First ticket... help!
03-20-2004, 05:32 PM
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First ticket... help!
Hey guys ive got a question for some of you more "liberal" drivers out there. I was coming back from the movie theater last night with my girlfriend in the car when i pass a couple cops on the right hand side of the road with thier lights on. Speed limit was 45 and its a major road so the normal driving speed of the average person is about 55 and i was doing 55 myself. Well no more then a quarter mile the guy in front of me signals for a right hand turn so i flip my blinker on and check my blind spot. I see a blue prelude in my mirror so i hold off just then he guns his engine and clears out of my way. I make my lane change and as soon as i pass the car making the right turn i accelerate to make up for the lost speed im at about 55 again. As soon as i get back in the right lane a cop comes flyin up behind me and turns on his lights so natually i pull over into a kroger parkin lot. What i didnt see was the other cop chasin after the guy in his prelude. The officer comes to my window and i give him my information but being the great college kid i am forgot that my insurace card had expired the month before but the cop took the old card and ran in the information sice it was the same policy number. 
He asks me if i knew what i was pulled over for and i said yes sir assuming it was for speeding (reguardless of what is normal i know that 55 is speeding on a 45 expectially on a friday night at 1 in the morning) by now the other cop as caught the dude in the prelude and has him pull up next to me. after giving the cop my information my girlfriend and i sit in the car for literally 15 minutes before we are told anything. upon his return the cop told me that the other guy was claiming that he knew up and denied that we were drag racing. (what the hell is the point of admitting we knew each other when we clearly dont) the cop then tells me that he appreciates me not blowing smoke up his ass and writes me a ticket for 64 in a 45
and preceeds to tell me how big of a favor he is given me by not posting it as 20 miles over the limit (in tennessee anything over 20 is points if not suspension of lincense) he also says that he not going to give me a wreckless driving ticket as well. I didnt feel like fighting it there with the girlfriend in the car and i knew it would be pointless so i took the ticket thanked him for givin me the break and left. what the hell should i do i ahve a court date for april 26 and according to the ticket he wrote he got my speed while pacing when i didnt even see him in the rearview mirror until it was too late. Should i try and fight the ticket or just pay it and get it over with? If i pay it how much do you guys think it will be? oh one more thing the insurance thing is something that i can take care of over the phone according to the cop i just have to call and tell them i have the updated card and give them the information. Thanks for the help guys!
He asks me if i knew what i was pulled over for and i said yes sir assuming it was for speeding (reguardless of what is normal i know that 55 is speeding on a 45 expectially on a friday night at 1 in the morning) by now the other cop as caught the dude in the prelude and has him pull up next to me. after giving the cop my information my girlfriend and i sit in the car for literally 15 minutes before we are told anything. upon his return the cop told me that the other guy was claiming that he knew up and denied that we were drag racing. (what the hell is the point of admitting we knew each other when we clearly dont) the cop then tells me that he appreciates me not blowing smoke up his ass and writes me a ticket for 64 in a 45 and preceeds to tell me how big of a favor he is given me by not posting it as 20 miles over the limit (in tennessee anything over 20 is points if not suspension of lincense) he also says that he not going to give me a wreckless driving ticket as well. I didnt feel like fighting it there with the girlfriend in the car and i knew it would be pointless so i took the ticket thanked him for givin me the break and left. what the hell should i do i ahve a court date for april 26 and according to the ticket he wrote he got my speed while pacing when i didnt even see him in the rearview mirror until it was too late. Should i try and fight the ticket or just pay it and get it over with? If i pay it how much do you guys think it will be? oh one more thing the insurance thing is something that i can take care of over the phone according to the cop i just have to call and tell them i have the updated card and give them the information. Thanks for the help guys!
03-20-2004, 06:09 PM
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well lets see 19 mph over, the ticket is going to be in 150~200 dollar range i'm sure.
another thing is if it is 45mph limit and you said you past couple cops. what da hell would be going 55 if you saw the cops anyway?
it doesnt matter if "everyone" drive 55mph on that road.
if it was me and i saw cop car sitting there or near by i would of slow down around 45mph, but you said you saw couple...so i dont know.
i think it was wrong that cop thought you two were racing, but when you say speeding up to make up during the turn dont sound right to me. i wasnt there and i would not know, but to me you gun it, and made it seem to cop that you were chasing after the prelude.
If it was me, i would show up to the court on the day the ticket says. Show up and talk to the judge. even if you dont win, just by showing up, your ticket will be cut in half. So i would go if i were you.
another thing is if it is 45mph limit and you said you past couple cops. what da hell would be going 55 if you saw the cops anyway?
it doesnt matter if "everyone" drive 55mph on that road.
if it was me and i saw cop car sitting there or near by i would of slow down around 45mph, but you said you saw couple...so i dont know.
i think it was wrong that cop thought you two were racing, but when you say speeding up to make up during the turn dont sound right to me. i wasnt there and i would not know, but to me you gun it, and made it seem to cop that you were chasing after the prelude.
