By sherica bates on Nov 8, 2007

i was given a speeding ticket for reckless driving in chesapeake,va. back in sept. i was charged a $547.00 fine.

By Dick on Nov 9, 2007

If you were driving recklessly you should pay your fine and thank God you are still alive. That policeman could have very well saved yours or someone elses life.

By Jan on Nov 9, 2007

I agree, you are lucky to be alive. My son is out there every nite working hard at his job trying to keep the roads salf for all of us, you too! his life is just as important as yours, yes he is a police offical. He comes home and tells us what is happening out there on the roads, it’s not funny when he comes home and tells us his stories of a family dead because of people like you! You were so lucky you weren’t killed! think before you get in the car again and turn the key, for next time might be your last time.

By steve on Nov 9, 2007

Va reckless driving is different from most state, just like the dumb radar detector ban and the Albo fees(now alblow fees)

By Mike on Nov 10, 2007

I don’t know the circumstances Sherica but this is another one of those newspeak issues. In my state being clocked at 15mph above the posted speed limit gives the officer the discretion to cite you for wreckless driving. It doesn’t imply that you were tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, cutting people off or any of the other images a wreckless driving charge conjures up. I know of one case where a motorist was cited for wreckless driving at 1:00AM for simply being clocked at 5 over(35 in a 30) in a light snow, circumstances not denied by the officer.

By John L on Nov 12, 2007

I was recently cited in AL for “reckless driving” and am facing a court trial soon to talk to the judge, who will most likely find me guilty and require me to pay a hefty fine and receive at least 4 points. I was speeding, yes, but I was also at least 1/4 mile from the nearest car, on a level, straight unintersected stretch of road, in clear dry daylight conditions, driving in a straight line.

I was on a motorcycle, and it is my personal belief that it is safer to keep away from other cars than to keep a close eye on the speedometer. The officer told me he had been writing tickets all day. I asked him how fast over the speed limit did he let slide, and his response was that it was a matter of personal discretion on the officer’s part.

So, the legislature, collectively, uses it’s discretion to assign a speed limit to all the interstates within the state’s borders, the motorists exercise their sense of discretion in choosing their driving speed (usually 80-85 in a 70, unless police vehicles are present and visible) (which is supposed to be the real basis, under the 80% rule of traffic engineering, of a reality-based speed limit), the police use their discretion as to whom they decide to ticket, then the judge, if the accused chooses to fight it, gets to use his or her discretion in passing down sentence on the motorist.

Why is the individual motorist’s sense of discretion the least respected in today’s society? I have neither been in or caused any accidents in at least 700,000 miles of driving over the past 35 years or so, yet the state of Alabama may well judge me a dangerous person and in a court of law may fine me, jail me, suspend my license, assign me points, or any combination of the above.

Why do we allow this legal nonsense to exist? Are we really making the roads safer or have we merely created a somewhat random system of taxation complete with punitive actions against us? Why do we as a society do this to ourselves, when simply using reason and data as a basis of legislation would be fairer and so much more logical? Each one of us that doesn’t communicate our feelings about this to our local legislators is a part of the problem.

The NMA approach of fighting every ticket is the most thoughtful and most American solution to stopping the court system from taking our hard-earned money from us and from our families unfairly.

By Officer Josh on Nov 13, 2007

Listen to you guys, your arguing about being ticketed for speeding. If you dont speed you wont get a ticket. If your speeding but just keeping up with traffic you most likely wont get a ticket. And the officer is right its up to him/her to cite you or not, so the best thing is not to argue but to just say “yes officer i was speeding im sorry” and maybe youll come out without a ticket.

By Al N on Nov 13, 2007

Officer Josh, I have yet to see a police car that doesn’t speed (blues not flashing) no matter where they are going or what the circumstance. I was at a court house once and over heard a policeman talking to his partner that he got there so quick because he was doing 95 mph on the highway, then laughed because he said he was going in to testify against a speeder and didn’t want to be late and have it dismissed.
With all due respect, I just don’t get how you guys can act high and mighty about us when you violate the speeding law everyday.

By Deputy Sue on Nov 13, 2007

I love to hear people tell me that they have not had a ticket or caused an accident in their entire driving lifespan. Well the ticket thing is most likely because they have never been caught. I know alot of people who fit that category. And for not being in an accident, well who knows. From my 20 years experience those who actually cause the accident but are not personally involved, don’t stay around to tell the police officer. VERY FEW people ever admit they are wrong. That means cops to, I hate to be told I am wrong, psychologist will most likely agree that the human race likes to be perfect, not proven wrong. This is why we have traffic court. In my 20 years of citation writing, approx. 6,000 tickets, with at least 2/3 being written or verbal warnings, I know for a fact I have not pulled someone over for not doing whatever the traffic infraction was. I will not pull someone over if there is even a question I was incorrect. I like to think most LEO’s are this way. Even still I have had a few take me to court, only to pay higher fines. I am an LEO who does appear for the summons. I wish that drivers could admit their faults and realize we are all human. That is why I write fewer citations and more warnings. Be safe and courteous.

