Speeding Tickets

[Colby]

I'm not trying to start anything here so let me just say the right thing would be to not speed, the laws are in place to protect everyone and in access of 30 over the posted he did the right thing by not dropping the ticked. I've never driven a car that felt the same at 80 as it did at 110+. Maybe thats just me.

I've been in cars doing over 200km and if the car is built for it, the ride is smooth as silk!

[spackler]

I'm not trying to start anything here so let me just say the right thing would be to not speed, the laws are in place to protect everyone and in access of 30 over the posted he did the right thing by not dropping the ticked. I've never driven a car that felt the same at 80 as it did at 110+. Maybe thats just me.

Seeing as you drive a lime green Beetle, you might just be more in touch with your feelings than most.

[g8r]

Plead guilty with explanation, wait for your court date, then go in for a change 10 days before (usually the limit for changes).

Make sure the cop is in the court room. If he isn't then you plead not guilty and you'll get off, if he is there, plead guilty with explanation. say you were in a rush, or something happened that day at work and your full attention wasn't on the road, but since you've never been cited for speeding before you'd like to ask for a reduction in points. Most judges will do it.

[disenor]

Seeing as you drive a lime green Beetle, you might just be more in touch with your feelings than most.

Come on Spack, you didn't have to do me like that. Its my wifes car, I bought it for the fuel mileage, I'm color blind, it was a dare, I got a great deal... ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT I love the thing and thanks for putting my business in the street. All not be buying anymore Scotty's from you.

Cheers D

P.S. do you have any Scotty's for sale.

[PEI Golfing]

The number of Neighbourhood Patrol Officers are down.......no matter how they spin the #s to the media.............
While,Traffic Division Officers has increased = More Revenue

Just look at the revenue the New "street racing" tickets has generated for the Province.......
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/20/2044.asp

In the first 30 days "1057 have been charged under the new definition, generating between $2.1 and $10.6 million in fines and another $500,000 in towing revenue."

[dlnljl]

From reading these posts, its amazing how much energy goes into trying to get out of a ticket once people have been caught

[Baxter]

Ask your friends how much they make if they get called into court during their holidays..........Its HUGE $$$$$ for them.............

Curious............do your good friends work on the same force as the Lady Cop....?

They love going to court now....Most people will strike a deal before court starts..They get paid 4 hours and get to go home.....

At the time I did not know my buddies. For the life of me I have never been able to recall her name to ask them to check....

My post about what happened was removed as I was using to many bad words(Sorry again Dan) The day off court my Points guy and I go into a room to discuss what we are going to do.As we are going in I see the Lady Cop..I lose it talking about this female Officer...He asks me what wrong? That 3 days ago I was fine? Well I tell him 3 days ago I had a wife, house and thought life was good....Now I don't and life is not what I thought..He tells me there is no way he is allowing me to go on the stand with the hate I had at that time for women...He pleaded it down to a follow to close...2 points and I think it was $74.00...He said my tone and attitude at this time will sink us and we would run the risk of losing...When I first brought the issue to Points..They believed my chances were 85% to win. It was still the a Good $500.00 spent as my insurance would have went threw the roof..as per my INS.Agent....Not to mention the lesson I was taught...

One other thing...If you are a hard worker because your wife likes to spend money and she tells you to sleep in on a Saturday morning because she is going out..Beware that you may get a call around 2 in the afternoon letting you know that she has been out looking at Apartments and is not coming home....just a heads up......Yes, I've gotten over this as you can see..it was 17 years ago.
I'm glad time heals these type of things

[Mattchew]

They love going to court now....Most people will strike a deal before court starts..They get paid 4 hours and get to go home.....

At the time I did not know my buddies. For the life of me I have never been able to recall her name to ask them to check....

My post about what happened was removed as I was using to many bad words(Sorry again Dan) The day off court my Points guy and I go into a room to discuss what we are going to do.As we are going in I see the Lady Cop..I lose it talking about this female Officer...He asks me what wrong? That 3 days ago I was fine? Well I tell him 3 days ago I had a wife, house and thought life was good....Now I don't and life is not what I thought..He tells me there is no way he is allowing me to go on the stand with the hate I had at that time for women...He pleaded it down to a follow to close...2 points and I think it was $74.00...He said my tone and attitude at this time will sink us and we would run the risk of losing...When I first brought the issue to Points..They believed my chances were 85% to win. It was still the a Good $500.00 spent as my insurance would have went threw the roof..as per my INS.Agent....Not to mention the lesson I was taught...

