Damn, a speeding ticket!

[Black R]

I haven't had a speeding ticket in 5 years, but I've received two in the last two weeks.

Is something going on lately?
Are the police trying to double up on traffic violation income to make up for sequestration?

I'm going to document these two accounts:

1.

A couple of weeks ago I took a day trip to visit an orthopedic dr in Birmingham.

As I crossed from GA to AL, the speed limit signs went from 70 to 55, but I didn't notice as I got off at the rest stop / welcome center and used the bathroom.

I got back on I20 and immediately got pulled over - for doing 85 in a 55. Ouch.

The funny thing is that I really wasn't trying to speed, and I was still under the impression that the speed limit was 70 and I don't think I was going 85.
But I never saw the officer clock me.
Do the police have some car mounted devices that automatically clock you?

I didn't argue, I just took the ticket and the "have a nice day."

I'm guilty of being an Atlanta driver (wrt speed), that's for sure - but on general principle I usually show up for court and make the requisite excuse in order to have my speeding tax reduced.

I'm just wondering what's the procedure in that area... And what constitutes the method of measuring speed for AL.



The court date is set for May.


2.

A week later, J texts me that his clutch blew up and this past Sunday I drove down to Fayetteville to help him and Ant out - but by the time I arrived they already had it out.
I stayed and helped out and after some setbacks, pretty much finished up and left at 3:30am knowing I had to be at work at 7am.

I saw literally 20 different cops staking out speed traps at various roads as I drove to Alpharetta.
I was cruising at 9 over - verified by gps - and see two cop cars just past exit 8 on ga 400 and they light me up.

This was a young cop and he tells me I was going 81 in a 65 and asks me if I have a medical emergency or any other reason to be speeding.
I told him no.
Then he asks me about the tach in my car and says that I can't properly see the speedo.
(the tach is needed bc of the swap I have)

He goes to the car and writes me a ticket for 83 in a 65 verified by laser.
His partner keeps saying stuff about my car, like they're playing good cop/ bad cop.

He ends up giving me a warning for tinted license plate cover (it's clear!), obscured speedo, no tread on front tires (they're nt-01's!).

And he asks me if I'm on drugs or drinking because I'm shivering - it's in the high 40's and I've been sitting with no heat for 20 minutes with the window down while he writes me a ticket. :/

Again, I take the ticket without argument.



The court date is set for April.

Now I'm not saying that I wasn't speeding.
I'm just not in agreement with the amount over.

[Boosting EG]

Damn bro I hope it works out for you

[Black R]

It's ok, I usually fight and win (and by win I mean get a reduction or dismissal of charges).

Although you really can't win because even when you get the charges thrown out, you've spent your valuable time to do so.

Here's a post I wrote about the subject a while back:

Get a ticket and need advice? Serious help inside...

[ISAtlanta300]

Sucks bro...both looks like high money tickets.... but your 5+ year ticket free may help you if you fight them.......

I've been over 10+ year ticket free and I drive normal (i.e. with flow of trafffic, sometimes a bit over, sometimes a bit less) and have to yet be pulled over....

Maybe you just had some bad luck...

[Sammich]

LOL u going 30 and 18 over and wondering why you got pulled...bruh..c'mon

[Black R]

LOL u going 30 and 18 over and wondering why you got pulled...bruh..c'mon

You damn skippy.

And if you read the thread, you'll see that I WASN'T doing those speeds.

[1moreaccord]

Dang you should not have gotten any tickets. That was so unfair!

[C230K]

I feel your pain I got court next month too, but Im pondering whether to fight it or not.

[Black R]

Always fight it.

I posted a thread a long time ago about fighting and winning.

Get a ticket and need advice? Serious help inside...

[Doppelgänger]

Well, I could not find much information about Georgia being a member of the system that shares violations from state to state (the DLC). It seems they are not. But if I were you, I'd still try to negotiate a reduction in speed in case your insurance can see the violation.

