[darkphantom]

I just had to let this out, venting in frustration.

Was late to school this morning and wasn't REALLY speeding. It was a road w/ previous construction, Hwy 90 in sugar land,tx (near/in houston) and they just made it a 4 lane from a 2 lane, and the speed limit had not been changed. It was still 45 (this is the standard for a construction zone)

So this morning the hwy speeds change from 55 to 45 and I was just driving normally, next thing you know get pulled over and he gives me a ticket for 61 in a 45. I try to tell him if there is any way out of it, he tells me he doesn't give warnings and go to court.

Ok, that aside, I was wondering If I should go and plead not guilty and get a lawyer? I mean I can try taking a defensive driving class but I think I took one last year in december :-( but it was in another county...

Has anyone tried taking defensive driving twice in a year?

Blah, I'm so frustrated because everytime I am alert and looking for these 5-0's I don't see any, but when I'm just casually driving, I get busted!!
Thanks...

[Big Windy]

i don't know what the rules are in texas...sorry about that man. it happens to all of us. don't let it get you down.

[e90AW335i]

The lawyer thing wont help at all. The defensive driving wont help either since it was taken in the state of texas within the last year. Your best bet it just to pay up and not do it again.

Best of luck man. Let me know if there is anything I can do, I live around you...

[ifly]

Bummer, had the same thing happen at Denver airport last year. Talking to the missus and the next thing you know pulled over, did not see the speed changes for upcoming destruction work! Guy was pulling folks over left, right & center!

[scottp999]

Im in MD and here if you have not had a ticket in 3 years, you can go to court, plead guilty, and ask for probation based on your clean driving record. Usually you still have to pay the fine and court costs, but nothing is reported to your insurance company as long as you stay clean for the probation period (usually 12 months).

People who plead not guilty get made to look like idiots by the judge. They basically question you into a corner to a point where you have to answer if the sworn officer is a liar. Not good, whether you have a lawyer or not. Pleading guilty and asking for probation does not require a lawyer.

[Robertbog]

I got pulled over in sugarland for 105 with hunter in the car.

He radar'd this M5 I was running that didnt have a detector so she didnt catch him on the pop. Anyways he couldnt catch her and came after me. I exit the highway and pull in the parking lot, the cop yells over the speaker to get out of the car and get on the trunk, I look at hunter "oh fuck". So I get out and the cop is like "DO YOU KNOW HOW FAST YOU WERE GOING!" then goes up to hunter and goes "DO YOU WANT TO DIE TONIGHT" he proceeds to harass me for a little longer and notices two black dudes in a van with a flat tire. Apparently the two black dudes in the parking lot I pulled into were wasted and plowed a sign, the cop gets in his car and get back up. So another cop comes and they both start talking to the black guys, apparently they both had warrants and were smashed. So the cop yells at me about how he's out there to get guys like them and not kids like me blah blah blah. Gives me a ticket for 105 in a 65.

Went on my record a few weeks ago, hunter will verify it lol.

[Maestro]

go here there is few guys there very familiar with TX tickets and they might be able to help out.

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/

[darkphantom]

Man, first the gov hits us with these outrageous gas prices, now the pigs want to steal what little money we have left!

[Davinhci]

sux man

[AndrewAZ]

Lawyers= what younger kids think can fix everything and cost nothing..
Lawyers= As you get older you realize that $100 ticket is not worth spending $500+ to beat it.. Go to traffic school.

[TiAg335i]

Plead not guilty, its pretty much standard procedure. I'm going to court this June for my first ticket 55 in a 30 haha.

[ideliver]

Plain and simple...tickets are a source of revenue for the government...

Traffic tickets have nothing to do with safety...that is just the rationalization that has been repeated so many times that it has become fact...

Fight the ticket...plead not guilty...don't waste money on a lawyer...with some luck...the cop will have other bad guys to get that day and miss your court appearance...

[darkphantom]

Originally Posted by ideliver

Plain and simple...tickets are a source of revenue for the government...

