got pulled over, whats gonna happen??

[fastTa]

Things may have changed now but quite a number of years ago a friend's dad who was a TX State DPS Trooper told us ANYTHING going 100+ got an automatic trip to jail, no questions, vehicle impounded etc.

Granted, at the time I think everything was still 55mph so that would mean you were at least 45mph OVER the limit...

I'm sure you know being from SA, but it all depends on which cop you get. I have quite a few friends that work here at the New Braunfels PD. My brother in-law is a Paramedic/Firefighter and he knows alot of SAPD guys too. So I get to hear a lot of their stories.

The one thing they all agree on is that they make their decision on giving a ticket or not to someone based upon how the person's attitude is toward the cop. Texas law is that anything 35 MPH over the posted speed limit is supposed to be considered wreckless driving, but it is completely at the discretion of the cop to take someone to jail or not.

I'm sure you've heard that new law in SA right? If you get caught street racing they impound your car on the spot and you don't get it back. I'm not sure how they work the financial compensation of the vehicle, but it would still suck to get your ride taken away.

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

There is no doubt that traffic fines are big business. There are sections of road that produce alot of fines, and this is the way it is planned. The revenue received from this source is huge. Some of the traffic laws make little sense. I was once pulled over for not my turn at a 4 way stop. He said after I stopped I did not wait for the car going straight before I made my left. If the other car does not move should I wait all day for him to move? Talk about a stupid law.

I think a lot of cops are dishonest when writing up the ticket. They will lie about the speed as well as the distance which they radar you. It's about money, not safety. Sometimes it's safety related, most times, not.

How many cops and judges do you think go exactly the speed limit and come to a complete stop every single time? I'll bet . Hypocrites.

[Dave Vince]

I think most police try to do a good job, some are overzealous. I have had/have some police officer friends and relatives. Was a Military Policeman myself. As in any line of work you will get some who should not be in that line of work. They are also under pressure to write tickets if they are assigned to traffic division. I do not think there should be a quota, but thats the system. The city wants the revenue. I am not for racing on the streets, but taking your car for a little stoplight drag, (as long as its not overdone or in traffic), is rediculous to me. Whats the difference how fast you get to the speed limit, who is that hurting? When you run up to high speeds in traffic then you should get in trouble. I would like to know how the Police clocked the bike at 107. If you just passed a car and slowed down there is no way he could clock you accurately. Police cars take awhile to get up to that kind of speed. He is either guessing or you were flying for longer than you thought. Was with a friend of mine, a police officer who was speeding at the time. The flashing lights went on and they pulled up next to him, he flashed his badge and they just pulled away.

[MN6WS6]

I still say you ought to pay the fine and whatever lenience the judge lets you have, take it. Tell him what really happened, and let the chips fall where they may. However, let me play a little "devil's advocate" for a minute.

If you insist on fighting this more than the above scenario, I suggest you start your online search right NOW. There are several websites that will instruct you, play-by-play on how to get out of a ticket. Basically, plead not guilty and get a trial date. If the cop no-shows the trial date, you'll either get off right then, or they'll reschedule it (in some states) and if the cop no-shows this time, then you're off scott free. But, if the cop does show up, that's when you're research needs to pay off.

Cops have to have their guns sent off and calibrated every year or two by a professional. They also have to test their gun before every shift and document it (this is done with tuning forks). These two glitches in paperwork can get you off most of the time. If he has all of that documentation, then you have to go deeper. First of all, the "paint" area on a bike is signifcantly less than surrounding cars, so if there was any chance of anything else around you going anywhere near that speed, point it out. A defroster on high reads approximately the same speed as what he says you were going (my old copcar Caprice would read 100+ on the radar gun I used to have) so that can throw it off. There's all kinds of variables here, but the websites will help you out.

Now, back to reality.

The fact is you were in the wrong, and you know it. You should have slowed down and gotten behind that car. You should have been more aware of what was around you and seen the cop. Bottom line, you shouldn't have done what you did.

The cop should have arrested you. The cop should have impounded your bike and taken your license away on site. The cop should have written you up for wreckless endangerment, aggravated speeding, and wreckless driving. The cop didn't have to do what he did.

So it all equals out, if you want my opinion. You could be in jail with no bike, no license, and writing letters in pencil to your family while your cellmate is treating you like a farm goat in Arkansas. But instead you're sitting at home, riding your bike, driving your car, working, and typing on the internet with the "exit only" sign still firmly tattooed on your hind-end. I say you made out pretty good so far, don't push it.

