1000bpm

This is hilarious guys.

I got busted in a St. Louis suburb last weekend for speeding, wasn't too familiar with the roads and ran straight into a speed trap. There was this stretch where the speed lmit drops from 45 to 35 and the cop was right there hiding in a parking lot, just after the speed limit changed. Sneaky f***er. Apparently I was clocked at 54 in a 35 mile zone. 20 seconds later I see the cop behind me, and I turn sharply out of the left most lane into the right lane and then pull off the road into a parking lot. The cop pulls sharply too but doesn't notice a car is right behind. The car hits him Bamm!!! and there is substantial damage to his right rear bumper

At this point I am grinning from ear to ear. I get out of the car and survey the damage. He calls for back up tells me to wait and within minutes another cop shows up and is taking notes for the accident report. I am still grinning and can sense the cop is beginning to get irritated now. Whatever visions I had of getting off scott free disappear He finishes the paperwork and then proceeds to write me a ticket.

This was my first ticket in 10 years .... but I can't complain, it was well worth it

Now i've got to find a damn lawyer.

Crzy Acura

that is sooo worth it!!! But why do you need a lawyer just for a traffic ticket?

Bitium

Lawyers are the best thing that ever happen to speeders. I have a clean record thanks to lawyers after getting over 20 tickets in 2 years. Ask Dhiren too.......lawyers all the way. BTW that is so cool, freeking cops think they can drive better than us...I don't think so. Cops in florida drive fast >>>>

nickchop

I think I need knee-high boots in this thread! 20 tix, 2 years, got off every one of them?

1000bpm

As far as know the only way that I can get this speeding ticket off my record (I'm sitting in Chicago, got the ticket in St. Louis) is to have a lawyer represent me in court. The charge is usually reduced to a non-moving/ non-speeding violation like a parking violation, excessive noise from exhaust, non-standard lights etc .... you get the idea. Apparently only moving / speeding violations are entered in the interstate traffic violation database. According to the lawyer I just spoke to, the County doesn't give a damn if the ticket goes against my record or not. All they care about is generating revenue to pay the bills.

So the final damage is 75 bucks for the lawyer, $30 court fees, and according to the lawyer the fine will probably be increased from $77 to $90 or so. Its the county's way of "charging" me for getting the ticket off my record.

What a f***ked up judicial system huh.

8ball

I can't disagree with you there. I just got done trying a landlord/tenant case this afternoon. The judge found everything in my clients' favor and still hosed them out of $8,000 rent that was owed to them.

But back on topic - that's a funny story, 1000bpm. And the way the system works just proves that speed limits are about revenue generation, not safety. There have been studies done showing that many, if not most, speed limits are set artificially low, based on average traffic speeds and other factors. In the absence of a posted limit, most people will drive at a "safe" speed under any given set of conditions, and it's usually 10-15 mph over what the posted limit ends up being.

Bitium

The other day I took a stop sign. While crossing the street I look to my left...boom a cop. He pull me over and ask me 'you know what you did', I said 'yes I took the stop sign'. I said 'I didn't see it'. After a couple of minutes he comes back with a ticket for not wearing my seat belt. I was wearing my seatbelt (I always do) but I took it off to reach for my wallet. So I came out with a $44 ticket and no points. I didn't need a lawyer for that. So I just pay the ticket. Next day I went by the same place again, guess what there is a freaking tree and you can't see the stop sign until the last second......aahahah.

tea elle

You think you can drive better than most cops? Really?

SergeTL02

Whether you decide to pay it or not... it will be worth every penny jsut to see that *******s face

Bitium

Hell yeah....why are you a cop? Do you mean better as for following the law or racing/track/skills. They are better than average, since they are trained. There is always one that is really good, but most think they drive better than they actually do.

Steveb

I don't get it. Do you think the cop deserved to wreck his car for trying to do his job??? You know he might have a family to support. He's just trying to make a living! Do you pay taxes because if you do who do you think is going to pay for the damages? Do you think there ought not have speed limits in Suburbs? I thank the cops for doing their job. I don't want people speeding through my neighborhood. You have a piss poor attitude toward the people that make our society safer. Why? That man puts his life on the line every work day. It's sad he has to put up with____ like you. Just fill in the blank because what I have to say would be censored.

hyc2000

I agree with Steveb. I never blame cops for giving me a ticket.
They are just normal people who are trying to make a living. If giving ticket is their job, why blame someone for working hard. Do you think they would care how fast you drive when they are off duty?

LarryLynx

What's so f***king safe about 40-50 mph through a residential area with posted 25mph speed limit? I've "lived a little bit", and from personal experience, I know that no matter how "safe" you think you are, the other guy is an idiot, and you are invisible.

As for cop bashing, why does it always seem to come from the guy who's driving habits keep him in the radar sights?

Had to get that off my chest. Sorry.

daverman

Have to get my 2c worth here...