Traffic tickets have nothing to do with safety...that is just the rationalization that has been repeated so many times that it has become fact...

Fight the ticket...plead not guilty...don't waste money on a lawyer...with some luck...the cop will have other bad guys to get that day and miss your court appearance...

The cop not showing up doesn't solve anything, I still get the ticket :-(

I might just fight this one though...

[AndrewAZ]

Originally Posted by ideliver

Plain and simple...tickets are a source of revenue for the government...

Traffic tickets have nothing to do with safety...that is just the rationalization that has been repeated so many times that it has become fact...

Fight the ticket...plead not guilty...don't waste money on a lawyer...with some luck...the cop will have other bad guys to get that day and miss your court appearance...

Prove it.. Traffic tickets might bring in revenue in a small town with 1 cop writing them to out of town people who fly by.. But in the average city which most of us live in they end up losing money doing traffic enforcement.

Its very ignorant to say that speeding in a city is not dangerous, thats another argument when it comes to freeways.. But in a city you have intersections and multiple places to turn into and turn out of unlike a freeway which has an on ramp and off ramp and no cross traffic or intersections.

Its stupid to bet on a cop not showing up. A few of my buddies are cops and they get paid overtime for going to court and trust me they dont miss court its an easy day for them especially when its 100F outside and 70F in a court house, plus they get in trouble from upper administration( Both from the department and from the judge) when they issue any sort of ticket and not show up in court.


Two words... Traffic School.. Cost like $100 and is 4 hours long and your ticket never goes on your record. You can even do it online.

[darkphantom]

Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

Prove it.. Traffic tickets might bring in revenue in a small town with 1 cop writing them to out of town people who fly by.. But in the average city which most of us live in they end up losing money doing traffic enforcement.

Its very ignorant to say that speeding in a city is not dangerous, thats another argument when it comes to freeways.. But in a city you have intersections and multiple places to turn into and turn out of unlike a freeway which has an on ramp and off ramp and no cross traffic or intersections.

Its stupid to bet on a cop not showing up. A few of my buddies are cops and they get paid overtime for going to court and trust me they dont miss court its an easy day for them especially when its 100F outside and 70F in a court house, plus they get in trouble from upper administration( Both from the department and from the judge) when they issue any sort of ticket and not show up in court.

true, but this wasn't excessively speeding, for the area. It was an are that was formerly construction and now turned into a 4 lane hwy and they're expecting us to drive 45mph?

[AndrewAZ]

Originally Posted by darkphantom

true, but this wasn't excessively speeding, for the area. It was an are that was formerly construction and now turned into a 4 lane hwy and they're expecting us to drive 45mph?

It might not be fair... I have run into several issues like this but you get over it. Its not worth the time and effort to get worked up over it, your simply not going to win.. You broke the law.. Take traffic school its not big deal.

[E92-Lighting]

Originally Posted by Maestro

go here there is few guys there very familiar with TX tickets and they might be able to help out.

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/

thanks for the info

[ideliver]

Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

Prove it.. Traffic tickets might bring in revenue in a small town with 1 cop writing them to out of town people who fly by.. But in the average city which most of us live in they end up losing money doing traffic enforcement.

Its very ignorant to say that speeding in a city is not dangerous, thats another argument when it comes to freeways.. But in a city you have intersections and multiple places to turn into and turn out of unlike a freeway which has an on ramp and off ramp and no cross traffic or intersections.

Its stupid to bet on a cop not showing up. A few of my buddies are cops and they get paid overtime for going to court and trust me they dont miss court its an easy day for them especially when its 100F outside and 70F in a court house, plus they get in trouble from upper administration( Both from the department and from the judge) when they issue any sort of ticket and not show up in court.


Two words... Traffic School.. Cost like $100 and is 4 hours long and your ticket never goes on your record. You can even do it online.

