AppleApe

I was travelling to a strange city... it's one of those smaller towns in the
suburbs in the middle of the country. I will admit that the ticket was
probably correct. 34mph in 30mph zone. (well, the officer also showed
me the handheld radar which did read 34mph... and I was the only car
on the deserted road at the time)

What I can't understand is why the fine is so high. $235.(which includes a
questions $45 fee named "Misc fees") I thought I read the back of the ticket
wrong, so I called them directly. Yup, no mistake... 4mph over the speed limit
and the fine was $235. $235 plus 49-cent stamp, to be exact, since they only
accept checks and money orders.

Should I waste 25k miles to fly 3 hours(6 hours roundtrip) to fight this ticket
on the court date? Does anybody ever use FF miles to fly somewhere to
fight a ticket? Or should I just give up and pay the $235. Is it worth it to
defend my spotless clean driving record(haven't had so much as a parking ticket
since President Reagan was still in office)

nux

If you think you were going the speed indicated on the ticket, why would you try to fight it?

AppleApe

true... I just think the fine is excessive. Just looked on the court's website.
simple possession of marijuana is a $215 ticket payable by mail. That's
$20 cheaper than my ticket for going 4mph above the speed limit.

guess I'll just pay it.... the lady on the phone told me that even if my ticket
is dismissed in court, they will still charge me $93 for administrative and
dismissal fees. (wait, what? I still have to pay even if I'm found not guilty?)

will2288

What state was this?

In MA, you can only get ticketed if you are going 5 mph over the limit.


IMO, any ticket for 34 in a 30 is absurd.

Djlawman

Gee- let me guess. Did you have an out-of-state license plate on your car? Sounds like revenue enhancement for the town.

AppleApe

wait a second... are you spying on my house or are you psychic?
how could you have possibly known that I had an out-of-state
license plate on my car when I got the ticket?

it was in a town in Ohio. I knew I was going slightly above 30mph
when I got stopped, which is why I asked the officer to show me the
radar(turned out he was using laser). He took it off his motorcycle
and showed it to me... the screen said 34mph. I signed it and went
on my way. It was only when I got back to my hotel that I started
reading the back of ticket for fines. $235. Oh well.... I guess
I can also blame my parents?(for me not being a hot girl, which may
have gotten me out of the ticket... absolutely true... as many of my
hot female friends can testify)

airplanegod

Unfortunately, many small towns in this country probably use that as a revenue source. Cops there purposely look for out of state plates so they know you'll just pay the fine. I agree $235 is outrageous, and usually 5 over or under is no big deal, but you were technically speeding.

erik123

Fines in the US are almost like a regressive tax.

If you were a billionaire in Finland you would have been much worse off. Fines are calculated on a sliding scale based on the income of the driver. Up to $100,000+ for speeding

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/...ticket/387484/

On the other hand - the poor in Finland pay very little.

milepig

This, my friend, is called a Speed Trap and is a major source of revenue for many small towns. A famous one in Florida (Waldo) was recently shut down by the state when the town was dis-incorporated.

There's actually a Speedtrap web site, is your town on it?

http://www.speedtrap.org/

nasa808

34 in a 30 is quite absurd...I don't bother moving my patrol car for anything less then 15 miles over, nothing less.

Even at that, most walk away with a warning. Only the people who talk themselves into it walk away with my autograph.

My favorite is when a hot female tries the flirting game and when I hand them my autograph, the mood changes. I'm not swayed by looks what so ever.

dchristiva

There you go. Certain towns are known as speed traps for a reason. Because they are.

Loren Pechtel

This. They're using the fines as revenue, not safety.

Pinned

Can you fight it by mail? In many states you can.

centxwx

If you drive the speed limit you won't have this problem. Slow down and you will be ok. Speeding motorists are a one of my most despised folks. [Edited by Moderator.]

caverunner17

It's 4 miles an hour. Chill out.

God help you if you ever drive on the highways in the Chicago suburbs. The speed limit is 55MPH, yet everyone goes 65-70. If you go 55, you become a hazard.