As for the Alpharetta ticket goes, I'd file a request for any evidence ALPD has relating to your traffic stop- any communication with dispatch and if possible, any in-car video/audio. If he said 81 to you and then wrote 83, there is a chance you could prove the officer wasn't even sure of the violation. That is, if he really "said" 81 and cited you for 83. Even then, if you want to get technical, you could bring up that speedometers have a ±10% margin of error for federal standards. So If you were driving at an indicated 75 or 76 mph, the speedometer's variance could have put you up to 81 or 82 mph by laser or radar. You could even bring up that on top of the mechanical variance of the speedometer, there is a variance on tire diameter (even for tires with the "same size") that could compound the reading even further. On GA400, depending on the time and traffic volume, doing 10-11mph over is not outside the average variance of drivers on there.
Also note that since there is no state-approved recalibration services. If you felt up to the job, you might even look into seeing how you could obtain logs from your GPS nav device to show what you were seeing at the time of the violation.

[Black R]

I like where your head is at.

[quickdodge®]

Well, I could not find much information about Georgia being a member of the system that shares violations from state to state (the DLC). It seems they are not.

Wrong. They are.

[Doppelgänger]

No they're not.

[quickdodge®]

No they're not.

I know of a certain mid-western state that will disagree with you. I know of this from personal experience.


Edit----after looking around, I have found that Georgia now does not do it after all. I also think we were talking about two different things. When I moved out to the Midwest about 15 years ago, I could not get a driver's license there due to an unpaid traffic citation here in Georgia. That's where I was looking at the topic at hand. I believe what you were referring to is if you move from one state to another, any points you have from that original state will go with you to the new state, yes?

[Doppelgänger]

What I was looking at was if a Georgia resident gets a moving violation outside of Georgia if it gets reported to the Georgia DDS. There are 2 or 3 databases that are used to share this information and it seems the DLC is the main one but Georgia is not a member. Logically, if Ga is not a member of the system used to share violations, then any out of state violations would not appear on ones Ga drivin record. If someone can share factual information information proving otherwise, please do as I'd like to be informed and educated on the subject.

[quickdodge®]

If someone can share factual information information proving otherwise,

Kind of a subtle jab, but a jab nonetheless. I stated that I was on a different page than you and that you were right in what you were referring to.

[Doppelgänger]

Not a jab at all. It's an open offer to anyone who might know where specific documentation is relating to the discussion at hand. However, when making a post, let's say like #12 up there, maybe you should include pertinent information to back your statement up. It would seem that in a fairly serious and civil thread about tickets, one wouldn't post remarks that at boarderline trolling.

[quickdodge®]

Not a jab at all. It's an open offer to anyone who might know where specific documentation is relating to the discussion at hand. However, when making a post, let's say like #12 up there, maybe you should include pertinent information to back your statement up. It would seem that in a fairly serious and civil thread about tickets, one wouldn't post remarks that at boarderline trolling.

You've known me long enough to know I don't "troll," kind sir. I probably could have elaborated, true.

[dvpjdm]

It could be worse i got popped on 400 south heading home from my girls house. 96 in a 55 (i know dumbass) to make things worse i was the only car on the road at like 3:00am so court goes about as good as it could given the situation. Charges dropped to a 69 in a 55 they took my license but didn't suspend it just held the plastic and told me if they find out ive been driving in the 6 months that my license is theirs i go to jail for the rest of my probabtion (6 months) so about a month ago im driving a brand new audi for a customer that doesnt have a tag yet, i get popped again and recieve a ticket for no proof of licesnse because i had my motorcyle license on me and didnt have the regular one. Court date is on Wednesday. Wish me luck.

[Berta]

I have gotten speeding tickets in many states abroad, and all the points and tickets was accounted for by all the states. My wrap sheet was about 4-5 pages long for a 7 yr history report. Thank God I've got a clean record now.

[quickdodge®]

I have gotten speeding tickets in many states abroad,

So you used to live in Austria or Venezuela?

[BanginJimmy]

Edit----after looking around, I have found that Georgia now does not do it after all. I also think we were talking about two different things. When I moved out to the Midwest about 15 years ago, I could not get a driver's license there due to an unpaid traffic citation here in Georgia. That's where I was looking at the topic at hand. I believe what you were referring to is if you move from one state to another, any points you have from that original state will go with you to the new state, yes?

I had the same thing happen. I had a speeding ticket in PA that I swear I paid several years earlier, but couldnt find proof of it, so my license was suspended. I coldnt get a GA drivers license because of the suspension of my IL drivers license from the PA ticket. From my understanding during that situation suspensions and revocations are reported, individual moving violations are not.

OP, as far as the GA ticket goes, if the laser they got you with did not have a current calibration on it, they will be forced to drop the case for lack of evidence. Outside of that or the previously mentioned audio, you are SOL.