By Al N on Nov 13, 2007

Deputy Sue…Have you ever gone over the speed limit off duty? If you did, would you pay the ticket or have it fixed if you got pulled over? How many officers you kow write tickets to build revenue? I think we know the answer to these questions.

By Officer Josh on Nov 13, 2007

Actually Al N it is illegal for LEO’s to have quotas on tickets as well has recieve cash rewards for tickets written. Atleast to my knowledge in my state. And yes i have sped off duty i wont lie but i speed with traffic not duck in and out of lanes. And if i did get pulled over i probably wouldnt get a ticket but thats just the perks of the job a small perk for doing the things that most people dont see police officers do risking our lives. I challenge you to go on a ride along with an officer for an entire shift and i think you will change your tune. Some police officers will give other police officers tickets and theres nothin we can do about it b/c its up to the officer to dismiss a ticket not a supervisor. Also to address your concern of on duty police officers speeding. They could be going on a call but using lights or a siren is not necessary or tactful.

By James Young on Nov 14, 2007

Deputy Sue writes:

“I love to hear people tell me that they have not had a ticket or caused an accident in their entire driving lifespan. Well the ticket thing is most likely because they have never been caught.”

I have been driving since I was 12 years old, legally since I was 14, and I’m now 62. I’ve covered approximately 2 million miles with no at-fault crashes and received a dozen or so citations, all for speeding and none of those for anything even approaching dangerous speeds or out of control situations. In every single case, I was acting reasonably and with due regard for my own safety. Why should I receive punishment for reasonable behavior? Why should that behavior even be considered wrong?

“. . .I know for a fact I have not pulled someone over for not doing whatever the traffic infraction was.”

No, you don’t know that, you simply believe it to be so.

“I wish that drivers could admit their faults and realize we are all human.”

We could solve most of this issue if we recognized that the law is faulty and fixed it instead of wasting $100 billion on speed control.

” Be safe and courteous.”

I’m always safe and courteous; I’m not always legal.

By Al N on Nov 14, 2007

Officer Josh,
The issue isn’t about your job and the dangers, I don’t think anyone will dispute that and we thank you for it. The problem is issuing citations to thousands of vehicles who are not dring recklessly simply to fill the police coffers with cash. Being able to speed and not pay a ticket is a perk for you? You got a ticket because you did something unsafe, are you saying that your perk is being able to drive unsafe without having to pay for it. I live in Massachusetts and not only do they have quotas but they also have detail pay (police officers standing around drinking coffee and talking for hours doing nothing, at a rate of $40 - $50 an hour). The police unions know about it and the politicians are to afraid to do anything about it for fear of losing votes. I beleive that this type of behavior lowers the respect that most police deserve and turns them into politicians themselves. Unfortunately the police here are addicted now to sucking off the public tit and we are subjected to double standards and hypocracy on the part of the police. By the way 100% of the police travelling down the highway speeding are not on call. Please be honest, if you are a police officer you know that you have no regard for speed when you drive because there is no accountablility. I have friends who are police officers and they admit there is a double standard but say everyone is doing it so they get caught up in it themselves, just part of the job.

By Officer Josh on Nov 18, 2007

I cant speak for the state of Mass. but in MD it is illegal to establish quotas. We have expectations that is to issue citations but not a certain amount i mean we have to show were doing something. And yes if i am in a hurry i do speed when im workin usually if i do have a call but i dont usually put my lights on if i dont need to. Otherwise i have nowhere to go except my district so i personally dont usually speed around. And detail pay has nothing to do with the individuals police department. Sitting in front of 7 eleven is an off duty thing that 7 eleven pays us for or whatever store. Almost all officers do it for extra cash since we get paid so low. Dont hate cuz they pay us to sit around and talk to people i mean you would do it to. I’m not trying to be rude here im just saying i dont see them ever taking speeding fines away and the people that complain are people that are speeding or whatever violation they committ. I am quite leanient on fines i usually dont write unless your going 15 over on the hwy and if there the only one on the road i just warn them i mean i use common sense. But small violation like that i have cought fugitives and serious fellons on just a simple traffic stop. I dont write everyone a ticket it depends on there attitude i mean most people are terrified to get a ticket so getting pulled over is enough. But then what do they do they do the speed limit for a week and then go back and speed again. But your right i cant speak for all officers cuz some do take advantage of there power but your gonna have that with any position of power. Its a never ending battle. like this blog, lol.

