Ticket tales - tales of folly, yes, celebrations of reckless driving, no

[T.O.Bullitt]

Here’s mine.
Last summer while driving in a bit of a pandemic-induced solo fantasyland that had me driving in a spirited fashion on a local highway without paying close attention to my speedometer, I got caught in speed trap doing more than 50 km/h over the posted limited.
Here, in Ontario, they immediately take away your car and license for one week if you are just charged with going 50 over the speed limit.
Yes, just charged, not convicted.
Roadside penalty, they call it.
And, if convicted, the fine is a minimum $2,000 and can go up to $10,000.
You can also lose your license for up to 2 years.
Up to 6 months jail time is possible, too, but my guess is that is reserved for repeat offenders.
Well, finally got to court today and managed to strike a deal pleading the charge down to "failure to obey sign".
$150 fine.
The prosecutor made the deal after I asked for more disclosure than I was given and he indicated to me that there was a "problem" with the evidence.
As a result he was willing to make plead it down, significantly.
After joking with him for a while about the old Let’s Make a Deal game show, I took the deal.
With the problem with the evidence - he never told me exactly what it was but he said he thought he could still win - I guess I could have continued to a trial and maybe even gotten the charge dismissed.
But I am ok with the result.
Actually, more than okay with it given how much worse it could have gone.
Also, just to be clear, both in terms of my story and stories I am inviting others to post: I do not for a moment advocate driving at the speed I was going on the day in question nor any dangerous driving of any sort. My speed was definitely not appropriate for the traffic conditions, maybe not any conditions other than those on a track or, maybe, a long straight desert road with no one on it.
Anyway, big relief today, very glad for the result.

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[Torinate]

Nice!

Likely no points either.

Love the Mustang Drive In sign! Which one is that? I’m just outside of Guelph myself, been there many times...

Where in Ontario are you?

 

[T.O.Bullitt]

Nice!

Likely no points either.

Love the Mustang Drive In sign! Which one is that? I’m just outside of Guelph myself, been there many times...

Where in Ontario are you?

I’m in Toronto.
The Drive In is in Prince Edward County.
There should be a meet there once COVID is in the rear-view mirror.
Maybe even ask them to show a couple of movies.
I’m thinking of two, in particular.

 

[nezzywezzy]

I had a C63 before my GT350. I got pulled over a handful of times for speeding and got lucky with warnings or didn't get caught speeding that much over so I just paid the ticket or did the traffic school.

I was cruising with a friend late at night on an empty highway and was doing some big pulls when I come over a small hill and see what I thought was some construction equipment about half a mile or so down the road in the median. I let my car decelerate slowly and started braking once I suspected it might have been a cop. It ends up being a state trooper and to no surprise pulls out after me. I pull over and a female officer comes out and tells me "you don't want to know what I clocked you at" I asked her what she clocked me at and said "128mph". Then she said she clocked me again at 80mph and appreciated that I slowed down and pulled over for her, she ended up writing me a ticket for 80mph on a 60mph speed limit. I thanked her and left, got off the ticket with a 6 month probation.

 

[Arcadia]

When I was younger I had a 5.0 LX when they first came out. I had waited till I got a 1000 miles on it and wanted to open her up. Was at a red light in the first position on a road that had no access and was divided with a cement median - so I figured this is a good a place as any to let her loose. Light turned green and I floored it and was enjoying the ride immensely when I glanced to the left and saw a State Cop going the opposite way - I thought no problem - there is a divider right. So I look in the rear view mirror and I see him airborne as he drove over the median. I was a good ways ahead of him by then and I’m not sure he would have been able to catch me but I said to myself this guy is serious and pulled over and waited for him. He pulled in behind me and came up and asked for my license and registration and went back to his car to run me. I sat there thinking o boy this is bad. He came back and said does this have the same - before he finished I said yup ( this was when the LX could be ordered with GT engine and all the GT suspension parts but none of the aero - kinda was a stealth GT) - and then he said try and keep it around the speed limit and let me go. One of the coolest Officers I have ever interacted with!

 

[Mr. Met]

I am ashamed to admit it, but I was once pulled over by one of our fine New York State police officers. I was stopped for doing 28mph on the Long Island Expressway. Yes, that's right, I was going 3mph over the limit of 25mph on a major six lane highway. Please, do not be as reckless as I was.