Simple...does the accident rate go down or up with traffic cameras???

they go up...so why use them...simple...$$money$$

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...cameras_column


http://www.caranddriver.com/features..._wallet_column


You should see the list of people trying to get fees added to court costs...in some jurisdictions..."court costs" (which are taxes paid for various dubious programs that no one directly wants to fund) may run $200...that is before the fine of the ticket

In Ohio/PA where I live and drive..you should see the lengths that the highway patrol goes to conceal themselves...to write tickets

If they really wanted to slow down traffic...sit in the center median strip...visible for miles...with the radar on FULL BLAST...the traffic would slow for miles...bottle neck and continue that way for miles...in a very predicatable manner (did you ever notice how the traffic slows after an accident long after it is gone and cleared)...

But no...they hide/ambush and cause drivers to abruptly slow...nothing safe about that...

As far as cities...speeding tickets are NOT A DETERRENT...criminals will by their nature be criminals...

How many times have you said...boy I really want to speed in dense traffic with pedestrians...but I won't because I may get a ticket??? You drive responsible because you are a responsible person...

Now...I am not arguing to eliminate traffic enforcement...just don't think it is for safety...

As for lazy cops....here in my town....50 DUI arrests got dismissed because a state highway patrolman never shows to his court cases...I said that he may get LUCKY...i never told him to count on it

Oh and not every state has traffic school...Ohio does not...every ticket gets points...

[AndrewAZ]

Originally Posted by ideliver

Simple...does the accident rate go down or up with traffic cameras???

they go up...so why use them...simple...$$money$$

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...cameras_column


http://www.caranddriver.com/features..._wallet_column


You should see the list of people trying to get fees added to court costs...in some jurisdictions..."court costs" (which are taxes paid for various dubious programs that no one directly wants to fund) may run $200...that is before the fine of the ticket

In Ohio/PA where I live and drive..you should see the lengths that the highway patrol goes to conceal themselves...to write tickets

If they really wanted to slow down traffic...sit in the center median strip...visible for miles...with the radar on FULL BLAST...the traffic would slow for miles...bottle neck and continue that way for miles...in a very predicatable manner (did you ever notice how the traffic slows after an accident long after it is gone and cleared)...

But no...they hide/ambush and cause drivers to abruptly slow...nothing safe about that...

As far as cities...speeding tickets are NOT A DETERRENT...criminals will by their nature be criminals...

How many times have you said...boy I really want to speed in dense traffic with pedestrians...but I won't because I may get a ticket??? You drive responsible because you are a responsible person...

Now...I am not arguing to eliminate traffic enforcement...just don't think it is for safety...

As for lazy cops....here in my town....50 DUI arrests got dismissed because a state highway patrolman never shows to his court cases...I said that he may get LUCKY...i never told him to count on it

Oh and not every state has traffic school...Ohio does not...every ticket gets points...

I didnt say I agree with cameras, and thats at intersections and your right they do cause more accidents since people are nervous and make bad choices such as slamming on the brakes when it turns yellow.

Fun fact my city lost $230,000 last year in photo traffic enforcement. They charge $170 for a fine and it ends up going to pay for each camera which wastes millions then to the company who operates them.


But again its not safe for 1 person to be flying down a 45mph road at 60mph+, you have a big difference in rates of travel. And unlike a freeway the speeds on surface streets range from 0mph stopped all the way to 45+.

Now if everyone is going 50 mph on a surface street then its safer to go with the flow of traffic but 60+ mph is just not safe for a surface street. Partly because of braking distances and reaction distanced both increase as speed increases you cant argue with that.


Just ask yourself this... Where do most cops sit? In places you cant see them right? And you feel ambushed... Well they sit in places like that since its not safe to speed when you cant see whats coming up.. Most highway patrol sit right below a hill cuse you cant see them or after a bend in the road, reason being each year here in AZ we have a group of retards going 80mph over a hill and end up causing a massive pile up since they just ran into a big mesh of stopped traffic. If they had been going slower they could have stopped in time.