By Emily on Nov 19, 2007

Why cant America think more like Europe? Germany/Switzerland/Austria has the most intelligent and safest highway in the world called the Autobahn. They drive fast there without speed limits and its perfectly alright. Yes, there are speed limits in the city were theres allot of people but once you are out of the city into the rural areas your free to drive that high performance M5 BMW as fast as you want. The drivers in Europe are way better drivers then here in America. America has become so anal and restricted with so many things, not just with the issues of our highways.

By Mark D. Girouard on Dec 3, 2007

My son was ticketed for going 51 mph in a 35 mph zone. After doing some research we found out that the speed limit was unenforceable under Massachusetts law and should have been posted 50 mph (also according to Massachusetts law).

My son lost his license for 90 days, had to take 2 driving classes, pay $500.00 to have his license reinstated, take both the written and road test again, and also pay the fine which was $160.00 (A new junior operator law was enacted a few months prior to his being stopped), all because the city of Worcester, Massachusetts violated the law!

By Jenny on Dec 6, 2007

I’m a tourist and I got a traffic ticket but I’m not sure how much I have to pay. I was driving at 93mph. The speed limit for the highway was 75mph but the description for my violation was exceed 85mph. So, do i pay for the fine slated for 18mph over or 8mph over?

By Linda on Dec 13, 2007

My husband and I was going to town when we came upon an area where people were passing in the turning lane. All the cars were doing that and we thought there must be some kind of accident so we followed the other motorist. A policeman pulled us over and wrote my husband a ticket for doing the same thing all the other cars were doing. How fair was that. He explained that the reason we passed the way we did was because we thought someone had an accident or there was a stalled vehicle on the road. Why do some officers do things like this to some people and let others drive on. I personally thought it was very rude of him and he was a rude talking officer. He said he didn’t care if there was a hole in the road we were in the wrong and would pay the fine. If we had of had the money we would have fought that ticket. I appreciate the fact that you have to enforce the laws but to do something so trivial to me just makes the police look bad. If we would have been speeding or had been the only car to pass in the turning lane I would also have understood but when all the other cars were passing that was I think it was very unfair and proves that the law enforcers sometimes do need to write tickets to meet their demands.

By Jim on Dec 13, 2007

I have to agree with the writers who claim that Mass has quotas, especially for out of state drivers. I was on my way to work thru Mass with no traffic, dry roads, and before 6AM in the morning. My experience was to get a ticket after the officer had to round up my speed to 80. To protest the fact that the officer had done this, I took a day off of work and traveled to court, only to be told that the officer couldn’t be wrong.

By Galaxyline617 on Jan 7, 2008

What gets me are the numerous school zone postings with flashing yellow lights and no school can even be seen within no less than a mile in either direction. When I have researched the location of the school, I have found the school to be on a completely different street that actually is perpendicular from the street the signs are posted on. ONE child may be crossing the street where the school zone postings are found but I have never seen a child or a crossing guard anywhere near the flashing lights or posted school speed limits.

Something is wrong with this picture if you ask me.

By Walkerny on Feb 26, 2008

For all the sanctimonious tax collectors with a badge & gun, I have had the pleasure of being with many officers off the job in a social setting, and they ALL speed and ALL get off by dispaying their ID. It’s called ‘proffesional courtesy’. They also give friends & family their business card and that gets them off, at least in the home jurisdiction.

The few who were not given ‘professional courtesy’ in this jurisdiction or that whine about it like stuck…errr…farm animals.

HYPOCRITES!!

By keythewish on Mar 1, 2008

Jenny said:
> I’m a tourist and I got a traffic ticket but I’m not sure how much I have to pay. I was driving at 93mph. The speed limit for the highway was 75mph but the description for my violation was exceed 85mph. So, do i pay for the fine slated for 18mph over or 8mph over?

I’m making an educated guess here, so you might ask the court clerk to clarify (usually there’s a phone number you can call on the citation). My guess is that the violation is exceeding the speed limit, but the 85 mph is put in as an evaluation of the extent, in order to set the penalty.

Typically, the fines and/or penalties are determined by how much you exceed the limit. In this instance, 85 is 15 mph faster than the posted speed. I once got a speeding ticket for exceeding by over 20 mph. The impact of that was not only did the officer claim he could take me in for reckless driving same as a DUI, but that I was not eligible for defensive driving to clear the ticket.

By Douglas Guerra on Mar 1, 2008

Jenny

If you never plan to visit the States again, don’t pay the ticket. There are zero consequences for you - unless maybe you’re Canadian. However, if you have gotten a ticket in one State, didn’t pay it, then you are stopped in another State while visiting the US again, I don’t know what the situation is. I have asked this question on several Web-sites but have never gotten an answer.

By Ken on Mar 13, 2008

To the officers who’ve posted here:
How many of you have been stopped (off-duty) for an infraction only to be let off as a “professional courtesy”? Thought so. Ever wonder why people don’t respect you? All you need is a major attitude adjustment of being “above the law”.

