Speeding ticket nightmare unfolding - any advice?

[DaMa]

Good way to cap off your story.  Also a reminder of how unreliable the USPS is now. 

[ohsnap]

...So this is now the totality of how this situation plays out for different residents with a clean driving record.

Colorado resident receiving a ticket for 81 in a 65 in Colorado
$175 ticket
2 points
An insurance increase (if any, some companies will forgive one speeding ticket)

North Carolina resident receiving a ticket for 81 in a 65 in North Carolina
The State allows one speeding ticket every 3 years by changing it to an improper equipment violation (confirmed w/ my insurance company)
A fine for improper equipment violation
0 points, insurance doesn't even come into play

Me - North Carolina resident receiving a ticket for 81 in a 65 in Colorado
$175 ticket
0 driver's license points because the ticket is out of state
4 insurance points (separate from license points in NC)
80% increase in auto insurance rates for 3 years (as dictated by the state)
30-day license suspension
$110 fee to reinstate license
Insurance company bars me from having collision & comprehensive insurance for 5 years as a result of the suspension (can only carry liability insurance during this time)
...

Wow. This is just insane. I'm glad you had the option of changing your residency. Although I'm wondering, if you still STAY in NC (you mentioned a wife there!), doesn't that have ramifications for state income tax reporting?

[nalor511]

Thought I'd put my concern here to bed with this news article.

https://www.wral.com/speeding-ticket-in-another-state-could-cost-your-license-in-nc/20180765/?version=amp

This Durham, NC man went through exactly what I thought would happen. He got an out of state speeding ticket, thought it was no big deal because his driving record was clean, paid it, and only found out after the fact that his license was suspended.

That's some bullshit. I'm glad I made the moves I did.

I'm a little unclear what you did?

[Telecaster]

Dayam!  I just read this thread.   That's some rough justice for going 81 in a 65.   

[MrGreen]

@nalor511 I got a Maryland license at my mom's address and turned in my North Carolina license. This was easy for me because the only car we own is registered to my wife and we didn't own a primary residence at the time so this didn't creat any incompatible conditions for our insurance company. To them it simply looked like I was moving out. Once I acquired my MD licence I moved my bank accounts and credit cards back to my NC address. While I'm technically in violation of not changing my license back to NC within 60 days of "relocating" there's no one to care or enforce because there's no car in my name.

@ohsnap while the state of Maryland could try to argue that by getting a MD licence I am now a resident of MD, I would counter argue that I move there and then immediately moved back to NC. My voter registration is still in NC, all my important accounts come to a mailing address here, and I physically live here. I don't think they'd win in an income tax audit. So I just continue filing non-resident MD taxes there as I was already (for a rental we own there).

[jnw]

Wow a 4 point ticket for going only 16 mph over speed limit, while in the flow of traffic? If you were going any slower you might of caused an accident.  Seems severely unfair and perhaps deliberately engineered that way to steal money from people.

[innkeeper77]

Wow a 4 point ticket for going only 16 mph over speed limit, while in the flow of traffic? If you were going any slower you might of caused an accident.  Seems severely unfair and perhaps deliberately engineered that way to steal money from people.

While I am not saying OP was being unsafe- it was probably totally fine and well within safe vehicle operating speeds on that road- this is Colorado, not a massive city area with people weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds. A vehicle operating at or under the speed limit in the right lane wouldn't be an unsafe situation on any Colorado road I have ever driven on- and I live there!

[jnw]

Wow a 4 point ticket for going only 16 mph over speed limit, while in the flow of traffic? If you were going any slower you might of caused an accident.  Seems severely unfair and perhaps deliberately engineered that way to steal money from people.

While I am not saying OP was being unsafe- it was probably totally fine and well within safe vehicle operating speeds on that road- this is Colorado, not a massive city area with people weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds. A vehicle operating at or under the speed limit in the right lane wouldn't be an unsafe situation on any Colorado road I have ever driven on- and I live there!

It would cause more lane changes by others not driving in the flow of traffic, thereby increasing chances of accident.. people tend to sometimes not look over their shoulders when changing lanes trusting only mirrors.

[MrGreen]

The road was a one lane highway each direction outside of Durango colorado. I saw another out of state car pulled over so I suspect the effort was purely revenue generating as we wouldn't fight the ticket. The cops had no way of knowing North Carolina has insane speeding laws.