Highway Patrol traffic citation for speeding

[jeromedawg]

Hey all

On our way from Socal to Norcal and my wife got pulled over for going 86 in a 70mph zone. Her first ticket but she definitely didn't say the right things and was asking the officer to let it slide in a begging fashion :[ That probably prompted him even more to issue the ticket.

My wife said she saw the officer driving in front of her and then slowed down. Not sure by how much. At some point she got in front of him and that's when he pulled her over.
I was asleep at the time so didn't witness it. But it sounds like he was utilizing some sort of radar tech.

I've never witnessed anyone getting pulled over in this fashion though and always thought cops are waiting on the side of the road with radar guns in most cases.
I do have ARAG so wondering if it's worth talking to an attorney about. My wife is understandably disappointed and frustrated, especially because she has made this drive multiple times and we haven't experienced this.

Anyway, wondering what the options are or if it's a pretty solid SOL.

[driftwood]

Speeding is a pay-to-play event. If she was driving 86 in a 70, how about paying the ticket for driving 86 in a 70 and go on your merry way?

It's a normal human reaction to have negative feelings about being caught breaking the law. It sounds like your wife is disappointed that she got away with this multiple times but is being held accountable for her driving now. Ok.

[Freedomin5]

Your wife broke the law. She got caught. She’s disappointed and angry/frustrated that she has to bear the consequences of her choice. Am I understanding the situation correctly?

[WerKater]

Let me get this straight: Your wife passed a police car while speeding more than 20% over the limit and you are actually thinking about fighting the ticket?

[Kris]

She was going sixteen miles over the speed limit and got caught.

Pay. The. Ticket.

And tell her to slow the f*** down in the future.

[lizzzi]

It just happened to me on an out-of-state trip to Ohio.  I wasn't even really speeding per se--was being careful, because I knew the NY plates would make me more noticeable. But I did speed up to get around a truck, and sure enough--got caught by one of those radar things. The ticket came in the mail--they identified me by my license plates. So $125....sigh. Just pay the ticket. Life happens.

[Another Reader]

I-5 is a game of Russian Roulette.  I drive it several times a year, including yesterday.  Over the years I have seen plenty of people stopped by CHP officers driving on the road. 

Your wife should have slowed down and stayed behind the CHP officer.  That would have demonstrated she got the "warning."  Instead she "flipped him off" by getting in front of him.  No point in talking to an attorney, he had her on radar.  Pay the ticket and move on.

[Blue Skies]

Who in their right mind passes a police car while doing anything even close to the speed limit?  I can't imagine anyone not getting pulled over in that situation.  I have had friends get ticketed for doing less than 5 over the limit.  No way am I passing a police car unless I am under the limit.

Pay the ticket.

[nedwin]

I was pulled over many years ago in a similar situation - busted by rear facing radar.  I asked the officer and he confirmed it exists.  No use challenging this.

As for passing a police car, I have passed them more times than I can count (on the interstate, at least).  They are often travelling less than the speed limit and I pass them at the limit or a couple over.  Usually there is a long line of cars backed up behind the cop, no one has the gumption to pass.  I have never been pulled over doing this. 

[Here4theGB]

Your wife was doing almost 90 while admittedly in sight of a police officer.  "Understandably disappointed and frustrated," uhm, hopefully with herself?

[GuitarStv]

I honestly don't understand the question.  If you were speeding, and get caught speeding, why do you think you should fight the ticket?  That's dishonest.

For the future . . . a good rule of thumb is not to do more than the speed limit and blast by a police officer.  :P

[Frankies Girl]

If you don't want to pay the ticket, can she take defensive driving to get it dismissed?

My husband got a ticket for speeding (not passing a cop, but absolutely deserved it) but they gave him an option to take the class and dismissed the ticket and never had to even report to insurance.

Not sure this is a thing in all areas tho.

[nereo]

Agree with others that she broke the rules and now should face the consequences.

Thankfully our system can often be forgiving.  If she wants other options she should go to court, admit what happened (no sense in disputing it) and ask for leniency.  Often the judge will allow traffic school, or might bump it down from 16 over to less than 15 over.

[rothwem]

Always hire a lawyer.  The citation costs the same as the lawyer, but you don't have to pay increased insurance premiums. 

Blah blah personal responsibility, you're a bad person and you should feel bad. 

