intent.
This is coming from the Troopers who 2 of their fellow Troopers were found guilty of Poaching Deer From their Cruiser while on duty with a confiscated rifle.
Moral of the story, listen to Gollnick
Click to expand...

this entire post is irrelevant, especially the last portion.

i know of a USMC Corporal, highly decorated in iraq, who returned to pursue a career in law enforcement. problem was, he was a known and active gang member.

who's fault is this? the USMC's or his?

the actions of a few do not paint an accurate picture of the whole.
 
mycroftt said:
There are three levels of speeding in VA with penalties that vary from $200 fine with 3 license points that last 5 years to over $3000 fine+fee with 6 license points that last 11 years (for exceeding the posted limit by 20 MPH).
Click to expand...


Wow! $3000 and 6 points for eleven years. If six points raises your insurace rate just $50/month (and that's probably a rather low estimate), that will cost you $6600 over eleven years in addition to the $3000 fine; add misc. costs and this will cost you $10,000. Wow! But it gets worse: once you have six points on your license, any other minor violation over the next ELEVEN year which might add one or two more points which might not affect your insurance rate by themselves suddenly push you up to seven or eight points and send your rate skyrocketing. This thing could easily end up costing you $15,000. Wow!

You need to consult an attorney to find out what your best options and courses are. Nobody in the police department and nobody in the court is gonna tell you that. A private attorney will lay that all out for you. He may charge you a couple of hundred bucks to tell it to you, but that's chicken feed compared to what you're facing. And seeing an attorney doesn't mean you're gonna persue a big court case; the attorney may very well advise you to just go and plead guilty and ask the judge to reduce your sentence. In just a one-hour conference, the attorney may be able to give you some good tips to follow to resolve the whole thing yourself. That'd be a couple-hundred bucks well-spent.
 
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ibanezplayer470 said:
I got my first ticket today. it was for going 70 in a 50. I'm 17 years old, and i live in virginia. I WAS WRONG. But i also need help... whats the best way to make this go as smoothly as possible? I am freaking out right now...


thanks
Click to expand...


Pay the ticket...then it will go smooth...Dont pay and it wont be smooth..then slow down..
 
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