For the Bama ticket, you are just SOL.

[Hermin]

It could be worse i got popped on 400 south heading home from my girls house. 96 in a 55 (i know dumbass) to make things worse i was the only car on the road at like 3:00am so court goes about as good as it could given the situation. Charges dropped to a 69 in a 55 they took my license but didn't suspend it just held the plastic and told me if they find out ive been driving in the 6 months that my license is theirs i go to jail for the rest of my probabtion (6 months) so about a month ago im driving a brand new audi for a customer that doesnt have a tag yet, i get popped again and recieve a ticket for no proof of licesnse because i had my motorcyle license on me and didnt have the regular one. Court date is on Wednesday. Wish me luck.

Biggest BS story I've ever heard. They physically took your license? Why not just go to the DMV and get another one since it wasn't suspended?

[Berta]

So you used to live in Austria or Venezuela?

Lol, no not quite. But all my tickets/points for moving violations followed me everywhere for history reports. Which is the same system the cops are looking at in their vehicles.
But I do remember around 2000 Alabama didn't share violations/points with Ga. But that changed. I've had points follow from Wisconsin..
Had friends get letters from the state saying that they needed to go to the "defensive driving school" to reduce points on their record or their license was going to be s suspended(will reduce 7 points off). I volunteered myself due to holding tickets in my pocket that would put me over....

[Doppelgänger]

It's a different situation when you live in another place and move to another state. Yes, your record follows you then, but as for beign a GA resident and getting a ticket out of state, by what I have been able to find, is that the points/violation does not show on your GA DDS record.

[Black R]

I had the same thing happen. I had a speeding ticket in PA that I swear I paid several years earlier, but couldnt find proof of it, so my license was suspended. I coldnt get a GA drivers license because of the suspension of my IL drivers license from the PA ticket. From my understanding during that situation suspensions and revocations are reported, individual moving violations are not.

OP, as far as the GA ticket goes, if the laser they got you with did not have a current calibration on it, they will be forced to drop the case for lack of evidence. Outside of that or the previously mentioned audio, you are SOL.

For the Bama ticket, you are just SOL.

Ya I'm thinking I'm pretty screwed on both tickets this time.
I'll still try to fight them and hopefully get the charges reduced.

[Black R]

I just got back from my court appearance at the Roswell courthouse.

I showed up on time and dressed business casual.

The solicitor was a nice attractive 30something blonde.

She called all of us up in a group (who were within 5mph of 14 over) and told us she would give us all the same deal:
Reduction to 14 over and no points or reporting.

*In GA, currently 14 over is the max you can be driving and convicted of with no points on your record and no reporting to insurance.*

Needless to say, I took the deal: 79 in a 65.

It was still a $180 fine tho; and 2.5 hours wasted.

If I hadn't shown up to court and instead had paid the fine like many people do, I'd have received a $450 fine and points on my license.

Next is my 30 over ticket in Heflin, AL.
I may have to use nolo there.

[Doppelgänger]

Sounds about right. They know what people want and will most likely work out a deal for the money. I wouldn't say the time is really wasted; break it down to paying the original $450 and add on any possible insurance rate increase on top of that. If you work out the difference in the fines, that 2.5hrs actually saved you $108/hr. Now add in the potential for an increased insurance rate and it goes up significantly.

[Black R]

I'm posting from the courtroom here in Heflin, AL:

They are taking all the guilty pleas first.
The judge claims that they are cracking down on reducing fines and throwing out tickets because the federal govt pays the state $ for overtime and addl troopers to patrol i20.
He says this is the deadliest stretch of road in the US.
If they don't get convictions, the state has to repay the $ back to the fed govt.

I say they're simply pulling people over now to justify their position.

I noticed the ticket has some incorrect info:
Tag# is wrong
Says I'm the owner of the vehicle, and in this case I'm not
Says its a 2013 and it's a 2008
Also says I was at or near a certain mile marker, when I was miles away
Also there's no indication of how the speed was determined. :/

[Berta]

Sounds like some b.s. In Alabama!

[Black R]

Lol you guys are gonna love this:



I got it reduced to 64 in a 55 and paid $25 in court costs.

[Berta]

I would say you are a lucky bastard!!! Lol

I wouldn't ever have that good of luck..

[Black R]

No luck involved good sir.

Know the game and play the system.