[Car Jack]

I don't know what the consequences are in California for the ticket.  In my state (MA), we lose safe driving credit on insurance.  That's good for a grand over 6 years.  Add in whatever the fine is and it's worth hiring a lawyer ($700) to fight a ticket.  What lawyers often do is work with the prosecutor ahead of time to change the ticket to a non-moving violation with the same or even a higher fine, for which you plead guilty and pay on the spot.  The advantage is that you don't get $1k in loss of insurance credit.

....but passing a cop?  She deserves a ticket.

[GuitarStv]

Fighting a speeding ticket that you deserved to get in order to save money is dishonest.  This conversation should be added to the 'unethical ways to save money' thread.

[nereo]

Fighting a speeding ticket that you deserved to get in order to save money is dishonest.  This conversation should be added to the 'unethical ways to save money' thread.

+1.

[ReadySetMillionaire]

Disclosure: I'm a lawyer.

The replies in this thread are laughable. You were speeding.  Big fucking deal. People here are acting like you raped a corpse or something. It's so over the top.

If you just pay the ticket, your insurance premiums are going to go up for an indefinite duration and in an indefinite amount. You will also get points on your license. No good.

If this is your first speeding ticket in a while, hire a lawyer.  If they have a good rapport with the prosecutor, it will be reduced to a no-point equipment violation, and your insurance premiums will not go up. The wink and a nod here from the system is "don't do it again," because you can bet your ass if you get pulled over again within a year or two, the officer will know exactly what the "equipment violation" was. This effectively has the same deterrent effect as the speeding ticket.

Also, if this is far from where you live, I'm sure California has something equivalent to what we call in Ohio a "plea in abstentia" (i.e., a plea in your absence).  This way you don't have to go to the hearing.

Anyone telling you to pay the fine and move on is a tyrannical keyboard warrior trying to make themselves feel good. It's absurdly bad advice.

[Kris]

Disclosure: I'm a lawyer.

The replies in this thread are laughable. You were speeding.  Big fucking deal. People here are acting like you raped a corpse or something. It's so over the top.

If you just pay the ticket, your insurance premiums are going to go up for an indefinite duration and in an indefinite amount. You will also get points on your license. No good.

If this is your first speeding ticket in a while, hire a lawyer.  If they have a good rapport with the prosecutor, it will be reduced to a no-point equipment violation, and your insurance premiums will not go up. The wink and a nod here from the system is "don't do it again," because you can bet your ass if you get pulled over again within a year or two, the officer will know exactly what the "equipment violation" was. This effectively has the same deterrent effect as the speeding ticket.

Also, if this is far from where you live, I'm sure California has something equivalent to what we call in Ohio a "plea in abstentia" (i.e., a plea in your absence).  This way you don't have to go to the hearing.

Anyone telling you to pay the fine and move on is a tyrannical keyboard warrior trying to make themselves feel good. It's absurdly bad advice.

This...

doesn't really make any of my stereotypes about lawyers go away.

[jeromedawg]

I-5 is a game of Russian Roulette.  I drive it several times a year, including yesterday.  Over the years I have seen plenty of people stopped by CHP officers driving on the road. 

Your wife should have slowed down and stayed behind the CHP officer.  That would have demonstrated she got the "warning."  Instead she "flipped him off" by getting in front of him.  No point in talking to an attorney, he had her on radar.  Pay the ticket and move on.

Thanks. To clarify per some of other posts here - she didn't "blast" or speed by the officer after noticing him with the intent of pissing him off.
She slowed down after seeing him but it sounds like the mistake was passing him at all. I guess she should have just stayed behind him until he exited... not to say that he couldnt have also pulled her over being in front. But he even stated that he was "tracking her for a while" so it makes sense if he was in front, caught her speed as she approached too fast, she slowed down but still passed him even at speed limit (he must have slowed to just under to "get behind her"), then he pulled her over.
So her passing the officer wasn't a blatant FU move. I think she saw him and slowed down but it was already too late at that point. Also, this is at night so tougher to see versus at daytime when she might have been able to slow down earlier.
That said, she slowed down to the speed limit and kept it the remainder of the drive. Anyway, we may look into getting the fine reduced but fully expect to pay the ticket

[MilesTeg]

Hey all

On our way from Socal to Norcal and my wife got pulled over for going 86 in a 70mph zone. Her first ticket but she definitely didn't say the right things and was asking the officer to let it slide in a begging fashion :[ That probably prompted him even more to issue the ticket.

