Speeding Ticket Question

amos · #1 02-08-2008, 08:26 AM

How does a puhweece occifer driving the other direction radar you? I did not know they had this star wars-esque technology. Because of my ignorance to this technology, as well as not paying attention to the fact I was in Marion county--I gotta show up in Dallas, OR in March to give them $250, that I don't have, because I'm unemployed (Staples, if you're reading this, please give me that damn job already!!).

I've been pulled over a good two dozen times (my Acura is a cop-magnet, I never speed like I did today in my Acura), this is my first ticket though..cops seem to just like to waste my time and our tax dollars, but of course I'll take that over a ticket. I'm pretty bummed about it, as I've always been let off before, due to my boyish good looks and clean driving record. What to do now? Get a job and pay for it I guess. Meh; would have rather picked up an EHX octave pedal with my first paycheck. "Judge, I swear, my cruise control went ape****! What was I to do?!"

side note to Oregonians: If there's one place not to speed, it's Marion county. I've heard this from two different police occifers, and they are on the money about this (no pun intended?).

-David

PS If you are into good cinema (Coen brothers, etc.) go see "There Will Be Blood" if you haven't already. Bloody marvelous.

FL Knifemaker · #2 02-08-2008, 08:38 AM

They have Star Wars technology and have to pay for it somehow

guy n. cognito · #3 02-08-2008, 08:39 AM

The ability to use the radar gun while moving has been around for years. Hell I got a ticket from a moving cop over 17 years ago.

Come out from under the rock every once in awhile. It's nice out here.

amos · #4 02-08-2008, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

The ability to use the radar gun while moving has been around for years. Hell I got a ticket from a moving cop over 17 years ago.

Come out from under the rock every once in awhile. It's nice out here.

I figured as much, that the cop was messin' with his thingy instead of actually looking at the road

Bruce Lindfield · #5 02-08-2008, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker

They have Star Wars technology and have to pay for it somehow

That sounds like a very good investment of Tax dollars - if they are regularly collecting that much in fines!

guy n. cognito · #6 02-08-2008, 08:46 AM

It's rare to have to have a mandatory court apperanence for a speeding ticket unless you were going REALLY fast. How fast were you going? What was the speed limit?

agreatheight · #7 02-08-2008, 08:49 AM

If you were speeding, then shame on you!

Well, maybe not, but slow down some, OK?

Now, I don't know about Oregon speficially, but in other states you can contest the ticket, and, if the officer doesn't show up in court the ticket will be dropped. Some states / courts give the officers multiple opportunties, some I think just give one. Many officers won't show up - it's better to keep them on the road (to keep up a presence and all that, plus they will likely write more money in tickets than yours is worth if they skip the hour in court and stay out working the gun). If you have nothing to do, you could try that. Maybe some research about Oregon's laws?

I'd say good luck, but I think you were speeding you prolly should pay. So, I'll say peace out instead!

i_got_a_mohawk · #8 02-08-2008, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amos

I figured as much, that the cop was messin' with his thingy instead of actually looking at the road

If he was messing with his thingy how did he know how fast you were going?

Depth_Charge · #9 02-08-2008, 08:59 AM

Once every 2 years or so I drive North from Perth to Kalbarri, some 700km's or so to visit family, usually over the Xmas holidays. I guess in the US and Europe that would be through a few states/countries...but in Western Australia thats just a very long drive (about 8 hours), most of it at 110kmh, so when you slow down to 80, then 60 to go through towns, it feels like walking would be quicker.

Almost every year we have gone, I have been picked up for speeding while passing a town called "Greenhead". Once, on Xmas day, with a sleeping baby in the back, I was let off! I couldn't believe it.

But most of the time I've copped a ticket, usually in the $150 range (AUD), and 3 demerit points (rack up 12 and you lose you license for 12 months).

They've radared me coming the other way many times, the technology is actually quite simple. Usually when I see the white car approaching I think "thats' a cop"...but I still kept speeding in the hope it wasn't.

Nowadays I just set the cruise control to 5km over the limit, and adjust as according to the signs or other traffic conditions (like 4 dog semi-trailers).

Sometimes, stupidity costs a little time, money and embarassment. Other times, it costs lives. When it comes to the latter, its often the innocent party that pays, not the speeding idiot trying to save half an hour on an 8 hour drive.

amos · #10 02-08-2008, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

It's rare to have to have a mandatory court apperanence for a speeding ticket unless you were going REALLY fast. How fast were you going? What was the speed limit?

80 in a 55--the tickets $242 base fine, it may get reduced since it's my first citation. Its something I would never do in my Acura, because 80 in my old man's Chrysler seems like 65 in my car (lowered, etc.). I was not driving recklessly and will always maintain that on roads I am intimately familiar with I can drive safely at 75. I know some people don't agree with that, but I don't really agree with speed laws.

This however is irrelevant because there is no one to blame for this ticket but myself. As far as contesting the ticket--99W is where I got the ticket, and I gotta show up to court in Dallas, OR--nowhereville. I'm guessing since it's nowhereville the cop is most likely going to show up, right? He was a sheriff for Marion cunty.

I don't usually ever drive more than 75 mile per hour, and it's generally for this reason. Today was a weird situation: last night I dropped my GF off but was really tired and didn't feel like driving the hour back home, so I slept a little at her house and left at 6am, so my dad could have his car back by 7am. The cop asked me what the rush was, and I told him the story...didn't matter that I was sleeping instead of putting people's lives in danger by falling asleep at the wheel. Again, no excuse for speeding, just an observation.

guy n. cognito · #11 02-08-2008, 09:11 AM

Yeah, 25 over tends to get one a visit with a judge, despite their excuses and perception of their own driving ability.

amos · #12 02-08-2008, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

Yeah, 25 over tends to get one a visit with a judge, despite their excuses and perception of their own driving ability.