One other thing...If you are a hard worker because your wife likes to spend money and she tells you to sleep in on a Saturday morning because she is going out..Beware that you may get a call around 2 in the afternoon letting you know that she has been out looking at Apartments and is not coming home....just a heads up......Yes, I've gotten over this as you can see..it was 17 years ago.
I'm glad time heals these type of things

it was just as funny without all the bad words!

[Baxter]

I was stuck in the moment, again......it was hard to get it clean...but thank you

[Golfbum]

I am as clean as a freshly washed baby when it comes to traffic offenses. I have not had a ticket in years, I can not recall the last time I had one.

Now that I am driving that Pony I am going to have to be careful though. Cars like that are moving targets for speed traps.

In general the only time I go over the limit is on the 401 or 402. Then I set the cruise 18 over the limit and drive. Down this way they rarely stop you if you are under 20 K over the limit.

Plus with the escalating price of gas you might want to think about taking your foot off the pedal more often

[Kiwi]

FYI, in many jurisdictions they try to schedule court when the PO is on day shift. That does not always happen though so the next best thing is to set as many at the same time as they can keep the OT to a minimum. Those that enjoy the OT more than the time off are as rare as those that don't give you a break for being "human" when being stopped. My best advice is to keep it "under the radar", use cruise control on the open road, and if the worst happens treat him or her like you would want to be treated.

[Indio]

FYI, in many jurisdictions they try to schedule court when the PO is on day shift. That does not always happen though so the next best thing is to set as many at the same time as they can keep the OT to a minimum. Those that enjoy the OT more than the time off are as rare as those that don't give you a break for being "human" when being stopped. My best advice is to keep it "under the radar", use cruise control on the open road, and if the worst happens treat him or her like you would want to be treated.

Something tells me that is the advice of an officer

[Kiwi]

Something tells me that is the advice of an officer

For those few that view Traffic Enforcement as a "money grab" I have a piece of advice. Do the math...

First, how many homicides in Ottawa last year? How many people killed in Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA)?

How much money lost in break ins, thefts, and non-vehicle related crime? How much money lost in MVA?

How many peoples lives ruined by MVA? How much money spent on insurance as a result of MVA? Finally, in the course of your week how many people complain about vehicle incidents (running red lights, close calls, speeding) vs. other "crime".

From what I see there are not enough police or traffic cameras to make our streets safe. If you are old enough to have kids driving, would you want more or less traffic cops?

Touch a nerve? You bet. Have not lost a close friend or family member, yet, to an MVA but have had to tell too many families that a loved one won't be coming home.

Slow down!

[Indio]

Slow down!

I'm in Orleans, I will give you the make and license plates of my 2 vehicles and when you see a 19 year old driving either one of them, nail the little sucker (gas for an Expedition is expensive!). But please, Bugsy has a heavy foot so don't nail her, there is already a lady cop in Orleans that has pulled her over 3 times in the past year and I have to listen to the tirade when she gets home.

Trust me, you don't say 'well, you got what you deserved' to Bugsy

[Indio]

For those few that view Traffic Enforcement as a "money grab" I have a piece of advice. Do the math...

By the way, I don't view 'Traffic Enforcement' as a money grab, someone has to protect us from ourselves. BUT I do view the guys that drive around putting chalk marks on your tires when you are parked in a limited parking zone as a money grab - they do some pretty sneaky stuff to get you, I see it everyday at work...... I have ZERO respect for them.

[hackzaw]

A couple years ago, I had was coming home early in the morning from my girlfriends (now my wife), and I got a flat tire. That put me a little late for my company golf tourny, so I admit I was going a little faster than I normally would have. It was 8:00 am on a Saturday morning on the Linc in Hamilton. The Linc is a 2 lane split highway that should have a speed limit of 100, but it's only 90. I was doing 126.

The cop wouldn't budge. 36 over, got me a $270 fine plus 3 points. On my ticket, there was an "arrange a meeting with the prosecuting attorney, and plead guilty" option (something to that effect). I hadn't had a ticket in the previous 10 years, but the attorney would only drop it to 26 over, but that got it to $120 and 2 points.