My wife said she saw the officer driving in front of her and then slowed down. Not sure by how much. At some point she got in front of him and that's when he pulled her over.
I was asleep at the time so didn't witness it. But it sounds like he was utilizing some sort of radar tech.

I've never witnessed anyone getting pulled over in this fashion though and always thought cops are waiting on the side of the road with radar guns in most cases.
I do have ARAG so wondering if it's worth talking to an attorney about. My wife is understandably disappointed and frustrated, especially because she has made this drive multiple times and we haven't experienced this.

Anyway, wondering what the options are or if it's a pretty solid SOL.

Your wife broke the law and was lawfully pulled over. Deal with the consequences and move on bud.

[nereo]

I-5 is a game of Russian Roulette.  I drive it several times a year, including yesterday.  Over the years I have seen plenty of people stopped by CHP officers driving on the road. 

Your wife should have slowed down and stayed behind the CHP officer.  That would have demonstrated she got the "warning."  Instead she "flipped him off" by getting in front of him.  No point in talking to an attorney, he had her on radar.  Pay the ticket and move on.

Thanks. To clarify per some of other postd here - she didn't "blast" or speed by the officer after noticing him. 
She slowed down after seeing him but it sounds like the mistake was passing him at all. I guess she should have just stayed behind him until he exited... not to say that he couldnt have also pulled her over being in front. But he even stated that he was "tracking her for a while" so it makes sense if he was in front, caught her speed as she approached too fast, she slowed down but still passed him even at speed limit (he must have slowed to just under to "get behind her"), then he pulled her over.
So her passing the officer wasn't a blatant FU move. I think she saw him and slowed down but it was already too late at that point. Also, this is at night so tougher to see versus at daytime when she might have been able to slow down earlier.
That said, she slowed down to the speed limit and kept it the remainder of the drive. Anyway, we may look into getting the fine reduced but fully expect to pay the ticket

What?  It sounds like you still aren't getting it. The mistake was driving 16 mph over the posted speed limit.  It was compounded by doing so directly in front of a cop.  I mean... what did your spouse think was going to happen?

[MilesTeg]

I-5 is a game of Russian Roulette.  I drive it several times a year, including yesterday.  Over the years I have seen plenty of people stopped by CHP officers driving on the road. 

Your wife should have slowed down and stayed behind the CHP officer.  That would have demonstrated she got the "warning."  Instead she "flipped him off" by getting in front of him.  No point in talking to an attorney, he had her on radar.  Pay the ticket and move on.

Thanks. To clarify per some of other postd here - she didn't "blast" or speed by the officer after noticing him. 
She slowed down after seeing him but it sounds like the mistake was passing him at all. I guess she should have just stayed behind him until he exited... not to say that he couldnt have also pulled her over being in front. But he even stated that he was "tracking her for a while" so it makes sense if he was in front, caught her speed as she approached too fast, she slowed down but still passed him even at speed limit (he must have slowed to just under to "get behind her"), then he pulled her over.
So her passing the officer wasn't a blatant FU move. I think she saw him and slowed down but it was already too late at that point. Also, this is at night so tougher to see versus at daytime when she might have been able to slow down earlier.
That said, she slowed down to the speed limit and kept it the remainder of the drive.

The radar systems on police vehicles can track multiple targets beyond visual range. This isn't 1980 where the cop is pointing a hand held radar gun at passing cars, hah. Don't speed, but realize that if you do the cop traveling miles down the road knows it whether or not he pulls you over.

[ReadySetMillionaire]

Disclosure: I'm a lawyer.

The replies in this thread are laughable. You were speeding.  Big fucking deal. People here are acting like you raped a corpse or something. It's so over the top.

If you just pay the ticket, your insurance premiums are going to go up for an indefinite duration and in an indefinite amount. You will also get points on your license. No good.

If this is your first speeding ticket in a while, hire a lawyer.  If they have a good rapport with the prosecutor, it will be reduced to a no-point equipment violation, and your insurance premiums will not go up. The wink and a nod here from the system is "don't do it again," because you can bet your ass if you get pulled over again within a year or two, the officer will know exactly what the "equipment violation" was. This effectively has the same deterrent effect as the speeding ticket.