Steveb: Yeah, cops are just normal people trying to earn a living, but so is everyone else, and I'm sure you know of a couple of jerks at your workplace. What makes cops any different? And of course, just as there are corporations that make their living out of the gullibility of the public, there are police departments that make their living out of the ignorance of out-of-towners traveling through a deliberate speed trap.

Speed limits are for revenue generation, period. They're not for "emissions" or "safety", as there has been no case studies that any particular speed produces optimally lower emissions across the board (except 0 mph), and speed-accident correlations aren't used to set speed limits, only to justify them.

Truth is, if you take a bunch of safe and competent drivers who are familiar with a stretch of road, they will instinctively pick a speed that is about 10-15 mph faster than the regularly posted speed limit.

LarryLynx: I think "Speed Limit" signs should be changed to "Recommended Safe Speed" markings. What's safe for a particular time and place depends on many factors, including traffic density, time of day, pedestrians, visibility, rain, etc. and not on some arbitrary "speed limit".

Note also that driving too slowly is equally dangerous. Drive a perfectly legal 40 mph on a 75 mph speed limit highway and I daresay you're as dangerous as that guy going 100 mph weaving in and out of traffic. So much for safety!

Lastly, last I heard the cops' jobs were "to serve and protect". While I heartily support police organizations and commend them for their bravery and work ethic, sadly there are some departments whose jobs it seems is "to serve and protect... their coffers".

Check out Reasonable Drivers Unanimous for speed-related references.

LarryLynx

Daverman, I agree with a lot of what you say. On the freeways I stay with the traffic, or, if it's light enough and "clear", I might push it a bit. I've been bit by radar, and I agree that it's a pain in the ass. I got nicked for 75 (I was closer to 100) in a 55 between Hanford and I-5, and there was no one in sight, until the little black CHP Mustang, coming the other way, and by then it was too late. But I don't speed through anyone's neighborhood just as I don't throw my garbage out the window and into the street, because to me they both show the same lack of consideration for others.

All of us will sometimes push it past the reasonable limit. We all think we're invincible, even immortal, until the ultimate happens, and someone else a little less diligent, or who had a few more drinks, or may be perfectly innocent, gets in our way. IMHO, the longer you live without a serious mishap or a real close call, unfortunately, the more likely that it will happen to you, because most of us are influenced by our own experience. I think this applies to DUI, racing, etc.

So all I have to say is, enjoy your new ride, but pick your spots carefully!

1000bpm

You guys are getting carried away here. I expected this of course.

First, you preachers out there need to lighten up a little. Loosen those top buttons a little and appreciate the irony of the situation I think its pretty damn funny that a cop trying to pull someone over gets hit from behind. Where's your sense of humour guys?? Its not like anyone was hurt or anything.

Next, let me clarify a few things. For the record I'm not a cop hater. I do realize without them there would be no law & order in our society. I do realize they are people just like you and me, with families, putting their lives on the line everyday, and I am grateful for that. To top it all off, they are grossly underpaid and have to live with the stigma of being a "cop". What a thankless job.

What I do have a problem with is the arbitrary manner in which they hand out tickets. What pissed me off about this particular instance was that he was waiting barely 100 feet after the speed limit dropped from 45 to 35. This was not about making our society a safer place to live, it was about busting as many drivers as possible, to pay the bills. Theres a difference.

There are good cops and bad cops, this guy just irritated the hell out of me. After the crash, I had pulled into a parking lot. Seconds later a black SUV, I think it was a Rodeo or a CRV, pulled up and these two kids got out. They obviously knew the cop because they walked up to him and kind of high-fived him. I heard them talking to the cop after he finished writing my ticket and they were joking and laughing about something. That really pissed me off. Also, I know for a fact that the average speed on that stretch was over 50 mph. I know this because there were several cars behind me and many more ahead of me. I was not pulling away or ganing on any one of them. I was "going with the flow". I'm not whining about the ticket I got, I got busted doing 35 in a 54 ... and I accept responsibility for that. But you can't blame me for taking it personally when there were several other cars moving at comparable speeds.

And to those who accuse me of driving recklessly, you should know that this is the first speeding ticket I've ever got in my 10 years of driving, and I assure you, I didn't earn my clean record by being a reckless driver.

LarryLynx

1000bpm

I'm not accusing anyone on this forum of anything. I love my new TLS, and enjoy the genuine joy that is reflected in most of the threads here (including yours), and I'm sorry if my tone brought it down. But after reading your message and some of the responses to this thread, I just felt the urge to vent my hard-earned opinion, as one of the more "experienced" members on this forum, for what it's worth...

1000bpm

LarryLynx, no offence taken. One thing I've learned in this forum is not to take everything everyone says personally

nickchop

Simply, if you get caught speeding, you deserve a ticket. Just 45 minutes ago, I was driving back from lunch with a friend. He said, "my wife's BMW 325 is faster than this". Like a 16 year old kid, I punched it and literally within 20 seconds I got nailed by a bike cop with laser. I pulled over next to him. Was going 69 in a 45. Would have been $168, but he lowered it to $78. Point being, I'm not mad at that guy, I was speeding and got caught. Already written the check.