But again my argument is its not safe to go 60+ MPH on a city street. In fact its a criminal offense in most places since its not "reasonable" for anyone in any condition. So I assume that since the OP did something criminal he will always be criminal and thus he shouldnt drive.

[ideliver]

Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

Fun fact my city lost $230,000 last year in photo traffic enforcement. They charge $170 for a fine and it ends up going to pay for each camera which wastes millions then to the company who operates them.

How can you loose money??? There is usually a revenue sharing arrangement...cameras go in for free...the company and city split the fines

Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

But again its not safe for 1 person to be flying down a 45mph road at 60mph+, you have a big difference in rates of travel. And unlike a freeway the speeds on surface streets range from 0mph stopped all the way to 45+.

I don't recall saying this was safe driving...my main point was that traffic tickets are mostly for revenue...hence the creation of the photocops...

Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

Now if everyone is going 50 mph on a surface street then its safer to go with the flow of traffic but 60+ mph is just not safe for a surface street. Partly because of braking distances and reaction distanced both increase as speed increases you cant argue with that.

I agree in general (but can also play devil's advocate) but...my M3 weighing just at 3000 lbs (she went on a diet ) stops shorter going 60 mph than my Yukon that weighs 6000 lbs and is pulling a trailer with 2 four wheelers going 45 mph...

My previous 997 going 100 mph on the highway is safer than some POS minivan with 4 unmatched underinflated tires, overloaded and going 65 mph...I get the ticket (and maybe jail) and he is "safe"

Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

Just ask yourself this... Where do most cops sit? In places you cant see them right? And you feel ambushed... Well they sit in places like that since its not safe to speed when you cant see whats coming up.. Most highway patrol sit right below a hill cuse you cant see them or after a bend in the road, reason being each year here in AZ we have a group of retards

this is a pejorative term and is offensive

Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

going 80mph over a hill and end up causing a massive pile up since they just ran into a big mesh of stopped traffic. If they had been going slower they could have stopped in time.

My point EXACTLY...if they cared about safety...they would be at the top of the hill and slowing traffic down...but with this method...no tickets...no money

Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

But again my argument is its not safe to go 60+ MPH on a city street. In fact its a criminal offense in most places since its not "reasonable" for anyone in any condition. So I assume that since the OP did something criminal he will always be criminal and thus he shouldnt drive.

I respectfully disagree...he is not a criminal for doing 60 mph on a 4 lane road

[Hawkeye]

+1 on court costs and lawyers. You can try and plead not guilty and maybe get off, but lawyers cost more than they are worth if you are not in jeopardy of losing your license.

I got a front plate violation and the ticket was $10 and court costs (even if I pay online the next day) were $55. That is stupid, especially when I am not going to court or anything.

[attorneyscott]

Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

Lawyers= what younger kids think can fix everything and cost nothing..
Lawyers= As you get older you realize that $100 ticket is not worth spending $500+ to beat it.. Go to traffic school.

Not exactly, depending on where you live. in Dallas, a traffic ticket lawyer is a hundred bucks or less (as low as 50!) and with City of Dallas tickets you are virtually guaranteed a dismissal as long as you show up on your court date with your lawyer - I can attest to this, I've had probably 20 of my own tossed out since moving to Dallas in '96 (for free! gotta love professional courtesy). Dallas police are NOT required to show up at court, and rarely do.

The same is NOT true in most of our "bedroom" communities in the area, e.g. Farmers Branch, Addison, Carrollton, Garland, etc. Most of these towns are ticket mills and you're going to pay no matter what. Plus, most of them charge a $100+ "processing fee" to approve you for defensive driving (aka traffic school).

The most important thing is keeping it OFF your driving record, and most Texas kangaroo courts (I'll bet big $$$ that Sugarland qualifies!) have all sorts of mechanisms (e.g. "deferred") to keep that from happening, but you'll still pay. It's a way to get the $$$ out of your pocket - let you pay the fine but keep the citation off your record. I can also attest to this fact, having been issued more citations than I can count in the past few years, yet I still somehow have a perfectly clean driving record (0 points!)