Also, if this is far from where you live, I'm sure California has something equivalent to what we call in Ohio a "plea in abstentia" (i.e., a plea in your absence).  This way you don't have to go to the hearing.

Anyone telling you to pay the fine and move on is a tyrannical keyboard warrior trying to make themselves feel good. It's absurdly bad advice.

This...

doesn't really make any of my stereotypes about lawyers go away.

If giving advice to not voluntarily take it up the ass is a lawyer stereotype, I'm fine with it.

[jeromedawg]

I-5 is a game of Russian Roulette.  I drive it several times a year, including yesterday.  Over the years I have seen plenty of people stopped by CHP officers driving on the road. 

Your wife should have slowed down and stayed behind the CHP officer.  That would have demonstrated she got the "warning."  Instead she "flipped him off" by getting in front of him.  No point in talking to an attorney, he had her on radar.  Pay the ticket and move on.

Thanks. To clarify per some of other postd here - she didn't "blast" or speed by the officer after noticing him. 
She slowed down after seeing him but it sounds like the mistake was passing him at all. I guess she should have just stayed behind him until he exited... not to say that he couldnt have also pulled her over being in front. But he even stated that he was "tracking her for a while" so it makes sense if he was in front, caught her speed as she approached too fast, she slowed down but still passed him even at speed limit (he must have slowed to just under to "get behind her"), then he pulled her over.
So her passing the officer wasn't a blatant FU move. I think she saw him and slowed down but it was already too late at that point. Also, this is at night so tougher to see versus at daytime when she might have been able to slow down earlier.
That said, she slowed down to the speed limit and kept it the remainder of the drive. Anyway, we may look into getting the fine reduced but fully expect to pay the ticket

What?  It sounds like you still aren't getting it. The mistake was driving 16 mph over the posted speed limit.  It was compounded by doing so directly in front of a cop.  I mean... what did your spouse think was going to happen?

Yes it was going over the speed limit so i guess the second mistake was passing him, which others seem to have implied. So it almost sounds like if she had stayed behind him and not passed him the officer *might* have thought "great she learned her lesson and I'll let this one slide"
Her mistake - in the big picture she was just trying to make it to our destination as soon as possible and just wasnt attentive to her speed.
This is her first ticket so she will take it as a learning experience.

[ReadySetMillionaire]

This is her first ticket so she will take it as a learning experience.

Again, you don't need to be a martyr here.  Ignore the horrible advice you're getting in this thread.

Your premiums are going to go way up if you just pay the ticket.  It will likely cost you at least a thousand dollars, and probably more, over the next 5-6 years.

You should hire a lawyer, get the ticket reduced due to your wife's good driving history, and then move on.

You do not need to take it up the financial ass to have a "learning experience."

[nereo]

I've driven the 5... a lot. Stay within 10mph and I'd be shocked if you get pulled over.  Go over 15 and eventually they'll pull you over. 

If you want to minimize the financial impact of your wife's decision hiring a lawyer and/or going to the hearing will likely do this.  Ultimately what happened to your wife seems both reasonable and completely predictable. Go fast enough and CHP will pull you over - that's one of their core functions, enforcing the laws for drivers.

@ ReadySetMillionaire - can we please avoid phrases like "up the financial ass" here?  That seems uncomfortably close to the analogy of rape, which is against forum rules.  It also doesn't seem entirely accurate to describe a single rightfully-issued speeding ticket in this manner. That and refrain from ad hominem attacks like calling posters 'tyrannical keyboard worriers'  Thanks.

[me1]

In my youth I picked up many a speeding ticket across many states. Never California, though.
What I learned is Of course you fight it. You always fight it.
If it’s close to your house you show up in person, no lawyer needed. A vast majority of the time the cop is too busy to show up in court and it gets dropped.
If he is there he might not even remember the case. If he does he may offer you a deal before you even go to court. It’s also kinda fun to see the legal system at work.
If you are far away from the court house hire a lawyer. Worse case scenario you pay a little more in total but get no points. I don’t think I ever heard of someone fighting it and not getting a better deal than what they started with.

[Ann]

Can I change my user name to Tyrannical Keyboard Warrior?   Because that sounds awesome!

Do what you will, but try not to vent too much anger and frustration at other people when you knowingly gambled with the consequences.