Indeed! Time to talkbass less and jobfind, more.

Vandelay · #13 02-08-2008, 09:20 AM

Would a traffic lawyer be able to get the charge reduced? They do that around here. It's more expensive in the short term, but it sometimes pays off in the long term because it prevents your car insurance from going thru the roof.

**cheezewiz** · #14 02-08-2008, 09:20 AM

Moving radar has been around for decades. 80 in a 55, you deserved it. Quit whining and quit driving like a moron, and you won't have any future problems. You may also avoid having a serious accident caused by unsafe speed.

neurotictim · #15 02-08-2008, 09:21 AM

*Puts on "DAD" hat*

First of all, not liking a law isn't a very good reason for breaking it. If you were in Virginia, you'd have gotten a reckless driving ticket and possibly gone to jail for 80 in a 55. I would consider myself lucky to only have to pay $242, personally.

Second, if you're hard up for cash, then it seems to me that you should be paying very close attention to things that can cost you - a speeding ticket is one of the most avoidable things out there - just don't speed. Your observation doesn't matter to the cop - you should have gotten some sleep and planned a little better to be able to get the car back without speeding.

Now, enough of the dad crap. :P

The radar works on basic radio principles - he zaps you, and the gun calculates how long it took the beam to reach you and reflect back to your car. RF travels at 12.36us (microseconds) per radar range mile - that is, it would take a radar gun 12.36us to send and receive a reflection at one mile. When you get "zapped" by a cop, you've been hit several times by a radar gun, which then calculates the difference in the return and tells the cop how fast youo're going. It's technically called the "Doppler effect" and it's the same sort of thing that most weather centers use. With something as precise as that (within a few microseconds) it's fairly simple to design an algorithm that subracts the speed the officer is travelling at to determine your speed.

The officer's patrol area falls under a precinct, and as far as I know, there's no rhyme or reason to how they're laid out. You just happened to get caught by an officer on the "nowheresville" precinct.

I've heard that you can get out of a speeding ticket if the radar gun hasn't been calibrated prior to the officer's shift, but I don't know if that's true.

**cheezewiz** · #16 02-08-2008, 09:23 AM

A calibration check is pretty standard at the beginning and end of a shift.

guy n. cognito · #17 02-08-2008, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vandelay

Would a traffic lawyer be able to get the charge reduced? They do that around here. It's more expensive in the short term, but it sometimes pays off in the long term because it prevents your car insurance from going thru the roof.

Attorney friends of mine have gotten speeding tickets dismissed for me in the past, but only because I have a relatively clean driving record and I was never going 25 mph over.

The OP might get this reduced if his driving record is clean.

amos · #18 02-08-2008, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neurotictim

*Puts on "DAD" hat*

First of all, not liking a law isn't a very good reason for breaking it. If you were in Virginia, you'd have gotten a reckless driving ticket and possibly gone to jail for 80 in a 55. I would consider myself lucky to only have to pay $242, personally.

Second, if you're hard up for cash, then it seems to me that you should be paying very close attention to things that can cost you - a speeding ticket is one of the most avoidable things out there - just don't speed. Your observation doesn't matter to the cop - you should have gotten some sleep and planned a little better to be able to get the car back without speeding.

Now, enough of the dad crap. :P

The radar works on basic radio principles - he zaps you, and the gun calculates how long it took the beam to reach you and reflect back to your car. RF travels at 12.36us (microseconds) per radar range mile - that is, it would take a radar gun 12.36us to send and receive a reflection at one mile. When you get "zapped" by a cop, you've been hit several times by a radar gun, which then calculates the difference in the return and tells the cop how fast youo're going. It's technically called the "Doppler effect" and it's the same sort of thing that most weather centers use. With something as precise as that (within a few microseconds) it's fairly simple to design an algorithm that subracts the speed the officer is travelling at to determine your speed.

The officer's patrol area falls under a precinct, and as far as I know, there's no rhyme or reason to how they're laid out. You just happened to get caught by an officer on the "nowheresville" precinct.

I've heard that you can get out of a speeding ticket if the radar gun hasn't been calibrated prior to the officer's shift, but I don't know if that's true.

Oh I agree, intensely. It was really dumb and was in no way shape or form an *emergency*. Speeding while broke is even dumber. Thanks for the radar lesson.

FWIW My record is spotless.

Bryan316 · #19 02-08-2008, 09:36 AM

80 in a 55? Even by my lead-footed standards, you deserve it!!! There's areas in Detroit where the entire population KNOWS are speed traps, and areas that are known as who-the-heck-cares zones. I've done 90 in a 55 before, because it's a stretch of road cops do not monitor. But if you were whipping through an area you KNOW to be cop-infested, then all I can say is too bad!!

**cheezewiz** · #20 02-08-2008, 09:38 AM

It may be worth your while with a clean record to speak to a lawyer. It'll cost more in the short run, but less in the long....
It's not really to get out of it, but more to say, "Hey, he's a good driver who had a brain fart, and is willing to pay the fine and plead to a reduced speed." An insurance co. probably won't get too concerned for a conviction for 65 in a 55, but an 80 on the record will raise eyebrows.