[Joe 1320]

One word......

Attorney.


You're going to pay, ya may as well get something for your money. He will likely get the charges/fines reduced and that would pay for his services. They have traffic attorneys for just such a purpose.

[raroZ28]

Well, the best thing to do...count yourself lucky that's all you got. 107 on the freeway? Dude, what were you expecting him to say? Nice bike? Had it been here in CA, you'd be in jail. Slow it down man, there's no need to rush that much.

Thanks, dad. Talk about contributing to a thread.

Well, guys, I know I'm not gonna get off easy. I was just wondering because it was such a big offense, if they'd let me pay my way out of the points. Has anybody ever got busted going way over and got a ticket but got the points dropped?? I just hope the judge believes me when I say it was my passing speed. Also, If you look at the distance between where the lane merges and where his little hiding spot was, you can see that I had just entered the freeway, I slowed immediately after I passed, and when the cop caught up to me I was only doing 10 over, I will talk to the judge and I'm sure the cop will be there, and I will have him verify that I was in fact only doing 80 when he caught me.

[Joe 1320]

Thanks, dad. Talk about contributing to a thread.

Well, guys, I know I'm not gonna get off easy. I was just wondering because it was such a big offense, if they'd let me pay my way out of the points. Has anybody ever got busted going way over and got a ticket but got the points dropped?? I just hope the judge believes me when I say it was my passing speed. Also, If you look at the distance between where the lane merges and where his little hiding spot was, you can see that I had just entered the freeway, I slowed immediately after I passed, and when the cop caught up to me I was only doing 10 over, I will talk to the judge and I'm sure the cop will be there, and I will have him verify that I was in fact only doing 80 when he caught me.

If you don't get a dedicated traffic attorney, then you deserve to get the maximum penalty. Plain and simple.

[raroZ28]

If you don't get a dedicated traffic attorney, then you deserve to get the maximum penalty. Plain and simple.

I can't afford an attorney tho.

[Mark B]

If you plead this out yourself, chances are they will be wiling to knock it down to a 2 point ticket with a bigger fine. You will not do much better than that without a lawyer.

[Wild Willy]

You're already in the penalty box. Plain and simple, it is going to cost you plenty of money- either fines, court costs, jacked insurance. If you can get a decent attorney, (someone who belongs to the same golf club as the judge, or went to school with him- better yet, a partner in the judge's law firm) you should be able to get a deal. The deal will be, pay lots of money, but the points will be reduced, or go away.

You were nailed- face it. Now you are going to pay, one way or another. Your only choice is where you are going to spend your money- insurance costs or attorney fees. Either way, you will probably be motivated not to do it again, at least, not right away.

[Joe 1320]

I can't afford an attorney tho.

So let me get this straight...... you can't afford to pay a traffic attorney $125 to get your $240 ticket reduced to $125 with less points?

ok.

[Steel2686]

Have you ever been given tickets before? Is this your first offense?

Your past record will have a great bearing on how the judge views your case.

[raroZ28]

So let me get this straight...... you can't afford to pay a traffic attorney $125 to get your $240 ticket reduced to $125 with less points?

ok.

125??? I had no idea it would be so cheap. For some reason I was thinking it would cost hundreds, close to $1000 for an attorney. If they're that cheap I'd most definitely do that. I didn't even think about looking into it before because I assumed it'd be a ton of money.

And 02 WS6, my record is perfect, no points, nothing on my record. I plan to use that. I really don't drive bad. I usually do 10 over on the highway, around 80. My records been clean and I've been on the road for 6 years without any offenses.

[Joe 1320]

125??? I had no idea it would be so cheap. For some reason I was thinking it would cost hundreds, .

The price depends on the difficulty of the case and the time spent. In your case, it should be quick and cheap. In many simple cases, you'll pay about the same either way. One way you simply roll over and pay the total to the court or you split it between the court and attorney, the end result is usually a reduced charge and fewer points. Shop it and see what you find out, you have nothing to lose. In the long run, you'll have cheaper insurance too.

[Steel2686]

And 02 WS6, my record is perfect, no points, nothing on my record. I plan to use that. I really don't drive bad. I usually do 10 over on the highway, around 80. My records been clean and I've been on the road for 6 years without any offenses.

That will go a long way in helping reduce the fine/points. This being your first offense almost immediately reduces the severity of the ticket.