[jeromedawg]

Can I change my user name to Tyrannical Keyboard Warrior?   Because that sounds awesome!

Do what you will, but try not to vent too much anger and frustration at other people when you knowingly gambled with the consequences.

No harm no foul here - was just asking if there are options or if we're SOL. Sounds like, without delving into details and giving a high-level, the opinion of most is that we're SOL which is fine hahaha.

[aloevera]

It just happened to me on an out-of-state trip to Ohio.  I wasn't even really speeding per se--was being careful, because I knew the NY plates would make me more noticeable. But I did speed up to get around a truck, and sure enough--got caught by one of those radar things. The ticket came in the mail--they identified me by my license plates. So $125....sigh. Just pay the ticket. Life happens.

Awhile ago? Speed cameras are illegal on insterstates in Ohio.

Also as of July, this: "...camera restrictions which began Wednesday. They reduce state funding for any city, town or village operating red light or speed cameras by an amount equivalent to the fines collected."


https://fox8.com/2019/07/04/law-erasing-cities-traffic-camera-profits-takes-effect-in-ohio/

[minimustache1985]

A lawyer may be able to get the ticket reduced to a non-moving violation or lower speed so that the impact to your insurance is lower or nonexistent.

I’d look into it if it’s her first offense, I know people who’ve managed to get theirs knocked down with help- they still had to pay a fine for whatever it got knocked down to but the insurance premium hike is the tougher pill to swallow.  Oh, and she needs to slow down going forward obviously.

[ReadySetMillionaire]

@ ReadySetMillionaire - can we please avoid phrases like "up the financial ass" here?  That seems uncomfortably close to the analogy of rape, which is against forum rules.  It also doesn't seem entirely accurate to describe a single rightfully-issued speeding ticket in this manner. That and refrain from ad hominem attacks like calling posters 'tyrannical keyboard worriers'  Thanks.

My bad.  Cheers.

[PGSD]

I went though this a few years ago (San Diego).

Generally, I think you're stuck paying ticket and, honestly, she was speeding. The ticket cost isn't the expensive thing, it's the increase in insurance premiums.

California allows one to take a driving school to remove the point from the driving record. No point = no increase in insurance (at least, that's the way it worked for me several years ago). Apparently this can be done 1x max every 18 months.  https://www.courts.ca.gov/9410.htm?rdeLocaleAttr=en
 
You can waste a Saturday in the class or you can find an acceptable online course and complete it (mine only took about 90min to complete).

[robartsd]

If radar was used to determine speed, a potential challenge is that the certification for the equipment may not have been kept up making the radar reading inadmissible as evidence. It's probably a long shot, even if the radar evidence is thrown out the officer would likely testify of other evidences that she was speeding. I'd just pay the ticket (that's what I did do several years ago when I got a speeding ticket on 101 in Santa Barbara county). I did take the option of traffic school to prevent an impact on insurance rates.

You can waste a Saturday in the class or you can find an acceptable online course and complete it (mine only took about 90min to complete).

I had a similar experience with online traffic school.

Thanks. To clarify per some of other posts here - she didn't "blast" or speed by the officer after noticing him with the intent of pissing him off.
She slowed down after seeing him but it sounds like the mistake was passing him at all. I guess she should have just stayed behind him until he exited... not to say that he couldnt have also pulled her over being in front. But he even stated that he was "tracking her for a while" so it makes sense if he was in front, caught her speed as she approached too fast, she slowed down but still passed him even at speed limit (he must have slowed to just under to "get behind her"), then he pulled her over.
So her passing the officer wasn't a blatant FU move. I think she saw him and slowed down but it was already too late at that point. Also, this is at night so tougher to see versus at daytime when she might have been able to slow down earlier.
That said, she slowed down to the speed limit and kept it the remainder of the drive. Anyway, we may look into getting the fine reduced but fully expect to pay the ticket

In this situation, if she had safely stayed behind the cop she might have avoided the ticket. The next exit provides an opportunity to separate from the cop (either he takes it or you do). If the cop really wants to pull you over, he'd pull off to the shoulder giving you no choice but to pass or stop.

I've driven the 5... a lot. Stay within 10mph and I'd be shocked if you get pulled over.  Go over 15 and eventually they'll pull you over. 

