Speeding ticket

[drumminman]

So, I was cruising along a country road here in Orange County, NC, doing a bit over the speed limit of 55 (70 mph), enjoying the scenery. The speed limit changes to 45 and I start to slow, but not before a sheriff coming towards me gets a reading.

He turns around and pulls me, and writes me up for 71 in a 45. In NC the penalty for this much over the speed limit is that you lose your license for 30 days. The sheriff was not really a bad guy, and suggested that I get to court a few minutes early and ask the DA for a reduction.

Should I try this, or go ahead and hire an attorney? I've got a clean driving record. I think I've only got one shot at getttin the best possible outcome.

I'd especially like to hear from you NC guys!

BTW, does anyone ever get the feeling that cops reallly pay attention to Busas, or sport bikes in general?

 

[Busa_05]

I don't think it's so much "paying attention" to the bikes in general. If he had his radar on, it squealed and noted 71 mph. You were in a 45 zone. So he turned around and stopped you. It's not that the majority LOOK for the bikes, although perhaps some officers/troopers have a certain proclivity in keeping an eye open for those "obvious" speeders/stunters, as well as a predisposition to ticketing the sport bike dude no matter what.

I would go to Court and speak with the city attorney. It doesn't hurt anything. You've already been ticketed and might lose your license, so it certainly couldn't hurt anything.

 

[paulos]

well drum first off i wish ya the best mate,you might aswell do as he sais and get there abit earlyer,cant do no harm.
plus on the bikes subject they are hitting hard over here on bikes (spose it's happening everywhere).
i dont know what there problem is,maybe if they done away with cars and resorted to using 2 wheels the world would be a greater place.

 

[ks-waterbug]

You can do this without an attorney! But, if your not comfortable speaking with people hire an attorney to tackle this for you........... As you suggested, you only have one chance!

 

[TheEarthdog]

Go to court and talk to the DA. Generally after the Plea's. You will most likely have to Plea's either NOLO or Guilty to talk to the DA.

The most important thing after being very remorseful is if the DA does not lower it enough the save the license then remember you can change your Plea prior to the Judge rendering his/her judgement.

Personally I would hold out to plea out. Make them set another court date after pleading Not Gullty. Then see if the Sherif shows up. If he does then work to plea out.

You are lucky... I NC they can now take your bike for 30 over and Suspend your License.

Good Luck.

 

[NCBusa2001]

DO NOT GO TO COURT WITHOUT A LAWYER!!!!!!!!!!

I have had over 20 tickets in NC. I have 0 points on my license and 0 insurance points. I have managed to accomplish this feat by ALWAYS hiring an attorney.

Here is the deal. The court system wants to make sure you "learn your lesson". The best way to accompish this is by financial means. They want to see you pay big bucks. By hiring a lawyer and spending $200-300 you have "learned you lesson" and there is no need to mess up your insurance or license. After all if you don't have a license you can't get to work and be a productive member of society.

There is a clause in NC called "Improper equipment" and it is used to drop the offence to a non-moving violation. It is not a legal defence per say, but it is used all the time in court to help "speed things through". It is 0 points on your license or insurance. But you can not do this on your own (because doing that you wouldn't "learn your lesson" financially).

I have gotten all sorts of moving violations dropped that way. Mostly for speeding (highest was 83 in a 55) but once I got it for failure to yeild (guess the only improper equipment that time was my brain.

.


If you fight it yourself the best you can get would be a reduction of the speed (usually to 9mph over) which still gives you insurance points. There is a possibility of getting a "prayer for justice" which drops the ticket but if you get another moving violation they both hit you at once, bad juju.

$200 to an attorney once is better than paying higher premiums for the next 3 years.

Good luck,
Chris

 

[BentValve]

I agree with others, get a lawyer. Ask for some advice in the Cycleforum for your
area. Not just any lawyer will be able to win....the right one will win 99% of them.

I am almost guaranteed a win if I use 2 specific lawyers in my area...their track records are nearly unbelievable.

 

[ks-waterbug]

If you fight it yourself the best you can get would be a reduction of the speed (usually to 9mph over) which still gives you insurance points.[/QUOTE]
Didn't know they did that in NC.... In Ks if you have it moved to less than 10mph over, out of town, it won't go against your driving record.

 

[nitrousjunkie]

DO NOT GO TO COURT WITHOUT A LAWYER!!!!!!!!!!

