Monday, November 30, 2009
Speeding Ticket Fines
Let's go back and look into our past, c'mon, we all have had at least one speeding ticket. Be honest. Looking back at mine, I was at the ripe age of seventeen; well, before I indulge the event, let's look at my interests as a young lad. When I was thirteen I was completely engulfed with motors, cars, and everything that goes fast. Having subscriptions and a close junk-yard on my side, I took what I read into consideration. Dreaming of going as fast as I could I never once thought that I would eventually learn the ways on how to beat a speeding ticket. So I'm coming home from school one day making my usual runs by some car yards and I see it. A 1984 El Camino, even though it did look the part for white trash I seen the last of the early eighties muscle cars. Seeing past the rust, the faded and oxidized paint, even the leaking power-train I was confidant in what I could get out of it. Never did I know I could get my first speeding ticket and reckless driving charges in this thing. It had a beat and half-assed maintained 305 cubic inch. Puny and on top of that it didn't run, but I had a buddy drag it home for me and my mom signed the title. Getting under it I threw out the transmission (worthless slush-box), removed the tiny rear-end, and started working on the motor. It didn't take me long to get it running and I sold it to some of the mudders around the area.
It sat on jack stands for at least two years, I worked anything I could and made as much money as I could. In my spare time I prepped the body and primered it myself, boy was I proud. Having one of my uncle's friends come over we painted it a metallic and flattened black, real old school. On the door jamb I read, and learned, that this particular El Camino was a true Super Sport, and on top of that a true Choo-Choo Customs. Funny name I know, but that funny name made it more rare and worth more, like Z/28 for the Camaro or GT 500 for the Mustangs. Finished the body work about the same time as I got my permit and then things got going good. Luckily I never got any speeding ticket fines while driving. My inside guy at the junk-yard gave me a 400 small block (rare now and rare then), a twelve bolt rear end, and world class t-5 (I got the world class instead of the NWC that I was supposed to get). All of this for a hundred dollars or so. My uncle had a few guys at his garage help rebuild the transmission and spec the rear end. Me, I built the motor, bored over, honed, ported almost every hole (myself), 10.9:1 pistons, open intake, 800cfm carb, mild bottom end, and a fat cam. The motor was hands down the most expensive and by now I'm about seventeen. Everything went together without any hiccups (got to love those older cars) and found a nice interior (same color) for under fifty dollars.
Man this things was a beast, I wringed that thing out for everything it was worth. It ended up with me showing off in front of some friends at the local hangout and also in front of a hiding cop. At first I thought the cop was a gear head and enjoyed the show (he did) but at the last moment he said, "Oh yeah, let me get your license and registration." I got a hefty speeding ticket fine and reckless driving. Luckily, this was my first offence and I HAD to go to court. Turns out my uncle knew the judge and I had to take traffic school and that was it. What a lucky break. No speeding ticket, but every time I was near a cop with my american muscle, they would follow until they got bored or I got to where I was going. I still have the monster and it only goes to the track now because I've put so much more power in it. Driving it on the street is a nightmare, the cam sucks so much vacuum nothing I do will keep the brakes firm. Just the slightest blip of the throttle and you're going an extra thirty miles an hour. And it's geared so high that gas mileage would consume a hundred dollars per thirty miles. On top of that, I would be prime meat for happy officer to give me a speeding ticket, with no questions asked probably illegally modified car (even though it IS street legal).
Sorry but we have derailed, we are way off topic here and I apologize, I was reminiscing. Anyway, the speeding ticket you get is based on many factors that contribute to just how much the speeding ticket fine will be. You have local regulations, local taxes, other taxes depending on where exactly you live, violation of speed, how fast you we going, and what kind of zone you were in. There are limited access highway, school zone, construction zone, hospital zone, and other hazardous zones, but not for you, for workers and/or pedestrians. The amount of the speeding ticket fines will be determined by all these factors and also based upon the nations standards, state tax, federal tax, and every kind of tax you can think of. In some places they are extremely expensive to speed which is why you are probably here to begin with. Some places, like where I am, speeding ticket fines are really not all that expensive, and places like California, New York, and other big cities are literally an arm and a leg. Geez, if a cop tried to pull me over I would probably run. On foot of course because that would be way safer than in a car and I'm not at all for hurting, maiming, or killing some one. I wouldn't be able to live with myself after such events. Just thinking about it really just makes me feel a little colder inside.