BTW, Deputy Sue, based on what you’ve posted, you have my respect and you are what I’d like to see more of in the law enforcement community. It genuinely sounds like you picked the field for the right reasons.

By kyle on Mar 17, 2008

I feel the same way as most of you i don’t feel most of the time im driving unreasonable i have a very high level of standards for my driving my friends at time say why are you always getting in the right lane. I do admit when im on the interstate i do usually exceed the speed limit but there is no set speed i drive it varies due to time of day how many cars are near by and other factors one posted speed limit can not do. I do from time to time go out on a very empty stretch of highway and reach speeds well in excesses of 100 mph but only when there is next to no traffic. One thing i notice is when i drive my bike i like to run 10-20% faster then traffic because it puts me in the position doing the passing and that helps a lot because i am moving through them instead of them running up on me not paying attention and when i am on my bike i am 100% focused on driving and driving only that is why i have breaks and suspension that reflect that. To me it seams unfair when my bike will stop in half the distance most cars will.

By Makenzie on Mar 18, 2008

OMG, I was given a ticket this morning by a police officer sitting in the dark with all his lights off doing 7 miles over the limit? How in the heck can it be legal for them to do this? If it were me sitting on the side of the road with all my lights off I would be considered Suspicious?

By walkerny on Mar 18, 2008

I see more and more of these revenue collectors than ever, hiding at bottom of hills and other dark, sneaky places. I say we fight back. If everyone would flash their signals for the next few miles after passing one of these tax collectors, we’d dry up their revenue, or at least make it less profitable. Better, if I have time, I’m going to write a sign “Speed trap ahead” and flash it to oncoming traffic. Maybe even stand down the road for a few minutes (parked legally and standing on public property out of the road.) Freedom isn’t free, we have to fight this growing menace. When did the police decide to become revenue agents. Is that why they joined the force? Maybe for just an easy public service job. It sure isn’t about safety or fighting crime for hordes of cops in New York. I see traffic stops all over, very few meth labs busted.

By walkerny on Mar 18, 2008

notice how the cops stopped posting after the practice of ‘professional courtesy’ was mentioned. (Cops letting each other off the hook when stopped for speeding).

That’s right, you sanctimonious parasites on the public treasury, you have no comeback for that practice.

HYPOCRITES !!!

By pillsbury on Mar 18, 2008

Makenzie - If you were sitting in the dark or light on the side of the road with yours lights on or off - south carolina h.p. would have burnt you for “illegal parking” for probably about $240 smackers.
s.c.h.p. is getting worse.

By pillsbury on Mar 18, 2008

hey - walker ny
Law enforcement enforces from the PROFITABLE end of law. It cost money to go after the REAL problems in society, like meth labs,child molesters and crackheads busting into peoples houses. Or stealing AC units from churches for the copper.
We need legislation, but them crooks we have running the gov. will smile to our face and agree with us til they git behind closed doors. When they pass bill S1959, things will really git bad.

By akbar on Apr 16, 2008

i am a single father and tickets have caused me not to be abel to take care of my family be cause my work i need a license to drive can some one out there help my ticket was 1,400 but detriot has razed them to 4,060 they say it is because pentaltes but every on nos they are broke in MI PLEASE HELP.

By JOE on Apr 16, 2008

Well walkerny you would be more effective in the long run to take that aggression and form a coalition to take your fight to the politicians. They bare the ultimate responsibility for allowing this to happen. Cops can’t enforce laws that aren’t there or legal. It just can’t be said enough, the final solution to all these driving problems are political. Fighting with the cops will not solve the problem. If your upset about all this revenue generation, as you correctly identified, then you need to get like minded people on your side and go after the politicians. Otherwise, your ultimately spinning your wheels, so to speak.

By walkerny on Apr 16, 2008

JOE

Your comments are appreciated and understood, however most ticket revenue is generated by targeting people who don’t vote for the politicians in the geography they are caught in. You know, THEM… So in Canada, I get a ticket yet have no vote. What I CAN do, is vote with my feet. Ontario is now off my list for vacation and hockey tournament. That will cost them thousands in tax revenue over time. I also will not, of course, PAY the fine in question.

I get pulled over locally once every 7 or 8 years and have ALWAYS been let go. They aren’t interested in pissing off people who vote.

So yeah, when you get a local issue, like photo tickets, fight it hard, but we have no power over the pols from other countries, states, counties and jerkwater cities and towns, probably 20% of jurisdictions that write 90% of the tickets.

By walkerny on Apr 16, 2008

still not a peep from our commentators in blue defending “professional courtesy” given to other officers, as well as friends, family, girlfriends, etc., while the rest of us pay sums shylocks would be proud of