I have had over 20 tickets in NC. I have 0 points on my license and 0 insurance points. I have managed to accomplish this feat by ALWAYS hiring an attorney.

Here is the deal. The court system wants to make sure you "learn your lesson". The best way to accompish this is by financial means. They want to see you pay big bucks. By hiring a lawyer and spending $200-300 you have "learned you lesson" and there is no need to mess up your insurance or license. After all if you don't have a license you can't get to work and be a productive member of society.

There is a clause in NC called "Improper equipment" and it is used to drop the offence to a non-moving violation. It is not a legal defence per say, but it is used all the time in court to help "speed things through". It is 0 points on your license or insurance. But you can not do this on your own (because doing that you wouldn't "learn your lesson" financially).

I have gotten all sorts of moving violations dropped that way. Mostly for speeding (highest was 83 in a 55) but once I got it for failure to yeild (guess the only improper equipment that time was my brain.

.


If you fight it yourself the best you can get would be a reduction of the speed (usually to 9mph over) which still gives you insurance points. There is a possibility of getting a "prayer for justice" which drops the ticket but if you get another moving violation they both hit you at once, bad juju.

$200 to an attorney once is better than paying higher premiums for the next 3 years.

Good luck,
Chris

Listen to this ^ guy. NJ.

 

[201mph]

If you can afford an attorney then that is absolutely what you need to do. I received a ticket for 140 in a 45 where the officer then wrote me another for reckless driving. I hired a GOOD attorney that was referred to me by a friend who is also a lawyer. He advised me to pay the speeding ticket, and then he claimed "double jeapordy" He also attempted to get the officer to agree to allow me to drop the Reckless driving citation, but the cop was a jerk and insistent I was a hazard although there was nothing but wheat fields on each side of the 4 lane road, and no cross streets, homes, or openings of any kind, or even traffic traveling in the other direction for more than a quarter mile ahead and therefore no one else who COULD have been endangered. My attorney was good enough to convince the DA he HAD TO DROP THE TICKET however, and the judge agreed, after grousing and complaining, that he too had no choice. It cost me $1500 but I knew I had to have help to have any chance of at least getting out of the reckless ticket that was $500 and death to my insurance rates. Sure I had to pay for the speeding ticket but in Oklahoma it is still just 3 points against your license reagardless of speed. Many attorneys will work a ticket for as little as $150-$200 which is usually cost effective when considering al the expense especially if your rates go up. Fight every one you get. Sometimes the cops don't show up, the judge is sympathetic, etc.

 

[Lucky34]

Well, in south florida you can hire a lawyer for $60 and get off the ticket with no points, no court fees, no fines, nothing... just the $60 that go to the lawyer. But I've noticed the further north you go, the more assholeish the cops get... I'm in north florida right now, and if you get a ticket yer screwed.... either to traffic school for no points, or spread yer legs

. I looked for a lawyer up here and he wanted $500 bucks with no guarantee of winning.... If I were you, I would look for Traffic Ticket Lawyers in your area and ask. If the lawyer asks around $100 or less, I would hire him, if not I would do traffic school, if not, I would go to the court and do what the cop said.

 

[omslaw]

You may want to call the prosecutor's office to find out if YOU can plead it down without an attorney.

Around my area of KC, most jurisdictions REQUIRE that an attorney appears. (s'okay by me...keeps my wife busy!)

 

[FastBusa]

Unijugated probation! Ask the clerk before seeing the Judge. I have used it twice here in Texas. The system seems to work for the local cort. THe "ticket fines" stay in the county and are not sent off to the state and unlike the driver ed's the ticket is never on your record if you make it through the probation period. THe ticket i got was going to cost me $150.00 with cort costs to see the judge. I just heard about this probation because one of our fine state reps was out test driving a new Jag! and got pulled over. Then he got off scott free by getting this unijugated probation. It will not hurt to ask!

 

[BusaWhipped]

Get a lawyer. My wife got nailed for 48 in a 35. In MO, that's $85 and 2 points. With the lawer, it was reduced to illegal parking, 0 points. Cost $210 total, one time. Imagine what losing the safe driver discount on 4 cars would have cost if the points would have shown up on her record.

 

[drumminman]

Thanks for all the advice! Especially Chris (ncBusa2001). It' gives me a little reassurance to hear stories like these. I'm definitely gonna lawyer up!