As I've said before and will say hundreds and hundreds more times, either watch your speedometer more often, get helium transfused into your right foot, just something! Prevent, prevent, prevent. It never hurts and it works one hundred percent, one hundred percent of the time, every time. Look into the products I've mentioned, though I don't want to imply that I am trying to make you buy something, because that's not the case.A speeding ticket is really no big deal (unless you are in a big city) until your insurance company gets a hold of it, then that's where you leak money. You leak like a sieve until the violation is deemed out-dated, which could be a year, two years, three years, or never if your insurance company is like that. But the ones that never remove out-dated violations off your driving record are very few and far in between. Just though of this, but sometimes you can write off a speeding ticket as a tax deduction. Because you are making a donation to you community. That's where the money is being spent just like you local taxes. That's just a thought and I'm going to have to speak with a buddy of mine how is in law school. But on that note, I do not have any documented or actual legal resource. I'm really just giving advice and suggesting. You take it how you want, but if it could hurt you more than without it, use some common sense. Brainstorm with friends, co-workers, and the like and YOU make the decision. I'd hate to think someone took this advice too literal (as this is all a very rough guideline) and instead of a hundred dollar speeding ticket they had to pay all this other expense. Ok, I'm done, good luck, stay safe on and off the road, and keep your foot out of it!
How To Beat A Speeding Ticket
This is more or less a recap of what has been said over the last few posts. Knowingly, almost everyone can learn the ways of how to beat a speeding ticket. There are hundreds of known speed traps and I'm sure there are some that I have not been in first hand. Basically a speed trap is any means that an officer of your state uses to apprehend speeders and issue a speeding ticket. You have the obvious ones where an officer is out in view with a visible gun or other means to monitor speed. Well, this may be common-sense and it is, but sometimes the most obvious is the most well hidden. How many times have you been looking for something and it be right on the middle of end table with nothing hiding it? You laugh it off now, but perception and awareness are your two most valuable assets on how to beat a speeding ticket.
One of the most complex speeding traps I myself have been caught in has two officers. One will be somewhat hidden by a blind turn, and if you make it past this one there will be a stage two. Now, you turn the blind corner and it's clear so you speed up, this is where you get pulled over and written a speeding ticket. Bad move, because there will be another officer a few hundred yards hidden even better. Sometimes officers can legally hide themselves so well it is almost impossible, so how to beat a speeding ticket? Easy, the best thing you can do is research what products are available to you that suit your needs. Also research your rights and officer rights to give you an even playing field so you have to right tools on how to beat a speeding ticket.
There can be many different factors, but if you don't want a speeding ticket. Look into buying something that suits you. Anything from sprays, plate films, radar detectors, etc. There are many legal products that will give you an edge on how to beat a speeding ticket. But stay away from anything that seems illegal either by common sense or some research. Also stay away from products that pitch a too good to be true or too strong of a sales pitch; these will not help you in your quest on how to beat a speeding ticket. The most reliable are the ones most nobody uses for some reason. The biggest group of people that uses these devices to beat a speeding ticket are the elderly.
These device of course are radar detectors and they work so well it should almost be illegal. Speaking of illegal, there is a big difference from a radar detector and radar scanner. A speeding ticket is the least of your worries if you get pulled over or spotted with a radar scanner. A scanner is used to listen to dispatch and on duty officers that are patrolling the streets. You'll be asking yourself how to beat jail time instead of how to beat a speeding ticket. Back on topic, a radar detector is a device that has looks for signals that every new and older radar guns use. A radar gun sends out frequencies that hit a surface and bounce back. Depending on how many signals it pulses and how many return (and how quick) determines how fast an object is going. A radar detector will find these signals long before they reach your vehicle. Using one of these will save you from getting a speeding ticket.