 

[AngelsofVerdun]

Here in Huntsville, where I live, I was pulled over less than two days after getting my car for running 70 in a 55. You'll never guess WHAT pulled me over: a HSV city police officer driving a S550 'Stang, as well. In the end, however, the officer complimented my car and let me go with a warning. To that point, I had never even been pulled over--much less issued a warning--which impressed the officer. Surprisignly, I did not get nervous at all, especially considering it was my first time ever having the blue lights pointed in my direction; I think that may have helped my case.

 

[ORRadtech]

My story began for me either 15 or 30 years ago depending on your point of view.
15 years ago, in preparation for my first cruise vacation, I applied for and was denied a passport on the grounds that I had an outstanding warrant for my arrest. I can tell you now that was quite a shock!
It seems that 15 years before that, they said, I had been issued a speeding ticket and failed to appear in court. At the time of the supposed ticket I had lived in my home, in the county the ticket was issued in, for 5 years and remained there another 5 years before moving to a neighboring county. At no time did I receive any notification that I was FTA or that a warrant had been issued. I was in the phone book and not hard to find. I also managed to get at least one other ticket in the same county In the intervening years.
I'm not an FTA kind of guy. If I got a ticket, and I've had a few, I always paid the fine or went to court when required.
In any case, I had to get a lawyer and deal with the DA. The upshot of it all was the warrant was dismissed for lack of evidence that was apparently lost when the courthouse moved a few years before. But, it's my belief, there was never any evidence to lose and was instead some clerical error.
It was all quite upsetting at the time but makes for a good drinking story now...

 

[NoVaGT]

I've not gotten a ticket in a few years, thankfully.

I do keep it to 5 or 10MPH over, aside from a burst here or there.

Now my yellow 2016 GT and I got a few tickets, none of which ended up on my record, which is completely clean.

 

[Torched10]

I've not gotten a ticket in a few years, thankfully.

I do keep it to 5 or 10MPH over, aside from a burst here or there.

Now my yellow 2016 GT and I got a few tickets, none of which ended up on my record, which is completely clean.

Here’s mine.
Last summer while driving in a bit of a pandemic-induced solo fantasyland that had me driving in a spirited fashion on a local highway without paying close attention to my speedometer, I got caught in speed trap doing more than 50 km/h over the posted limited.
Here, in Ontario, they immediately take away your car and license for one week if you are just charged with going 50 over the speed limit.
Yes, just charged, not convicted.
Roadside penalty, they call it.
And, if convicted, the fine is a minimum $2,000 and can go up to $10,000.
You can also lose your license for up to 2 years.
Up to 6 months jail time is possible, too, but my guess is that is reserved for repeat offenders.
Well, finally got to court today and managed to strike a deal pleading the charge down to "failure to obey sign".
$150 fine.
The prosecutor made the deal after I asked for more disclosure than I was given and he indicated to me that there was a "problem" with the evidence.
As a result he was willing to make plead it down, significantly.
After joking with him for a while about the old Let’s Make a Deal game show, I took the deal.
With the problem with the evidence - he never told me exactly what it was but he said he thought he could still win - I guess I could have continued to a trial and maybe even gotten the charge dismissed.
But I am ok with the result.
Actually, more than okay with it given how much worse it could have gone.
Also, just to be clear, both in terms of my story and stories I am inviting others to post: I do not for a moment advocate driving at the speed I was going on the day in question nor any dangerous driving of any sort. My speed was definitely not appropriate for the traffic conditions, maybe not any conditions other than those on a track or, maybe, a long straight desert road with no one on it.
Anyway, big relief today, very glad for the result.

If I'm gonna speed I make sure my Valentine detector is up and working.they work in both directions just I case officer is behind you

 

[wingnutt]

haha...just last month we found ourselves in Flagstaff, Az and decided to run up to Winslow and get a photo standing on a corner

jumped in the rental car, threw the address in GPS and liked what we saw. Got to the first turnoff and it was a dam forest service road...which is closed in the middle of winter, and now my drive is an hour longer on a perfectly wide 55mph Highway

long story short, I saw the Sheriff coming just as he saw me and I did my usual...pull over immediately, turned on the hazards and rolled down the windows. But apparently I hammered the brakes so hard, he had to do a three point turn to get in behind me

as he walked up, my lovely wife was giving me the third degree and he just stood there for a second. First thing I said to him was “I don’t know how fast I was, but I can guarantee whatever the fine is, it won’t compare to what she has in mind”

he let me off with a “have a nice day” but did gently remind me that 86 in a 55 in Arizona is considered Criminal Misdemeanor Speeding...whatever that is

 

[ctandc72]

.....In any case, I had to get a lawyer and deal with the DA. The upshot of it all was the warrant was dismissed for lack of evidence that was apparently lost when the courthouse moved a few years before. But, it's my belief, there was never any evidence to lose and was instead some clerical error.
It was all quite upsetting at the time but makes for a good drinking story now...

