Speeding ticket, how many you got?

[Tony C.]

I've driving for over 50 years, all this time I got 2 speeding tickets, first one was more than 40 years ago, while I was still in college, going a bit too fast thru a small town late night with some school friends after the weekend, seeing that we are just a bunch of college students, the LEO was good enough to "write down" my ticket so I only have to pay a smaller fine.

The next one was about 10 years ago, on a Sunday morning during the Christmas holiday, I was driving over a bridge, at the bottom is a school zone, with a speed limit of 20 mph, I was stop there, LEO said I was speeding thru a school zone at 30 mph, I protested school is out, its Sunday and during holiday season, but he won't budge, I was speeding in a school zone, period. Oh well, I guess the law is the law, shut up and pay the fine.

I think most of us do drive a bit over the speed limit some of the time, so how many speeding tickets you got? are they justified? do you think the traffic cop was too rigid? or did you go to court to fight it. I'm sure anyone been driving for some time would have stories to tell.

However, please don't be bashing LEO here, they have a hard enough job to keep the roads safe for all user, with all the street racers; DUI; driving while texting and yepping on the cell phone go on.

 

[Rustyt1953]

My last speeding ticket was over 35 years ago.

Since then I learned to swim with the rest of the salmon.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

Only time I ever got pulled over in more than 60 years of driving was for a burned out tail light. That includes driving a semi-tanker for 32 years. Hope that stands for another 60 years...knock on wood.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

NM is big.
It’s wide open.
And we don’t have many troopers patrolling at any given time.
But I have gotten a few tickets in places where I didn’t expec seet to a State Trooper or anybody.
And I do like to rove the Boonies!
The roads there are often two lane, but often empty, straight and usually dry.
I may increase velocity in these zones.
A few ago When I almost hit that Elk, thats what I was doing.
The only thing there was me until he jumped onto the road!
In my younger days, I have come close to hitting cows.
But that was at night!

 

[Wise_A]

I got one. I think the trooper just decided he didn't like me, or was having a bad day. He wrote me for 73 in a 65, claimed I was going much faster. Now, this was in heavy traffic--everybody was doing 73 or we'd have been bouncing into each other.

Went to plead it down, and I believe the county attorney's exact words were, "Who doesn't do 73?". Minor ticket, went to traffic school.

Later found out that particular guy was just a known jerk. He's definitely a statistical outlier, as every other state trooper I've dealt with has been quite pleasant, even the guy that responded to an armed robbery at a Rite Aide I was in. Just strolled in, Glock in his hand but down behind his leg so as not to frighten us civilians, asked what had happened, told me not to leave, and proceeded on.

 

[500SNW]

I managed to make it all the way to age 40 before getting my first ticket. Up to that point I had never ever gotten pulled over, or gotten a ticket or been in an accident. I think the cop could've cut me a break for my good record. Over the years I've had several people tell me of cops letting them off with a warning after seeing their long, spotless records. No such luck with me. TBH I think they were on a revenue collecting drive on the day I was stopped.

 

[old bear]

In my younger years I collected speeding tickets much like normal people collected "Green Stamps." the last ticket I got was for speeding when passing another car, 70/55. That was in 1996. About half of my annual driving miles is interstate. I generally keep my speed no more that 5 - 7 mph over the posted limit. What surprises me is the number of cars who go FLYING past me. Hell at my age I got no reason to hurry.

 

[LVSteve]

Later found out that particular guy was just a known jerk.

I think his cousin gave the OP his Sunday school zone ticket. His other cousin lives here in Vegas and was issuing tickets in a school zone where all the signs had been flattened and covered by a construction company.

My only speeding ticket was acquired in England. As a broke 19-year old I was reluctant to use the brakes like any good hypermiler especially when I felt that the car would slow down enough with the throttle released. Got nailed for 41 in a 30 on a gentle downslope into a village with fields either side where throttle only retardation was considered insufficient by the local constabulary. Whatever.

 

[BaldEagle1313]

I sheepishly admit than when I was 20 and drove a 240Z I got 5 tickets in two years - enough that I got a letter from the state, signed by the governor herself, saying one more and we pull your license. Which upon reflection floors me as now you can get 4 DUI's in this state before they'll do that.

After that went 30 years before another - on a road trip and didn't see the sign changing the limit from 60 to 50 and was written up for 64 in a 50. Four years after that went through a 25 zone at 30; motorcycle officer just pointed at me to go around the corner and there a half dozen others all being written up by other officers. While they were citing me another 4 or 5 cars turned the same corner and were also cited (I presume). They were handing out tickets like food samples at Costco. I'm guessing the neighborhood complained about people zooming past and they did an emphasis patrol.

So that makes 7. More than I'd like, but there are no reckless or under the influence ones in there. Just heavy foot.

 

[LVSteve]

I generally keep my speed no more that 5 - 7 mph over the posted limit. What surprises me is the number of cars who go FLYING past me. Hell at my age I got no reason to hurry.

