Speeding Ticket

[NYCPilot]

Pay the ticket and move on with your life, enough said. Don't be a wus and ask about eyesight, look for mistakes, or any of the other garbage that people will tell you to do. If you made a mistake, fess up to it and take your punishment.

And no, you are not allowed 10mph over the speed LIMIT, that is why it's called a limit. It's like when ATC tells you to "maintain" a certain altitude, you don't get +/- 1000 foot do you?

First of all, it doesn't sound like he is anything close to a speed demon, especially at barley 11 mph over the limit. Its quite possible that the speedometer may be out of calibration or maybe he was passing someone and it required some acceleration. By the way, if you do have a maintenance bill from a mechanic attesting to the fact that it was inspected and found to have been out of calibration, you will have the ticket dismissed. If the kid has a clean record, and is generally a safe driver, he may learn a lesson by being let off with a warning. I'm sure many of us have been pulled over for one reason or another and were given a warning and no ticket by the officer. If he asked to search your vehicle, he probably used the barely over the limit speeding offense to check you out. He may have thought something was suspicious about your vehicle or the contents of it, even from far away. Those LASER and RADAR devices have telescopes connected to them that can view up to a mile way. The device is usually pointed at the front license plate since it is the flattest part of the vehicle. The unit requires a flat surface in order to return an accurate reading. What you may have seen on a lot of cars is a semi-curved translucent plastic plate over the license. This is something sold at a lot of auto part stores for the reason of disturbing the RADAR equipment so that it sends back an erroneous reading. There is a disclaimer on the packaging though, stating that “local laws must be complied with.” Technically, you’re not allowed to have anything that obstructs the view of your license plate, and you may receive a ticket for this. But a non-moving violation. This goes for those silly vanity plate frames too, dealer advertisements, naked woman, chain link or the one that broadcasts “I’m an FAA Licensed Pilot”. They are all technically illegal. Nothing is allowed to really be superimposed onto the plate as it usually obstructs the view of some details of the plate.


Where I'm from people on the highway regularly travel within a range between 10 MPH just over the speed limit. And I have seen plenty of troopers positioned along the highway without pulling people over for this. As a matter of fact, its been told to me by an officer that they don't normally bother anyone for being 10mph or so over the limit. That’s where I got that information the first place.
Also, speeding tickets are usually enforced to pump money into the local economy of a lot of small towns.

 

[FN FAL]

They can search your car without permission.

They can get sued without permission as well, cite your answer.

They can do anything they want to...even kick your ass, just ask Rodney King.

If you consent to the search, you waive your rights. Once you have done that, you cannot challenge the constitutionallity of the seach in court at a later date.

If they ask, say no. If they search anyway, at least you didn't take the constitution and throw it in the waste basket.

 

[FN FAL]

First of all, it doesn't sound like he is anything close to a speed demon, especially at barley 11 mph over the limit. Its quite possible that the speedometer may be out of calibration or maybe he was passing someone and it required some acceleration...

Who cares about the speeding ticket? He had that coming. What he didn't have coming was the invasive search of his car. Wait a minute, he gave permission...I guess he did have that comming too.

 

[FN FAL]

Only if they have probable cause, like a crackpipe laying on the floor....
I've been stopped by the Nazis in IL for B.S. stuff, like a broken license plate light, or doing 61 in a 55. Almost every time they asked for consent. I usually refused initially. I had 2 separate cops tell me that this is an anti-terrorist effort, another one wanted to make sure I didn't have any dead bodies in the trunk. So they basically try to talk you into consenting, that's what they teach'em at the academy. So I have usually given in to their "requests", and gotten away with a warning. The only ticket I've ever gotten was from a state cop who had no interest in searching my car.

They also teach them in academy that if they "accidently" hit you in the head with a "nightstick", to articulate in their reports that they hit you on the arm first and the nightstick glanced off and then hit you in the head.

If they are asking, that means that they have no grounds to search your vehicle. And if they have grounds and are asking you anyway, this is their way of getting you to waive your rights so that you cannot challenge the search later in court.

If you have a cop that is saying, let me see in your car and I'll forget the ticket, get him to say explain it to you real good a second time. Then refuse anyway and have your lawyer subpeona the cop cam tape at your traffic trial. The worst it will cost you is a day in court.

 

[WMUchickenhawk]

Only if they have probable cause, like a crackpipe laying on the floor....
I've been stopped by the Nazis in IL for B.S. stuff, like a broken license plate light, or doing 61 in a 55. Almost every time they asked for consent. I usually refused initially. I had 2 separate cops tell me that this is an anti-terrorist effort, another one wanted to make sure I didn't have any dead bodies in the trunk. So they basically try to talk you into consenting, that's what they teach'em at the academy. So I have usually given in to their "requests", and gotten away with a warning. The only ticket I've ever gotten was from a state cop who had no interest in searching my car.