The other products are more or less a scam, not all but there are far too many products to tell you about. The best why on how you can beat a speeding ticket is to invest in a radar detector. Since being so mass produced for so long the price for these are getting lower. Now, they are pretty cheap but you can get a top of the line radar detector that will insure you to never getting a speeding ticket. There are also films and sprays to put over you license plate that will making them very shiny. This will have a constant glare from sunlight, natural light, and artificial light so that a camera will not be able to accurately to picture your plate.
To beat a speeding ticket, your best weapon is yourself. Know where you stand with your rights and officer laws as well as your state and local laws. This will be invaluable when dealing with getting out of a speeding ticket. Logic will be the biggest factor when dealing with the officer and how to beat a speeding ticket. Then your options if and after you do get cited for the speeding ticket. You can always fight pre-pullover, during, and after involving court and traffic school.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Speeding Ticket For A Reason
Every one has been driving, mostly along interstates, and the traffic almost crawls to a stop. This post will stray away from beating a speeding ticket. This will be a more serious aspect of the why speeding really is enforced so strictly. Like I have said many times, a speeding ticket is much better than death or a serious accident. A car averages three-thousand pounds and roughly travels and average of fifty-five miles an hour. That alone is very heavy machinery and police strictly enforces violations with a speeding ticket and other such means.
In 2004 there was a reported number of six million two hundred thousand wrecks and even more with the unknown of unreported accidents. And statistically, almost a third are of accidents resulting in death are speed related. That is a number police nationwide are trying to reduce by heavily enforcing speeding and increasing the speeding ticket they write. Believe it or not, it takes a fully aware brain to safely manoeuvre an vehicle and it is a work out for your grey matter. The increased speed relates to reduced reaction times and slower corrective action. See why a speeding ticket is a big reminder to slow down? And with basic physics, the increased speed greatly adds to the energy that will be released if in a wreck. That's why law enforcement increases speeding ticket and other methods to catch speeders. The cost to clean up major wrecks are a toll on local economy especially if there are frequent accidents. Not only is there medical and the vehicles themselves but property damage and the like. So to turn a profit why not issue a speeding ticket and prevent an accident at the same time. Win-win!
Running around the local autocross tracks have taught me many aspects of the behaviour of the car at speed. These local tracks are where many people can go to get more comfortable with their cars and these are legal, this is one way on how beat a speeding ticket; it's sort of cheating because you can't get one. A buddy of mine had me navigate with him on a open road racing tournament. Now that is a sport that is demanding as your driving on an actual road way, albeit closed, and you can get a speeding ticket. If you track and send in a sandbagging time and run so much over you will have to pay a speeding ticket of what you were running verses the actual limit. A one hundred mile an hour over speeding ticket is not good at all. That would probably have you doing jail time or at least having your license suspended. What I'm trying to say is that speeding is dangerous, hell, even driving is potentially a dangerous situation. Officers issue a speeding ticket to keep things in check.
Yes, the whole ordeal that follows the process of a speeding ticket is strenuous, unforgiving, and painfully slow. But it is for the better of every single person on roadways and for pedestrians. With out these laws driving would be like walking into outlaw county. Like I've said, mind yourselves on the open road and be courteous. Be respectable to other drivers and avoid dangerous drivers. Karma will catch up to them eventually. I never wish bad fate to other people, but all I'm saying is just that some people deserve worse than a speeding ticket. People that ride dangerously close on your heel, cut out in front of people, and act like that they are so important and should get special treatment. Also, in that group are people who knowingly get behind of a wheel when they are under the influence. It's a good thing that they spend time in jail and have big consequences, but many go under the radar.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Process Of A Speeding Ticket
As mentioned in my earlier post, there are many factors that contribute to you actually getting a dreaded speeding ticket. A handful of the variables are out of your control, but what does that mean for you? Well, some are controls by how much over the speed limit you were. Getting out of a 10-over fine is easier than a 30-over. Mostly over 25-over and you might be looking at getting jail time as other charges are added. This is mostly because being so far over the limit is considered racing or exhibiting speed. A speeding ticket is one things and so is being pegged as a racer.
