Ain't been in town a week and already gotta ticket lol.

I was coming home from the movies (my friend invited me to a sneak peak of Pirates of the Carribean [sp?] and it got out later than expected) so since I'm living with my Dad although being 18 he doesn't say much I know he stays awake worrying so I'm cruising down the Hubert Humphrey bridge at about 60 (speed limit 45) and I'm pretty much the only person on the road except for 2 slower cars as it's 2:30 am. Well I see this car racing up behind me and I'm thinking well it's probably a cop but he doesn't have his lights on so maybe it's someone else in a hurry. Well I pull up to the red light on US 1 to take a left turn and he's behind me but doesn't have his lights on so I'm hoping I'm in the clear. Sure enough when I take the turn BAM. He says he clocked me doing 50 in a 35 which I don't think is that unreasonable at 2:30 am but hey I don't make the law. Like my dad says they gotta make money somehow, he was nice enough to knock it down to violation of a traffic control device so my ticket will be cheaper but I'm unsure of what it costs because I can't find any information on it or if I can go to driving school or whatever. Can you go to driving school for any infraction or are there certain ones that don't go against your insurance/liscence?

 

Sorry about your luck bud! 15 mph over the limit probably is'nt cheap. I would call the DMV and see what they have to say.

 

He knocked the charge down, but I drove by the same spot tonight and noticed what happens, the speed limit suddenly dips from 45 to 35 just as you exit the bridge and they sit there and wait for ya. Nice speed trap.

I gotta find out what the charge is, I believe he said around 90 bucks. Last thing I needed to waste that kinda money on.

 

He probably failed your test ...
1. Show you the actual "reading" on the radar device used.
2. Provide you evidence he/she is currently certified/trained to operate the radar device.
3. Provide you evidence which states the device has recently been calibrated and tested for its accuracy!
These tid bits saved me in court ... consult with your lawyer for your county/state statutes to support this arguement.

 

Unfortunately I doubt it's worth the hassle of fighting it. I'll just pay the school fee and sit in a classroom for a few hours. Thanks for the tid-bits though.

 

I would fight it. 99% of the time they will take away the charge or lower it alot.

it will be worth it in the long run

 

Yep!

 

I would fight it. You are dealing with two issues. First is the speeding charge, which you admit you are guilty of. Hate to be a jerk but that is your fault and you ought to pay up on that account. The problem is that if you just pay the ticket because your too lazy to go to court you will double screw yourself. By paying the ticket you are admitting guilt. You will get nailed with BOTH the speeding ticket and points, if any. This ticket will cost you MANY times the $100 or so you think it will. When the insurance company finds out about it watch out! They will jack your rate. All they have to look at is the facts: 18 years old, big truck, out late at night, etc it doesn't look good. Insurance companies are essentially in the business of betting and they prefer to bet on sure things. The less sure the bet the more they will charge. For THAT reason alone I would strongly suggest you fight this ticket. Also they will not just jack your rate for one year. It will be an ongoing thing. Consider what a $200 per year rate increase over 5 years will cost you. The advice that was given about asking for the Law Enforcement Officer's calibration certificate (for the RADAR is he used it or for this speedometer is he used that) and training certificate is valid and well worth listening too. At the very least most judges in Florida will wave the points if you show up. As well show up shaved, in clean non-ghetto clothes and without an attitude. Call the judge Your Honor. You will be very surprised how far you will get. Many LEOs will not show up if it is too much of a pain in the ***....especially if they are working night shift, like this one might have been. You also failed to mention what department pulled you over. FHP will almost always show up to court and I believe they will get written up if they show up without the certificate of calibration and training for their RADAR guns. Good luck!

 

It was Cocoa police department that pulled me over. On the back of my ticket it says my insurance rates won't go up unless I'm doing 15+ mph over the speed limit. Am I interpreting this correctly?

 

That is almost a funny statement to be placed on a ticket. Insurance companies can raise your rates or deny you service at their will. You have not RIGHT to have access to their protection and they only grant it to those who the deem are low risk. Those that are higher risk can be denied protection or have their rates raised. For example people I was hit by two crack addicts who got taken away in the back of a Police car. The car I was driving was a rental and it was totalled. The crack heads ended up in jail. I ended up getting my rates raised...why? I had a wreck! Even though it was not my fault (FL=No Fault State) and the others went to jail I got my rates jacked. Their reasoning was that I was in a wreck and maybe I would cause another because perhaps in a perfect world I could have avoided the wreck and didn't...like I WANTED to get in a wreck. Bottom line: An insurance company CAN (no sure bet they WILL) look at the mosaic of your case and decide to raise your rates. They can do this for having a poor credit rating score, for having a type of car that is in a lot of wrecks, for your age, even for the color of the vehicle (red cars seem to get into more wrecks) for the gross number of tickets given to you, etc etc. I hate the insurance companies myself but this is the system we live in. Good luck....fight the ticket!