Damn it! This morning on the way to work, got pulled over by the CHP in one of their new white Camaros (very hard to spot!). I was doing my usual commute, going at roughly the speed of traffic, which is usually 75-85. He said I was going 85, and he wrote me up for 85. Yeah, I know, I probably deserved it (don't know my actual speed, but I can believe it was around 85 at one point.)

Don't know if I should try to fight it (hope the cop can't make it, or maybe show reasonable doubt as to his pacing technique and speedometer accuracy?) or just take my lumps and pay thousands more in insurance for the next few years.

It's very easy to speed in this car -- 90 feels like 50! (I know, it's not the car's fault, it's the stupid driver! )

 

Sorry to hear about the ticket. It's true, 85-90 feels more like 45-50. I let my son drive it last week; I was of course the passenger. Same observation we had.

You could avoid the higher insurance if you go to traffic school, correct? That is provided you have clean record for last 3 years.

I heard Jeremy et al finished late on the clear bra install. How do you like it?

 

Why don't you just try and get it reduced? I don't know about Cali, but here less than 10 over is not reported to insurance.

 

Sorry man, I know I should have been toast 2 or 3 times by now. I will get mine in due time I dont mind when they are out in the open or sitting in a median, but to be sneaky, thats just wrong.

 

Hi, Zbart! I do have another ticket from a couple of years ago, so I'm not sure if I can go to traffic school or not. Maybe they will send me something in the mail to let me know if it's possible?

Yeah, I had a nice five-hour wait at the lovely Santa Rosa mall while the clear bra was put on , but it was worth it! They did a great job; you can't see it at all except the perfectly straight cut line in certain lighting conditions. One thing I did notice, though, is that the piece by the door handles seems to scratch rather easily just from fingernails. I'm hoping this will rub out.

I am coming to agree with you on the necessity of the headlight covers: I found a chip in one of mine! That, and the yellowing that I have seen on other cars is making me lean towards getting it done (also seeing the Ferarris at their shop!)

It was nice to meet you on Sunday.

 

I don't know about CA but here in FL when I got a ticket I first sent it in asking for a court date then when I was nearing that court date I sent in for a reschedule (you get one reschedule here, and increases your chances the cop wont show up the second time) then I just took it to a lawyer (ticket clinic) and they went to court for me, got me out of the ticket with no points or fine and his fee was cheaper than the ticket. If you have these there in CA use the lawyer in the worst case here I would get traffic school and pay a fine but no points and the traffic school would not have counted against my 5 lifetime choices of traffic school. It is better to use a lawyer from your first ticket because it helps your cause when the lawyer is talking to the judge if you have no tickets than if you already have a few.

 

sorry dood, Im pretty sure that in CA there is a new mandate that all officers have to show up at their court date...

either way... go here

http://trafficschooltogo.com/

you speed read the passage, guess the correct answer, and if you get it wrong, its ok cuz you can answer again! Takes about 3 hrs.

 

How can I get it reduced? (I tried asking the cop, he wouldn't budge.) Do I have to plead "not guilty" and then in court say I was only going 75?

 

Sneaky? What's the difference? I mean, if you're breaking the law, you're at fault anyhow. If they get ya, its not their fault you were speeding, right? Don't diffuse the blame. I got stopped by a cop who was sneaky as hell and I complimented the guy. He let me go and laughed his *** off at my humility... (I have other stupid pull-over stories too)

 

Sorry about that. My cousin got a ticket this past weekend for 40 in a 35...the cop was such an idiot. He said he clocked my cousin as he was driving down a hill! Of course your speed will increase going downhill! That's the CHP for ya.

 

So by your logic it is OK to speed as long as you are going downhill. There is a certain thing called driver skill which should be used to keep a constant speed regardless of whether your direction of travel takes you up or downhill. Now I got nailed near the GW Bridge in NYC for doing 12 over on the Highway at 3 a.m. I thought it was a little ridiculous but it was my fault. The only thing that irritated me was it was a November morning (cold) and the cops made me get out of my car and walk up to theirs and stand outside of it while they wrote me my ticket.

 

Thanks for the link. This would be great, but they don't have my court (San Jose) listed. It says I can call the court and ask permission to do the online traffic school, so I guess it can't hurt to ask.

 

Show up on your early on your court date and ask the DA if they would be willing to reduce it to 9 over so that your insurance won't go up. If the DA says no then ask for a continuance so that you can make other arrangements. Not sure about Cali but 9 over does not go on your insurance here.

 

Just a thought...
CHP will always show up for court, with few exceptions, so its unwise to set a court date with the hope that the ticket will get thrown out based on the cops absence.
Street cops often wont show, CHP will.

 

Sorry to hear about the ticket. Those Camaros are pretty stealthy looking.

In CA, you can take traffic school once every 18 months. The ticket itself doesn't mention anything about traffic school, but the actual ticket you receive in the mail should have the option listed.

If you are able to take traffic school and they allow an online version, take it! Much easier to take a 2-3 hr session than to sit through 8 hours of the in-class version.

 

Online traffic school is only allowed in certain CA counties. So you have to check on that. I got a ticket about a year ago, I was going about 95, and the cop wrote 80. I asked him if the penalty would be any more sever since I was going so fast. He said that anything from 66 to 99 is the same. Once you hit 100 it's a different story, reckless driving and a felony I thnk.

Brandon

 

Sorry to hear of your ticket.

Fight the darned thing, of course... My father has gotten off the hook on a total of 4 tickets... out of a possible 6 by going to court. The cops didn't show up.

I fought my one and only ticket, and my cop showed up... Just my luck. You might as well try it.

 

Did he just pace you for the ticket or shoot you with radar or laser? Did you have your radar detector on?

 

I think he paced me. The CHP here don't usually use radar, and I don't have a radar detector installed. I think there could possibly be reasonable doubt raised in court about how he paced me, but on the other hand I was speeding and I even thought he might give me a break if I was honest so I said I was going the speed of traffic but I realized it was above the speed limit. Just my luck to get a hard-*** who would probably use those words against me. So maybe I should just take my lumps and not try to fight it?

 

z350z,

Were you on 85 this morning?

I spotted a white Camaro police car on the shoulder going in reverse. He was hauling going backward with morning commute. Looked very dangerous. I must admit, I would've missed him if it weren't for the blue lights. They are stealthy!!!

Looks like Bay Area police brought out the Camaro for the new Z. J/K.

Sorry to hear you got caught. From my experience, San Jose cops are very hard-***. They rarely let you off, even for minor infractions and good driving record.