Still, even after these movies have long passed their popularity, people still race on the streets. We don't really need to discuss this and these people should get everything but a speeding ticket. Things like reckless driving to endangerment to pretty much the book. We shouldn't need to discuss this because you are not a racer, are you? If you are, there are regulated and safe alternatives. Regardless, lets get back a speeding ticket and the various things you can do to prevent one.
I'll say this a million times and probably a million more. Avoiding a speeding ticket is the best course of action. If you stop the initial encounter than there will be no consequent effect. There are many tips of how to talk your way out of a speeding ticket and fighting one after it has been written. But avoiding the fine to begin with is the best course of action. Sometimes we don't glance at the speedometer enough time and a speeding ticket is just a speed trap ahead. These traps can be from traffic camera's to obvious (and well hidden) speed traps. There have been cases that when I'm traveling through my daily routine I happen to be on the better end. Meaning that I see the trap the way I'm traveling and not the traffic facing me. I've also seen people issued a speeding ticket this way more commonly, and the second most are school zones.
Always be extra cautious when traveling through construction sites, hospital zones, and school zones. These are going to be your Achilles heel when dealing with a speeding ticket. No matter what tricks you want to use your chances are slim. And even more so if you were traveling significantly over the cautionary limit. The officer will be less then persuasive and will not want to hear your defense. You will get a speeding ticket and hopefully nothing else because you did make the situation more dangerous. The officer is there to serve and protect, and speeding is determined by dangering you and others. Faster travel with a heavy weight is more destructive energy. The officer will no doubt give you the speeding ticket and be about his way.
As for the products you can buy none are more popular than the radar detector. These things get more and more accurate and versatile. These greatly reduce your chances of getting a speeding ticket by more than 90 percent. They can translate and distinguish more than one frequency to even busting out the most complex speed traps. Just like you, the citizen, officers have many different tactics and locations they use to catch speeders. Some locations are more prone to speeding and thus make your chances of a speeding ticket much greater. These are where these detectors come into play, they really are great and not too expensive. And as I've said before they more than pay for themselves the first speeding ticket they prevent.
Now I don't mean you should speed and travel as fast as you want. That's not the case at all. Speeding is dangerous and can seriously hurt you, your passengers, and others on and off the road. A speeding ticket is nothing more than a disciplinary warning which is better than hurting yourself or living with the fact your hurt/killed someone. I'm mostly a safe driver and follow all traffic laws and have almost no bad driving habits. I haven't had a speeding ticket or moving violation in some time. Like I've said it is mostly preventative maintenance and just watching yourself will work most of time. And there are products, like I've said, that will warn you of a near speeding ticket. They just help you when at times you ease over the limit some what and warn you.
There are cars that are equipped from the factory with this feature. Using GPS they determine the speed limits and warn you of you go 5-over and thus saves you from a speeding ticket. Some even have a heads up display that is projected on the wind-shield. Only you can see this so don't worry about some cranky person seeing your speed and reporting you. But as I mentioned in my last post that that speeding ticket is the easiest to get out of. Sorry for the bit of rambling so lets get back on subject.
Just getting the officer on a brighter side will greatly reduce him writing you a speeding ticket. Admit it, you are not as sour when the office clown comes around and cracks a joke. Unfortunately, not every one has that capability but keeping this in mind will help when avoiding a speeding ticket. So on next topic we will use these methods and try to keep them fresh in your head.
No Speeding Ticket
Driving down the interstate you see flashing lights and you're speedometer reads 90; oh no, your getting a dreaded speeding ticket. This just cannot be good in anyway, in any or no shape, or form. The officer is going to ask for your license, insurance, and/or registration. If you live in an area where the speed limit is 70, like mine, your odds of getting out of one are slim. And if you drive an older or modified vehicle, he just might throw everything he can at you besides a speeding ticket. As for me, I've had dozens, but I have been able to negotiate my way out of all but two. In that case they both were for reckless driving but the consequences were less than if I had gotten a speeding ticket to begin with.