This is my experience on I-5 in in the Central Valley as well (except near cities where it is better to stay within 5 mph). I do get passed by plenty of the 15+ over the limit speeders.

It just happened to me on an out-of-state trip to Ohio.  I wasn't even really speeding per se--was being careful, because I knew the NY plates would make me more noticeable. But I did speed up to get around a truck, and sure enough--got caught by one of those radar things. The ticket came in the mail--they identified me by my license plates. So $125....sigh. Just pay the ticket. Life happens.

You may have mistakenly paid a ticket that was not really a ticket. If the ticket did not identify you as the DRIVER, it was probably not an order to appear in court to answer to charges against you and you may have been within your legal rights to ignore it. If they did identify you as the driver (identify the car, look up registered owner, compare driver's license photo to driver on the citation), then it was likely that it was a real ticket that you were required to respond to. Usually if they fail to positively identify the driver, they send a notice to the registered owner hoping that they will pay the fine or identify the driver for them. As far as I know, the registered owner is not required to respond (this was the case for California last time looked it up).

[MilesTeg]

This is her first ticket so she will take it as a learning experience.

Again, you don't need to be a martyr here.  Ignore the horrible advice you're getting in this thread.

Your premiums are going to go way up if you just pay the ticket.  It will likely cost you at least a thousand dollars, and probably more, over the next 5-6 years.

You should hire a lawyer, get the ticket reduced due to your wife's good driving history, and then move on.

You do not need to take it up the financial ass to have a "learning experience."

Yeah, take advantage of whatever legal means there are to minimize consequences, but the tone of the OP was that his wife seems to feel like she was "wronged" somehow which is silly. She broke the law; the cop didn't wrong her.

[jeromedawg]

This is her first ticket so she will take it as a learning experience.

Again, you don't need to be a martyr here.  Ignore the horrible advice you're getting in this thread.

Your premiums are going to go way up if you just pay the ticket.  It will likely cost you at least a thousand dollars, and probably more, over the next 5-6 years.

You should hire a lawyer, get the ticket reduced due to your wife's good driving history, and then move on.

You do not need to take it up the financial ass to have a "learning experience."

Yeah, take advantage of whatever legal means there are to minimize consequences, but the tone of the OP was that his wife seems to feel like she was "wronged" somehow which is silly. She broke the law; the cop didn't wrong her.

Apologies - I didn't mean for it to come off as though we were wronged and I probably just didn't convey or construe things in the right light. I was really just asking for what the options were or if we were really SOL. Maybe some of my latter responses came off that way, but mostly because I felt like I was on the 'defensive' at that point (like when some made it out to sound like my wife was "blazing" by the officer...which she wasn't). That said, we understand that she broke the law so the question was one more from a "damage control" perspective.

[Tester]

I got a speeding ticket once.
Contacted a lawyer and it was changed to a non moving violation.

[MilesTeg]

This is her first ticket so she will take it as a learning experience.

Again, you don't need to be a martyr here.  Ignore the horrible advice you're getting in this thread.

Your premiums are going to go way up if you just pay the ticket.  It will likely cost you at least a thousand dollars, and probably more, over the next 5-6 years.

You should hire a lawyer, get the ticket reduced due to your wife's good driving history, and then move on.

You do not need to take it up the financial ass to have a "learning experience."

Yeah, take advantage of whatever legal means there are to minimize consequences, but the tone of the OP was that his wife seems to feel like she was "wronged" somehow which is silly. She broke the law; the cop didn't wrong her.

Apologies - I didn't mean for it to come off as though we were wronged and I probably just didn't convey or construe things in the right light. I was really just asking for what the options were or if we were really SOL. Maybe some of my latter responses came off that way, but mostly because I felt like I was on the 'defensive' at that point (like when some made it out to sound like my wife was "blazing" by the officer...which she wasn't). That said, we understand that she broke the law so the question was one more from a "damage control" perspective.

My apologies as well, it's the intertubes -- tone is hard to gauge. You should definitely seek to minimize consequences. 15MPH+ is pretty bad from an insurance/license points but unless there are other legal complications first time offenders often get some slack. It could also be that your insurance has a "forgiveness" clause for a single speeding ticket and it may just come down to points/fine. You should check that too. A lawyer and who knows the jurisdiction is your best bet.