This is where is get's worse. About 8 months later, I rear end someone. Totally my fault...I wasn't paying attention, and I creamed this lady in front of me. I got charged with following too closely, and an "at-fault" accident. About 6 months later, as my insurance is up for renewal, I get a letter in the mail saying my insurance company is denying me insurance and dropping me as a customer. They cited the rules that they can exercise this rule if you have 2 motor vehicle infractions (my speeding ticket and my following too closely), and 1 at fault accident.

For the following two years (could have been three - I've tried to wipe this scar from my memory banks and it's working), I could only get insured by high risk insurers at a rate of $4500/year. I was 34 with just the two tickets in the previous 17 years. I am not a "high risk" driver. Pure baloney. From time and a clean record, I'm back to normal rates again.

I will say this.... if the penalties are intended to slow people down.... it worked on me. If the rules for dropping someone are still consistent with only two traffic violations and one at fault accident, you really can't afford to get even one speeding ticket. Accidents happen. You never can predict when it's going to happen, they just do. So what do you have control over? Obviously, your speed. If you keep it under the "typical 15-20 over" range, you're not likely to get a ticket anywhere. Had I not been speeding, I could be easy $8000 richer today.

[Baxter]

For those few that view Traffic Enforcement as a "money grab" I have a piece of advice. Do the math...

First, how many homicides in Ottawa last year? How many people killed in Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA)?

How much money lost in break ins, thefts, and non-vehicle related crime? How much money lost in MVA?

How many peoples lives ruined by MVA? How much money spent on insurance as a result of MVA? Finally, in the course of your week how many people complain about vehicle incidents (running red lights, close calls, speeding) vs. other "crime".

From what I see there are not enough police or traffic cameras to make our streets safe. If you are old enough to have kids driving, would you want more or less traffic cops?

Touch a nerve? You bet. Have not lost a close friend or family member, yet, to an MVA but have had to tell too many families that a loved one won't be coming home.

Slow down!

Don't know the answer to your questions...but I would rather take my chances with a speeder than a person who is out raping and killing people.....The truth be told all should be treated the same way...A crime is a crime...and I don't like the Camera spying on me, no matter what I'm doing...But a discussion about this is not needed...
You guys have a tough job and it sure takes a special person to do what you do. I would like to thank you for doing your job, and helping to keep us all safe. I wish the courts and your bosses would just take care of us as well as you and your fellow Officers do...

Please be Safe and Thank you again for doing your job.......

[Mattchew]

For those few that view Traffic Enforcement as a "money grab" I have a piece of advice. Do the math...

First, how many homicides in Ottawa last year? How many people killed in Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA)?

How much money lost in break ins, thefts, and non-vehicle related crime? How much money lost in MVA?

How many peoples lives ruined by MVA? How much money spent on insurance as a result of MVA? Finally, in the course of your week how many people complain about vehicle incidents (running red lights, close calls, speeding) vs. other "crime".

From what I see there are not enough police or traffic cameras to make our streets safe. If you are old enough to have kids driving, would you want more or less traffic cops?

Touch a nerve? You bet. Have not lost a close friend or family member, yet, to an MVA but have had to tell too many families that a loved one won't be coming home.

Slow down!

are you Ottawa Carleton? if so you guys must make a fortune on Roger Stevens Drive. I take it everyday and see a car pulled over. keep up the good work because people are nuts on that road!

[dbleber]

Cops do a tough job and are only enforcing the laws that are set out by the Gov't. My big issue is with the speed limit itself. It use to be 70 MPH now it's 100 KMH and the cars are 100 times better. That's where the money grab comes in. Since they have limited resources, one would think they would have better things to do then have 4 cars setup on the highway doing a speed trap. I always treat Cops with respect but like anything you always get that one who lets his power go to his head. Sometimes I think it's carrying around that little cap gun that does it, always want to say to them "try carrying a 30 pound C-6 machine gun and jump out of a Herc at a 1000 ft and come talk to me", but usually they are good and are just doing their job like most service men and women.

On my ticket front, called my insurance agent and it doesn't matter if you get a ticket for 0 points or 4 points, a conviction is a conviction. So no point in fighting it, just pay the fine and hope for the best. I won't slow down to 80 kmh, but will keep it rsonable like 95. I did 80 for about 5 mins after I got pulled over and I was being passed by everyone, wish the Gov't would realize that the limits are outdated. Not holding my breathe.