There are many factors that can contribute to you actually getting the set in stone speeding ticket. Almost every major city have the cameras that do all the dirty work for police. These things snap a picture (when triggered by excessive motion) and get your plate and face. Then a week later you sift through your mail and you have a speeding ticket and sometimes the picture. There are many products out there that really do combat a speeding ticket and most are legal. As for the rural areas nothing can give you an adequate warning than a radar monitor. These lovely things are updated every so often with the newer signal waves that police use nationwide. So if you can prevent a speeding ticket fines to begin with, do it.
Your thinking, how do I get out of this mess now? Well, to be honest, the best precaution to getting out of a speeding ticket not making it happen to begin with. As I've mentioned there are many products out there, that are legal, that work, and that will prevent a speeding ticket. Radar monitors are great, they're not too out of place on your dash. But be honest, what is worse; friends making fun or you older persons habits or a speeding ticket? Personally, I'd take the reticule from my buddies any day. If like me, you can't spend the hundreds most speeding tickets cost, or schedule the time to take the classes; you can benefit greatly from these.
As for the plates, sprays, and all these things for license plates I haven't personally used many. Anything that doesn't look too cheesy and should work with a little common sense reasoning. A speeding ticket is one thing and so is violation of concealing your plate. Living out of the city I haven't really used them much, but I have a film that is always on all year round. So when I do make a trip to a bigger city with the camera's I have the peace of mind of not getting a speeding ticket. There are many other products for license discretion, but beware of the real obvious ones. The ones that completely cover the plates are a big no-no. The law states, nationwide, that you must have an unobstructed plate at all times. As mentioned above, a speeding ticket is less of your concern than hiding a plate. Of course with insurance and tags which go hand in hand with registration.
You might be asking, well what if I already have a fine or amidst him writing said speeding ticket. Well, be sure show the intent of pulling over and go somewhere with moderate traffic that is well lite. The latter is for night time scenarios, but never pull over in the way, on a busy road, etc. Would this irritate you if it was your job, it sure as hell would me and I would definitely write you a speeding ticket. So first impression are a must and be sure to be very polite. Treat him as you would be treated, be friendly, be funny, and be aware of the situation. The more at ease and likable you are the better your odds are of beating a speeding ticket. But never over do it or act like a complete moron because all your doing is making your situation worse. For me, I'm a people person and can tune in on personalities. For me to pick up on what kind of person the officer is turns the situation for my favor.
Be polite, again, be polite, and even throw some sir's or madam's into it; respect never hurts. Never admit to doing anything wrong and play stupid a bit, but not too much. In short, there are many different scenarios, so just always go with the polite, helpful, innocent mindset. And getting out of speeding ticket should be pretty easy. The truth is, you will not get out of every speeding ticket. And if you do get one, never offer favors never-ever; no matter how innocent. This is bribing and is sometimes considered a felony. Just keep these things in mind when getting pulled over, or my favorite, prevent the speeding ticket all together. We all get pulled over and sometimes it seems that some do more than others.
But hold on a minutes because we are no were near done yet. Well, almost but lets take things in the order they happen. Say you have been written a speeding ticket, due in court, or have to pay. Usually the last two are intertwined, but beware when fighting a speeding ticket in court. You have many fees after the initial hearing like court fees, attorney fees (depending), and then the fine itself if you lose. I hope I'm being clear that sometimes it isn't ideal to fight every speeding ticket every time. Sometimes you just loose, so don't spend the extra few hundred when you don't have to. This recession has me living on a serious budget and it'll be awhile before myself makes a full recovery. Anyway, sometimes you just need to talk with someone at the court office to be sure you have some options. Options are more like compromises, you give some, they give some, but sometimes you can get a little slap on the wrist.
Before we get to far into doom and gloom, don't fret. Like stated above there are many methods that you can fight speeding ticket. Don't let me fool you, everyone has an equal chance, and I think the term is a bit over used. To me, you have options instead of fighting, most people use that meaning in court. Which I've said more than a few times you want to prevent the speeding ticket and not fight. So, in closing, I wish everyone the best of luck when they get pulled over. Don't fret and stay as cool as you can. Trust me, I know it seems stressful, but don't add stress. If all goes well you can ease out of the situation. If not you have options which are opportunities which you should purse. Good luck and stay safe on the road, and try to avoid a speeding ticket to begin with.
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