Riding the damn Busa is so tempting! Every time I get on it I just know that at some point I'm going to twist that throttle hard! Got. . .to. . .resist. . .the. . .need. . .for. . .speed

My wife and I went for a cruise tonight at sunset out in the countryside and pulled up behind a new Porsche Carrera 6. She knew what I was thinkin cause she immediately pulled on my belt to get my attention!

Court date is 9/15. I'll let you guys know the outcome.

 

[Dakkine2]

DO NOT GO TO COURT WITHOUT A LAWYER!!!!!!!!!!

I have had over 20 tickets in NC.  I have 0 points on my license and 0 insurance points.  I have managed to accomplish this feat by ALWAYS hiring an attorney.  

Here is the deal.  The court system wants to make sure you "learn your lesson".  The best way to accompish this is by financial means.  They want to see you pay big bucks.  By hiring a lawyer and spending $200-300 you have "learned you lesson" and there is no need to mess up your insurance or license.  After all if you don't have a license you can't get to work and be a productive member of society.  

There is a clause in NC called "Improper equipment" and it is used to drop the offence to a non-moving violation.  It is not a legal defence per say, but it is used all the time in court to help "speed things through".  It is 0 points on your license or insurance.  But you can not do this on your own (because doing that you wouldn't "learn your lesson" financially).  

I have gotten all sorts of moving violations dropped that way.  Mostly for speeding (highest was 83 in a 55) but once I got it for failure to yeild (guess the only improper equipment that time was my brain.

.


If you fight it yourself the best you can get would be a reduction of the speed (usually to 9mph over) which still gives you insurance points.  There is a possibility of getting a "prayer for justice" which drops the ticket but if you get another moving violation they both hit you at once, bad juju.

$200 to an attorney once is better than paying higher premiums for the next 3 years.  

Good luck,
Chris

Do exactly what he ^^ said. I got a 90 in a 70 commin home from NY. Called a lawyer from here in Florida and never had to go back. $300 and a improper equipment violation.

 

[Bryabusa]

Good luck, I once got off a ticket cause the cop couldn't prove that he knew enough about the radar device in his car. He's also gotta prove that he calibrated it on the day he charged me. Use that stuff in your defense man.

 

[manatrader]

DO NOT GO TO COURT WITHOUT A LAWYER!!!!!!!!!!

I have had over 20 tickets in NC.  I have 0 points on my license and 0 insurance points.  I have managed to accomplish this feat by ALWAYS hiring an attorney.  

Here is the deal.  The court system wants to make sure you "learn your lesson".  The best way to accompish this is by financial means.  They want to see you pay big bucks.  By hiring a lawyer and spending $200-300 you have "learned you lesson" and there is no need to mess up your insurance or license.  After all if you don't have a license you can't get to work and be a productive member of society.  

There is a clause in NC called "Improper equipment" and it is used to drop the offence to a non-moving violation.  It is not a legal defence per say, but it is used all the time in court to help "speed things through".  It is 0 points on your license or insurance.  But you can not do this on your own (because doing that you wouldn't "learn your lesson" financially).  

I have gotten all sorts of moving violations dropped that way.  Mostly for speeding (highest was 83 in a 55) but once I got it for failure to yeild (guess the only improper equipment that time was my brain.

.


If you fight it yourself the best you can get would be a reduction of the speed (usually to 9mph over) which still gives you insurance points.  There is a possibility of getting a "prayer for justice" which drops the ticket but if you get another moving violation they both hit you at once, bad juju.

$200 to an attorney once is better than paying higher premiums for the next 3 years.  

Good luck,
Chris

100% correct, I got out of my last ticket by hiring a lawyer for $350 and the ticket was for only $180 but the insurance will kill you.
A lawyer knows the system a lot of things have time limits in which the police need to proccess paper work, if they miss it you get off, 100%. Spend the money!!

 

[LORDWAGO]

True true true... the best bet if to Lawyer up. No Points on License and NO Insurance Points also...They Do it all the time In court over here in Montgomery county. Pay the lawyer and he will get it dropped to improper Equipment.



<!--EDIT|LORDWAGO
Reason for Edit: None given...|1124017497 -->

 

[ks-waterbug]

WOW, sucks to get a ticket in NC.... I guess Ks has some benny's.