If it was me, i would show up to the court on the day the ticket says. Show up and talk to the judge. even if you dont win, just by showing up, your ticket will be cut in half. So i would go if i were you.
03-20-2004, 06:11 PM
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Im not familiar with Tennesse Laws or Counties. But from my experience, the cost of the ticket depends on the city or the county. As far a him pacing you, there should be a certain minimum time of pacing before they can officially record your speed. You need to find this out. Given your case, I would fight the ticket.
I would leave the prelude drag racing out of your arguement though, whether it may have caused a false negative opinion about you. My main arguement would be simply on how he got your speed. Ask the cop in front of the judge how he was able to pace you when he just suddenly pulled up behind you within a few seconds and pulled you over. Ask him how he can get your speed in such short notice.
You don't have to tell him that you were going 55 not 64, but if the circumstance permits. Just in case the cop tells the judge that you admitted to speeding. I would simply say that I won't deny that I was speeding, but I was not anywhere close to 64MPH as stated by the cop with pacing. Again, I will not bother incorporating the drag racing thing anywhere to your arguement. Just the fact of proving reasonable doubt that the cop did not pace you correctly to get good approximate speeds. Good luck.
John
I would leave the prelude drag racing out of your arguement though, whether it may have caused a false negative opinion about you. My main arguement would be simply on how he got your speed. Ask the cop in front of the judge how he was able to pace you when he just suddenly pulled up behind you within a few seconds and pulled you over. Ask him how he can get your speed in such short notice.
You don't have to tell him that you were going 55 not 64, but if the circumstance permits. Just in case the cop tells the judge that you admitted to speeding. I would simply say that I won't deny that I was speeding, but I was not anywhere close to 64MPH as stated by the cop with pacing. Again, I will not bother incorporating the drag racing thing anywhere to your arguement. Just the fact of proving reasonable doubt that the cop did not pace you correctly to get good approximate speeds. Good luck.
John
03-20-2004, 06:13 PM
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Originally posted by TheLoons12
12 people have viewed this no one had posted??? come guys help me out here.
12 people have viewed this no one had posted??? come guys help me out here.
03-20-2004, 06:19 PM
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I have a feeling that wouldnt go over very well though. Me being 19 id be scared out my whits not to metion my dad probably wouldnt be too happy considering it is tech. his car. I did forget to mention that i have a very good friend that is dating a cop on the university police force (cops that pulled me over were UTPD as well) i think im going to ask him about this too. Thanks for the responses keep um comin.
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03-20-2004, 10:12 PM
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Granted, it has been a while since I graduated from UT (01), but where is there a 45mph speed limit on UT's campus (or for that matter a Kroger, or movie theater)? Just curious, but not at all disputing that is what happened.
I'll assume you got pulled over on Kingston Pk coming back from Downtown Centre or West Towne Carmike, and stopped in the Kroger across from Mercedes Plaza and the Big Orange BiLo. How can a UTPD cop give you a ticket off campus? Do some research here. Potential jurisdictional issues are a long shot, but worth checking into. UT law library has the TN code annotated on the second floor.
Regardless, how did he clock you at 64mph? Radar? Laser? Pacing? What did you say? Depending on the answers to those, you can defend yourself in court. That bring said, with no tickets on your record that is NOT the smartest option.
If you go in there saying 'but I was only going 10mph over' then you've admitted guilt. I know it seems screwed up, but it is not a question of 'how guilty' but rather 'guilty or no'.
With no prior speeding tickets I would go into court and say to the judge something like "your honor, I was speeding and I am sorry. I don't know the other gentleman nor was I racing. If there is any way I can go to traffic school to keep this off my record I would be very grateful for the help." Dress professionally, and speak with intelligence and respect.
Good luck from a fellow TN leadfoot.
I'll assume you got pulled over on Kingston Pk coming back from Downtown Centre or West Towne Carmike, and stopped in the Kroger across from Mercedes Plaza and the Big Orange BiLo. How can a UTPD cop give you a ticket off campus? Do some research here. Potential jurisdictional issues are a long shot, but worth checking into. UT law library has the TN code annotated on the second floor.
Regardless, how did he clock you at 64mph? Radar? Laser? Pacing? What did you say? Depending on the answers to those, you can defend yourself in court. That bring said, with no tickets on your record that is NOT the smartest option.
If you go in there saying 'but I was only going 10mph over' then you've admitted guilt. I know it seems screwed up, but it is not a question of 'how guilty' but rather 'guilty or no'.
With no prior speeding tickets I would go into court and say to the judge something like "your honor, I was speeding and I am sorry. I don't know the other gentleman nor was I racing. If there is any way I can go to traffic school to keep this off my record I would be very grateful for the help." Dress professionally, and speak with intelligence and respect.
Good luck from a fellow TN leadfoot.