Reminds of years ago........got a notice in the mail (apparently my now ex-wife had thrown several notices away) that we owed over $500 for a parking ticket in a city an hour or so away. Now my ex-wife had family near there and it was supposedly her car that got the ticket. I traveled a good bit for work then, and I sometimes drove her car on long trips around that time because I was in between company vehicles and my daily then was a gas hog. So I checked my mileage logs and sure enough, I was 200 miles in the opposite direction the day the parking ticket was issued.

When I FINALLY got someone on the phone, turns out they must have transposed a digit on the license plate. The vehicle that they ticketed was a F-150, not a mid size sedan (not even the same make).......took several weeks to make that go away.


As for driving tickets - I once got pulled over by a State Trooper (who looked like he literally was too young to have a license). I had a Monte Carlo SS at the time, and it definitely wasn't stock and the 200R4 made it a pretty good highway cruiser, especially with T-Tops. I was speeding. I'll admit that. 72mph in a 60mph zone. He clocked me about about 3/4 of a mile before the speed limit ups to 65 mph. Fair enough - I was speeding. At the time I wasn't a big seat belt person (yeah I know - stupid is stupid) but I had slipped me left arm under the belt as he pulled me over, so when he walked up to my window I slipped it off like I was removing my seat belt to get to my wallet (in my back left pocket).

So he gives me the speeding ticket and then proceeds to write me up for no seat belt. I very calmly asked him........."So I was doing over 70mph, you were at a dead stop (Speed trap in a crossover of the interstate) and you were able to tell I wasn't wearing a seat belt?" That's all I said. He got flustered and only ended up writing me for speeding.

I forgot about the ticket. I was going to pay the fine and mail it in (clean record). But I mixed up the dates and realized it was in a county courthouse an hour from my house, the next day. So I showed up in court. Smaller county court house. I get there, and apparently they don't call traffic cases by last name (alphabetically). So instead of being close to first, I sat and watched several people get CRUCIFIED by this crusty old judge. It was actually great. He'd let them hang themselves. One kid said he was on the way back to certain college - said he's an engineering student and he got distracted looking at the power poles / transformers that were installed in the wooded / hilly areas surrounding the interstate where he was ticketed.

The judge then tells him he actually worked on that project when he was a student at the same college. Kid is loving it. Then Judge says "So that begs the question...do you think it's acceptable to be traveling faster than interstate posted limits while being distracted and not paying attention to your driving?" He got a reckless ticket.

So he finally calls me up. He gives me this look that seems to say "What's your story?". I was honest.

"Judge, I admit I was speeding, I simply forgot to mail in the fine."

He gave me an odd look, mumbled something that sounded like "I'll be damned". Asked me if I had a clean driving record, I replied in the affirmative, and he dropped it to 5 over and court costs - no points.

 

[ArgentumS550]

A couple years ago I rented an Ingot 18 GT Premium PP1 with Recaros from Hertz for a 10 day road trip. I was CONSTANTLY finding myself unknowingly going over the speed limit. Not my car, a lot of power, effortless cruise, RPM/speed sound not too discernible @ 70-80. I had it on cruise randomly to change the position of my right leg for comfort, but mostly used the pedal.
I was outside Browning MT on a Sunday morning and had already had to slow down a few times. A couple minutes after one of these slow-downs and going through some curves and rises, BAM...a cop is waiting just at the top of a rise and gets me doing 81. He finds out its a rental and I'm from out of state, says he'll just do 10 over, and that I can pay $20 now or go to court. I thought the $20 might just a deposit and waited for the hammer fine to drop once I got home, but nope. $20 with a ticket/receipt and I was on my way. It did tweak me for the rest of the day, though. Not at the cop, just that it happened right after I had slowed down.
On a positive note, that trip is the reason why I have an Ingot 18 GT Premium PP1 with Recaros in my driveway!

 

[Matthewstorm]

I drive pretty fast but never recklessly. I have a top of the line laser jammer and radar detector.

That being said I have been pulled over a few times for going a little fast. I have a LEO type wallet, windows on both sides, that on one side holds a DEA badge (Detectives Endowment Association) and on the other side my Military ID, that was passed down from my father. When I get pulled over I place it on my lap and keep my arms at my side.

Every time I've been stopped the officer leans in the window, tips his hat, says have a nice day, and walks away.

 

[Silver Bullitt]

I never speed, and that’s all I’m saying. Hopefully State Farm reads this thread.

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