Know what you mean. I'll go 5 over to keep up with traffic. After that it's speeding and I stay right and refuse to partake.

 

[waxman]

I got my only speeding ticket in 1970.

 

[ExRanger714]

One in 1982--running 90 on a motorcycle 400 miles from home but I saw him across the curve and shaved it to 76 before he got me locked up on radar. Thank heaven for angle error.

I cajoled the Clerk of Court, the Trooper and the Judge into hearing it the next day. Judge, upon my plea of guilty, fined me a little and took my privilege for 30 days. I asked for 24 hours to get home and he stayed his judgement 24 hours.

Walked out of the courthouse in the rain and it rained all 400 of those long miles home.

I was between jobs and moved to my hunting camp for the duration. My, at that time, girlfriend brought me "necessities" every three days or so.

Nice vacation!

The only lingering effects were my truck insurance went up, my motorcycle insurance went down, I sold the bike and slowed down.

 

[Ματθιας]

My last ticket was 10 years ago. It wasn't for speed it was a rolling stop/not coming to a complete stop - I was rolling backwards - (clutch tricks) With a faded/flat black car, concealed headlights, no front plate it's, well, shall we, say, "stealthy" to radar/laser and gives me a bit of time and space to react. Haven't had a speeding ticket in that car. I'm not saying, I'm just saying...

To answer the question I've had about ten speeding tickets all of my driving.

After I first started driving, about 25+ years ago, in a five or six month period, I had 7 or 8 tickets pending, all at the same time. All of them were 10 miles over. I took all of them to court and beat them and I kept my clean driving record - that's a story in and of itself.

When working for car dealerships, I've had a tickets for equipment/no plate/insurance violations. The most I was got seven equipment tickets in one whack - It seems the cop got a bad deal from the dealership and was nailing everybody, who wasn't a customer, from that dealership. IIRC, My tickets were improper display of a plate (back window), broken windshield, modified exhaust, broken taillight, bald tires, I don't remember the others... That was on a car that was taken on trade and I was driving to a wholesaler's lot a block away. I was one of 10 people that I remember who got tickets.

To make a long story short, I had to go to court, it was a mandatory appearance for the improper plate display, and all the tickets were dismissed because the lawyer for the dealership managed to prove that the dealership employees were being harassed by a disgruntled customer who happened to be a cop.

 

[raljr1]

I'm guessing that I've had about half a dozen speeding tickets over the 47 years I have been driving. I have also been given breaks at least that many times in the same period. My very 1st ticket was given to me by "Trooper Layton of the Pennsylvania state police" as he politely introduced himself. Must have made quite an impression on my 17 year old mind as it's stuck with me all these years. Having been pulled over at least a dozen or more times never once had a police officer be rude or indignant with me. I did have one who was a former high school classmate tell me that he was giving me a break even though I didn't deserve one. He was right, but I took the break, thank you.


Robert

 

[LVSteve]

I sheepishly admit than when I was 20 and drove a 240Z I got 5 tickets in two years - enough that I got a letter from the state, signed by the governor herself, saying one more and we pull your license. Which upon reflection floors me as now you can get 4 DUI's in this state before they'll do that.

Didn't see that too much in England. First DUI gets you a year of walking. Those that get to three or more earn themselves driving bans of up to ten years IIRC. Driving while disqualified will get you major fines unless you are a multiple DUI offender, in which case you're away to the Big House.

 

[ACP230]

I'm rarely in a hurry. So, zero so far.

 

[hostler]

I got one in 1988. Been driving for 38 years and that's my one and only. I did get a second one in 1998 but that one was bogus and got dropped.

 

[wood714]

I've had 2 in my 60 years which is pretty amassing.

I use to street race a 69 SS 396 Chevelle in my younger days. When I'm on the expressway I get in the fast lane and go with the flow up to 95 MPH.

Couple years ago I was a little north of Macon GA. on 75 after being in a traffic jam, thought I'd make up for lost time and was rolling at 90 when I looked up and saw a trooper on a overpass. As soon as I saw him her hit the blues, and was heading down the ramp. Got over in the slow lane to pull over, and he got the car behind me.

I've heard they will pull over a coupe before a 4 door. I've only owned one 4 door car for a short time in my life.

 

[washerman]

i've had a few in my 69 years. not too many though. one was 90 in a 30 on my motorcycle in lawrence, kansas. thought the cop was gonna shoot me he was so mad. Then there is my wife....wow....green means go....yellow means go faster and red means floor it....yield means get the hell out of my way.....stop means "NOT!"......she got one last week for running a red light...she is 66 years old...old habits die hard...she goes to traffic school starting next week....supper was good though....oh and gas gauge "E" means "ENOUGH"

 

[jag312]

I have never had a speeding ticket, and I haven't the slightest idea why I haven't. When I drove from San Jose to Los Angeles down Interstate 5, there were times I was doing 95.