[golfinteg]

Was returning back from Reno to SF, was pulled over by Sacramento cop

It was the year of the Big Earthquake or aborted World series. You know how it is with undulating hills and trying to maintain your constant speed. .

"You know how much you are over the speed limit" the cop demanded my driving papers.
"Sorry sir, I was doing 100 trying to maintained my speed" I lied underestimating by about 20.

He chuckled and let me go with a warning not to speed over the 55 limit.

There's merit in having an Ontario driving permit eh?

[Golfer_Gofer]

I always set a rule for myself to never go more then 20km/h over the posted limit... eg. 80 zone i go 100.... 50 zone i go 70... etc.

10 years of driving, have never been pulled over or been an accident *knock on wood*

[3Jack]

So you'd go 60 in a 40? 40 km/hr limits are pretty standard in residential areas, where there are kids playing... you think you can avoid a child on his new two wheeler when you're going 60?

One thing I love about driving the speed limit is being able to slow down the aggressive drivers...

[dbleber]

Def. don't speed in residential just too dangerous and I hate when people fly by my place. On the highway, if your doing the speed limit that's fine but you better be in the far right lane or else you're glogging up traffic.

[spackler]

There's merit in having an Ontario driving permit eh?

I don't know, I got pulled over in Bakersfield a few years back. It was in the evening and I'm almost certain the officer pulled me over by mistake as I had just been passed by another car. I was doing 75 on a 70 limit highway and he said he had me at 82. I was polite but didn't want to sign the ticket as I didn't want to admit guilt. He said that was fine, I didn't have to sign it, but beacause I wasn't a citizen if I didn't sign he'd have to arrest me and take me to jail to wait for a court appearance. Seeing as it was the Saturday night of a long weekend, I signed. Got my $300 ticket in the mail a few weeks later. If I was in California, I could have attended an hour of 'traffic school' and had the fine reduced to $30.

[Golfer_Gofer]

So you'd go 60 in a 40? 40 km/hr limits are pretty standard in residential areas, where there are kids playing... you think you can avoid a child on his new two wheeler when you're going 60?

One thing I love about driving the speed limit is being able to slow down the aggressive drivers...

sorry i may have mis-represented myself on that comment... I ment on major streets (baseline, hunt club, carling, etc.) in my neighbourhood i actually drive about 20km/h because of all the kids on my street and they dont seem to have any fear of cars..... maybe i should hit one of them to teach them all a lesson.

I may not always drive exactly on the speed limit but i'm not an idiot either.

[3Jack]

sorry i may have mis-represented myself on that comment... I ment on major streets (baseline, hunt club, carling, etc.) in my neighbourhood i actually drive about 20km/h because of all the kids on my street and they dont seem to have any fear of cars..... maybe i should hit one of them to teach them all a lesson.

I may not always drive exactly on the speed limit but i'm not an idiot either.

Good to hear... it always amazes me when people who live in my neighbourhood, who have kids too, peel around corners and accellerate down the crescent.

[dhacker1956]

I recently visited NB and PEI for a week as a 25th anniversary trip. BEAUTIFUL!! I was toying with retiring in Canada. But 4500$ per year for auto insurance I'll stay in the states I think! I was insuring FOUR cars... One teenager with a 4000$ at fault and one 22 yr old with 3 moving violations in a year. Wanna guess my premiuim for all that???? 1250$ for the year.!!! I guess the states are good for something!!!

[3Jack]

Don't know where you were getting your quotes, but our family pays about half of what you're quoting. Sure, some things are more expensive here, and some things are more expensive there, but it would be a shame if you're basing not moving to PEI or NB solely on insurance rates.

[g8r]

I'm fine with getting a ticket for speeding as long as you know what rules are being used. Sure, technically you can get a ticket for going 101, but I doubt it has ever happened. So whats the limit? 10over ? 19 over?

I got pulled over and the cop was super nice, reduced my 135 on the 401 to 119, $55 fine, no points, I paid it and ws thankful I got a guy who was understnading. Then as he was leaving told me to "try to keep it under 130". my friend asked if he could get that in writing for the next time he gets pulled over. cop laughed. But I know people that hvae been pulled over on the same stretch of 401, by the OPP going 120-125....

Also, why do off duty police officers and fire fighters get special treatment when they are pulled over?

[Golfer_Gofer]

its my understanding that there are no fines for speeding until you get to 10 over the limit