Illinois Nazis, I hate Illinois Nazis

 

[FN FAL]

Illinois Nazis, I hate Illinois Nazis

They are getting worse down there...I think I just read that they are pretty close to closing the so called "gun show" loop hole.

Basically, that means if you are the private owner of a firearm and are selling it, you have to do a background check with the local police on the purchaser. And to top it off the cops get to keep the paperwork, forever.

All they are going to do is create a big black market for those willing to drive across state lines.

 

[SiuDude]

Illinois Nazis, I hate Illinois Nazis

Also, stay away from NJ and VA.

 

[UnAnswerd]

I've been harassed at sobriety checkpoints just because I was out at 2AM. They asked if I'd been drinking, and I said "No, not tonight". Then the shot back with "Oh, so you drink other nights"? I then said I rarely drink, etc...Then they started shining their big flashlights into my windows. Cop noticed my head-set and thought I was a DJ... Then I started getting questioned about a brick of .22LR cartridges I had it my back seat. Took like 10 minuets to explain that I like to target shoot.

 

[FL000]

I've been harassed at sobriety checkpoints just because I was out at 2AM. They asked if I'd been drinking, and I said "No, not tonight". Then the shot back with "Oh, so you drink other nights"? I then said I rarely drink, etc...Then they started shining their big flashlights into my windows. Cop noticed my head-set and thought I was a DJ... Then I started getting questioned about a brick of .22LR cartridges I had it my back seat. Took like 10 minuets to explain that I like to target shoot.

That reminds me of the time my brother was driving a van across the Canadian border with a shady looking band he was working for. The border patrol agent asked if he was carrying any firearms today, and he replied, "nope, not today!".

About an hour later they sent them on their way.

 

[troy]

Where I'm from people on the highway regularly travel within a range between 10 MPH just over the speed limit. And I have seen plenty of troopers positioned along the highway without pulling people over for this. As a matter of fact, its been told to me by an officer that they don't normally bother anyone for being 10mph or so over the limit. That’s where I got that information the first place.
Also, speeding tickets are usually enforced to pump money into the local economy of a lot of small towns.

You said it yourself, "...don't NORMALLY bother...." That policeman has every right to pull you over for one mph over. Don't get me wrong, I am probably the fastest driver on the board, but when (and I have) gotten a speeding ticket, I admit to myself that I was over the speed limit and pay it. Getting mad at the police for your own mistakes is one of the roots of the degredation of society, the "it's not MY fault, so it has to be yours" ideology. The troopers don't NORMALLY bother people for under 10 over is because they 1)want the most dangerous of drivers off the road and 2) all that they would get done is write tickets for small amounts and "harrass".

 

[nptguy]

The only thing I will say in my defense is that it was a VERY rural road. People who have been on theses types of roads in the south know what I mean, over growen brush on both side of the road, PITCH BLACK and i nthe middle of no where. I dont recall even seeing a speed limit sign. The only reason I was down there was to help my roommate move his TV in his new house.

 

[dmspilot00]

What you may have seen on a lot of cars is a semi-curved translucent plastic plate over the license. This is something sold at a lot of auto part stores for the reason of disturbing the RADAR equipment so that it sends back an erroneous reading. There is a disclaimer on the packaging though, stating that “local laws must be complied with.” Technically, you’re not allowed to have anything that obstructs the view of your license plate, and you may receive a ticket for this.

What if you don't have a front license plate?

Also, in Pennsylvania you CANNOT get a speeding ticket if you are clocked by timer going 10 or less over the limit, or 5 if clocked by radar (and only state police may use radar). Most of them do not give you a ticket unless you're more than 15 over.

 

[dseagrav]

And no, you are not allowed 10mph over the speed LIMIT, that is why it's called a limit. It's like when ATC tells you to "maintain" a certain altitude, you don't get +/- 1000 foot do you?

Wait, what? You mean you don't get a thousand foot of lee-way? Well, shoot, that explains why the CFI won't take me into controlled airsplace yet! (I was real anxious to try out my top-gun voice on center, too!)















(Just kidding... ^_^)

 

[soarby007]

Well, the search issue has been looked at by the US Supreme court a dozen times. Patrick Knowles v Iowa was a similar case as yours, when Knowles was stopped for speeding and the officer decided to search the car and found pot under the seat. The Supremes decided there was no probable cause to suspect pot and the officer not in danger. Thus the 4th amendment protection of illegal search and seizure stands.
If you give permission, then you get what you get.

In Mississippi, you probably would have spent a night in a beautiful rural jail, fined by a justice of the peace heavily and kicked out of the town on a rail. Some states you just don't speed in and most of the cops have a distaste of college students anyway. See if they offer the driver education thing and if you can get it dismissed. You will pay the same, but won't be on the record and deny the officer a conviction.

 

[psysicx]

You won't win if you sue them for searching your car without permission.