5/23/08

HOW TO BEAT A SPEEDING TICKET

INTRODUCTION
The most important aspect to consider in avoiding a traffic ticket is to be aware of where you are in the current traffic pattern. Many people will tend to slow down for the first two days after receiving a ticket. But a lot of people don't. This chapter is designed to assist you in keeping out of trouble in the future.

Make sure that you are driving the proper type of car. If you've got a really brightly colored car such as a red sports car, it looks like it's doing a hundred miles an hour even when it is standing still. There are a great number of quality fast vehicles that don't draw as much attention. In order to be safe in any case, make sure that you have the proper electronic equipment to protect you from any further ticketing. Make sure that you are aware of your situation on the road. Be alert at all times. Keep your eyes on the on ramps on the major highways, because they are a favorite spot for the Police. Try not to come up on a hill at 80 to 90 miles an hour because you have no way of seeing what's over the hill and if there is a patrol car there with a radar unit, you're going to be nailed before you even see him. Be on the alert for any hiding places that a patrol car may be, behind trees, around bends, or even in front of a large truck that's driving in the right hand lane. That truck is going the speed limit because there's usually a patrol car right in front of him, waiting for you to pass.

Try to keep your driving in the right hand lane as often as possible. The police know that speeders are in the left hand lane, so make your pass in the left and get back into the right hand lane as soon as possible. Try not to weave through traffic because you will draw attention to yourself. The patrol people will stop you for reckless driving as well as speeding. That could be double the problem. Keep your eye on your rearview mirror, especially at night, for any car that may be approaching from the rear very quickly. If you're cruising at 75 or 80 miles an hour down the highway and a car is creeping up on you, it's entirely possible that it's a patrol car doing a "Paced Speeding Ticket," or it's another speeder who can act as a "Rabbit." A "Rabbit" will be explained shortly.

Occasionally as you're driving down the highway, you will be passed by someone that we will refer to as a "Rabbit". You should have no problem following this rabbit at a reasonable distance, a quarter mile or so, because they will act as a target for the radar trap and will get stopped prior to you even arriving at the scene. Just don't forget about your rearview mirror because the patrol car may have spotted him from the distance and is going to follow behind you to try and overtake him. And he could get to you first.

Make sure that you keep an eye on what cars are parked on the side of the road, regardless of their make, model, or color. If it's not a police car, or an unmarked car, it could be another motorist in trouble, or it could be somebody who's just about to pull onto the highway. Be ready to move out of their way.

Know where you are at all times. It can be your best defense in avoiding a speeding ticket.

Traffic ticket

A traffic ticket is a citation issued by a police officer to motorists who fail to obey traffic laws. Traffic tickets generally come in two forms, citing a moving violation, such as exceeding the speed limit, or a non-moving violation, such as a parking ticket. Traffic tickets are generally heard in traffic court.

Generally, a ticket is a notification that one has committed a minor legal infraction, for which a fine must be paid, and/or an appearance in court must be made (See: summons). Typically this means a parking ticket for parking in an unlawful manner or allowing a parking meter to expire, or a traffic ticket for a moving violation such as speeding. The latter are usually issued after traffic stops.

United States
In the United States, most traffic laws are codified in a variety of state, county and municipal ordinances, with most minor violations classified as civil infractions. Although what constitutes a "minor violation" varies, examples include: non-moving violations; defective or unauthorized vehicle equipment; seatbelt and child-restraint safety violations; and insufficient proof of license, insurance or registration. A trend in the late 1970s and early 1980s also saw an increased tendency for jurisdictions to re-classify certain speeding violations as civil infractions.[1] In contrast, for more "serious" violations, traffic violators may be held criminally liable, guilty of a misdemeanor or even a felony. Serious violations tend to involve multiple prior offenses; willful disregard of public safety; death, serious bodily injury or damage to property.[1]

Each state's Department of Motor Vehicles maintains a database of motorists, including their convicted traffic violations. Upon being ticketed, a motorist is given the option to mail in to the local court -- the court for the town or city in which the violation took place -- a plea of guilty or not guilty within a certain time frame (usually ten days, although courts generally provide leniency in this regard). It has been estimated that approximately three out of every ten drivers in the United States will receive a traffic ticket within the timespan of one calendar year.

If the motorist pleads not guilty, a trial date is set and both the motorist, or a lawyer representing the motorist, and the ticketing officer, or a representative, are required to attend. If the officer or representative fails to attend, the court judge will often find in favor of the motorist and dismiss the charge, although sometimes the trial date is moved to give the officer another chance to attend. The court will also make provisions for the officer to achieve a deal with the motorist, often in the form of a plea bargain. If no agreement is reached, both motorist and officer, or their respective representatives, formally attempt to prove their case before the judge, who then decides the matter.

If the motorist pleads guilty, the outcome is equivalent to conviction after trial. Upon conviction, the motorist is generally fined a monetary amount and, for moving violations, is additionally given "points" demerits, under each state's point system. In the cases where the motorist is registered in a different state from where the violation took place, individual agreements between the two states decide if, and how, the motorist's home state applies the other state's conviction. If no agreement exists, then the conviction is local to the state where the violation took place. In some instances, failure to pay the fine may result in a suspension to drive in only the city or state to whom the fine is owed, and the motorist may continue to drive elsewhere in the same state.


[edit] Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, a traffic ticket (which is mailed out to the driver) is in the form of a notice alleging that some crime - traffic offences are all criminal offences - has been committed, but stating that if a payment of a certain amount is made to An Garda Síochána within 28 days, or the amount increased by 50% is paid within 56 days, the driver will not be prosecuted for the alleged offence.


[edit] UK
In the United Kingdom parking tickets or, more formally, Fixed Penalty Notices are used to earn extra revenue for local authorities. Parking Wardens are used to hand them out. CCTV is now also used with a ticket sent out in the mail. Some authorities make more from parking fines than from Council Tax.[citation needed]

Parking Charge Notices issued by private companies are generally unenforceable under contract law and are no different from ordinary invoices. It is advisable never to pay such companies, no matter how genuine or threatening their paperwork appears to be.


[edit] Ticket superlatives
The fastest speeding ticket in the world allegedly occurred in May 2003 in Texas. It was supposedly 242mph in a 75mph zone. The car was a Swedish-built Koenigsegg, which was involved in the San Francisco to Miami Gumball 3000 Rally.[2] The fastest convicted speeder in the UK was Daniel Nicks, convicted of 175 mph on a Honda Fireblade motorcycle in 2000. He received six weeks in jail and was banned from driving for two years.[3] The fastest UK speeder in a car was Timothy Brady, caught driving a 3.6-litre Porsche 911 Turbo at 172 mph on the A420 in Oxfordshire in January 2007 and jailed for 10 weeks and banned from driving for 3 years. [4]

The most expensive speeding ticket ever given is believed to be the one given to Jussi Salonoja in Helsinki, Finland, in 2003. Salonoja, the 27-year-old heir to a company in the meat-industry, was fined 170 000 euros for driving 80km/h in a 40km/h zone. The uncommonly large fine was due to Finnish speeding tickets being relative to the offenders last known income. Salonoja's speeding ticket was not the first ticket given in Finland reaching six figures.[5]

One of the earliest speeding tickets was given in 1910. The ticket was issued to The Prime Minister of Canada's wife, Lady Laurier, in 1910 in Ottawa, Canada (the capital of Canada). She was speeding at 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. [2]