But, even though it's already been a said a bunch, the real take away here is to not speed =)

[jeromedawg]

This is her first ticket so she will take it as a learning experience.

Again, you don't need to be a martyr here.  Ignore the horrible advice you're getting in this thread.

Your premiums are going to go way up if you just pay the ticket.  It will likely cost you at least a thousand dollars, and probably more, over the next 5-6 years.

You should hire a lawyer, get the ticket reduced due to your wife's good driving history, and then move on.

You do not need to take it up the financial ass to have a "learning experience."

Yeah, take advantage of whatever legal means there are to minimize consequences, but the tone of the OP was that his wife seems to feel like she was "wronged" somehow which is silly. She broke the law; the cop didn't wrong her.

Apologies - I didn't mean for it to come off as though we were wronged and I probably just didn't convey or construe things in the right light. I was really just asking for what the options were or if we were really SOL. Maybe some of my latter responses came off that way, but mostly because I felt like I was on the 'defensive' at that point (like when some made it out to sound like my wife was "blazing" by the officer...which she wasn't). That said, we understand that she broke the law so the question was one more from a "damage control" perspective.

My apologies as well, it's the intertubes -- tone is hard to gauge. You should definitely seek to minimize consequences. 15MPH+ is pretty bad from an insurance/license points but unless there are other legal complications first time offenders often get some slack. It could also be that your insurance has a "forgiveness" clause for a single speeding ticket and it may just come down to points/fine. You should check that too. A lawyer and who knows the jurisdiction is your best bet.

But, even though it's already been a said a bunch, the real take away here is to not speed =)

Hahah yea, zero nuance behind the keyboard and screen :D

I've found a couple lawyers in my home area so we'll be reaching out to them to find out what we have to work with.

The 5 is definitely a different 'monster' - I've definitely driven on it fast myself in the past. It's easy to get caught up in "making time" on a 400 mile drive late at night. That said, we'll be mindful of all that moving forward as it was a good reminder. After slowing down, we later saw this crazy guy swerving in and out between semis and just straight up driving recklessly. Have also seen how fast other people drive up and down the 5 fwy in general but I guess this is how the CHP keeps busy lol.

[Laserjet3051]

As other posters have insinuated, your wife really has some set of balls.

PASSING a police officer AND getting in front of him while speeding.....AFTER he gave her the warning to slow down by getting in front of her?

She was BEGGING for a ticket.........or worse.

[Brother Esau]

You could always just go to court and tell the judge it's my first ticket ever, so very sorry for speeding, etc, etc.

They will likely at least reduce the $ you have to pay.

[jeromedawg]

As other posters have insinuated, your wife really has some set of balls.

PASSING a police officer AND getting in front of him while speeding.....AFTER he gave her the warning to slow down by getting in front of her?

She was BEGGING for a ticket.........or worse.

Yes, this has already been 'pointed out' by other posters. However, to clarify (again), she wasn't actually speeding when she passed the officer - she slowed down considerably when she saw him ahead (but it was already too late by that point as he likely locked the speed in from a long ways away, as someone pointed out they have the ability to do). He then slowed down and she passed him at the limit and he got behind her to pull her over. He was clearly intentionally doing that for an easy pull-over. The speeding part was already determined by him well ahead of all that. Also, he still might have wanted to pull her over *regardless* of whether or not she passed him up - as a sidebar: I've seen a cop pull over two cars at once, one car in front and one car behind. That's probably the craziest one I've seen so far.

Thank you

[NextTime]

Your wife should have slowed down and stayed behind the CHP officer.  That would have demonstrated she got the "warning."  Instead she "flipped him off" by getting in front of him.  No point in talking to an attorney, he had her on radar.  Pay the ticket and move on.

This happened to me over 20 years ago. When I saw the officer of course I slowed down so I could get in behind him. He on the other hand, slowed down more so that he could pull me over. I had no choice but to pass him (going the speed limit by that time). He then pulled me over and gave me a ticket. So I wasn't really flipping him off or daring him to ticket me.

I'm fairly sure he didn't have a radar gun on me since he was ahead of me. But at 20 years-old I didn't really have a clue as to how to fight a ticket. I still don't really, but I rarely speed anymore.

[JLee]

Your wife should have slowed down and stayed behind the CHP officer.  That would have demonstrated she got the "warning."  Instead she "flipped him off" by getting in front of him.  No point in talking to an attorney, he had her on radar.  Pay the ticket and move on.

This happened to me over 20 years ago. When I saw the officer of course I slowed down so I could get in behind him. He on the other hand, slowed down more so that he could pull me over. I had no choice but to pass him (going the speed limit by that time). He then pulled me over and gave me a ticket. So I wasn't really flipping him off or daring him to ticket me.

I'm fairly sure he didn't have a radar gun on me since he was ahead of me. But at 20 years-old I didn't really have a clue as to how to fight a ticket. I still don't really, but I rarely speed anymore.

For what it's worth, every cruiser I had (2006-2011) had front and rear facing radar.

[jeromedawg]

Your wife should have slowed down and stayed behind the CHP officer.  That would have demonstrated she got the "warning."  Instead she "flipped him off" by getting in front of him.  No point in talking to an attorney, he had her on radar.  Pay the ticket and move on.

This happened to me over 20 years ago. When I saw the officer of course I slowed down so I could get in behind him. He on the other hand, slowed down more so that he could pull me over. I had no choice but to pass him (going the speed limit by that time). He then pulled me over and gave me a ticket. So I wasn't really flipping him off or daring him to ticket me.

I'm fairly sure he didn't have a radar gun on me since he was ahead of me. But at 20 years-old I didn't really have a clue as to how to fight a ticket. I still don't really, but I rarely speed anymore.

Thank you for clearly stating your experience - this sounds exactly how my wife described it. She wasn't "begging" to get a ticket or "giving him the finger" in any way...

I suppose another option was that she could have just pulled off to the side of the road to stop LOL. I might have suggested this if I were actually awake but I woke up as she was being pulled over.

[NextTime]

Your wife should have slowed down and stayed behind the CHP officer.  That would have demonstrated she got the "warning."  Instead she "flipped him off" by getting in front of him.  No point in talking to an attorney, he had her on radar.  Pay the ticket and move on.

This happened to me over 20 years ago. When I saw the officer of course I slowed down so I could get in behind him. He on the other hand, slowed down more so that he could pull me over. I had no choice but to pass him (going the speed limit by that time). He then pulled me over and gave me a ticket. So I wasn't really flipping him off or daring him to ticket me.

I'm fairly sure he didn't have a radar gun on me since he was ahead of me. But at 20 years-old I didn't really have a clue as to how to fight a ticket. I still don't really, but I rarely speed anymore.

For what it's worth, every cruiser I had (2006-2011) had front and rear facing radar.

This would have been 96 or 97. Doesn't really matter though. I had been speeding. He knew it. I knew it. Didn't really cross my mind to fight it. I paid the ticket.

[use2betrix]

My dad got pulled over and given a warning for passing a cop on a 4 lane highway a massive 1 mph over the speed limit... It’s never a smart move unless he’s actually going under the speed limit for whatever reason.

[lizzzi]

It just happened to me on an out-of-state trip to Ohio.  I wasn't even really speeding per se--was being careful, because I knew the NY plates would make me more noticeable. But I did speed up to get around a truck, and sure enough--got caught by one of those radar things. The ticket came in the mail--they identified me by my license plates. So $125....sigh. Just pay the ticket. Life happens.

Awhile ago? Speed cameras are illegal on insterstates in Ohio.

Also as of July, this: "...camera restrictions which began Wednesday. They reduce state funding for any city, town or village operating red light or speed cameras by an amount equivalent to the fines collected."


https://fox8.com/2019/07/04/law-erasing-cities-traffic-camera-profits-takes-effect-in-ohio/

Just saw this. Now I don't know what to think, but oh well, too late now. It happened last month, October 2019, on I-80 in Girard, Ohio.

[Buffaloski Boris]

Looks like a driving tax. We’re very familiar with driving taxes in Virginia. I just got hit with another one the other night; red light camera on a short yellow. I should see the $50 bill soon.

Oh but it’s all about the safety! Balderdash. It’s all about the revenue.

So if I’m the OP, I’m ignoring the morality lectures and treating it like any other tax. I’m acting to minimize the overall cost. For my tax bill it’s $50 and no points. No brainer: not worth the time to fool with it. Scratch a check and be more alert next time. If it’s going to jack up my insurance bill more than the cost of the attorney and the fine, then it’s time to hire an attorney.