Got a Ticket for "Speeding" at 12:30AM, How Do I Contest?

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

I just got a ticket today on my way home for going 60MPH on a 40MPH zone. It's the first time I get a ticket, though.

The road I was at didn't have much lightning so it would've been pretty much impossible to see the posted speed limit, which I'll have to check if there was one even posted. Some other things are that the cop didn't have any lights on at all, so obviously I did not see him. He only turned his lights on when he was behind me, and afterwards he also turned on those blinking lights they have on top of the cruiser. And, obviously, it's fucking 12:30AM and there's no traffic at all so it's not like what I was doing was unsafe. The ticket was for $150, and obviously I don't want to pay that. What should I do?

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Here in California, you can speed and still be legal. If the ticket is for unsafe speed, you just have to prove the speed you were doing was safe to do so based on the conditions. Most of the time that means no pedestrians were in danger. Now if you get a ticket for exceeding the maximum speed, those are much harder to get out of. When being pulled over, its best if asked, do you know how fast you were going, is to reply with yes. I was going a speed I feel was safe at the time, do not say no you don't. You want to show you were paying attention and driving safely.

 

[Six]

Stop whining. Man up and pay it. Duh.

 

[jpeyton]

I'll try to give you all possible options.

For your current ticket:

1) Call the court clerk; see if they can offer driving school and/or reduce your fine.
2) Contest the ticket via trial by affidavit and hope the cop forgets to follow through; case dismissed. If the cop does follow through, it's their word against yours and you'll always lose.

To prevent future tickets:

1) Don't speed.
2) Do what I did: this plus this

 

[The_Dude8]

Here in California, you can speed and still be legal. If the ticket is for unsafe speed, you just have to prove the speed you were doing was safe to do so based on the conditions. Most of the time that means no pedestrians were in danger. Now if you get a ticket for exceeding the maximum speed, those are much harder to get out of. When being pulled over, its best if asked, do you know how fast you were going, is to reply with yes. I was going a speed I feel was safe at the time, do not say no you don't. You want to show you were paying attention and driving safely.

in CA, his speeding ticket would be $350 easily.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

in CA, his speeding ticket would be $350 easily.

Hell, a carpool ticket can cost that.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I just got a ticket today on my way home for going 60MPH on a 40MPH zone. It's the first time I get a ticket, though.

The road I was at didn't have much lightning so it would've been pretty much impossible to see the posted speed limit, which I'll have to check if there was one even posted. Some other things are that the cop didn't have any lights on at all, so obviously I did not see him. He only turned his lights on when he was behind me, and afterwards he also turned on those blinking lights they have on top of the cruiser. And, obviously, it's fucking 12:30AM and there's no traffic at all so it's not like what I was doing was unsafe. The ticket was for $150, and obviously I don't want to pay that. What should I do?

Don't your headlights work? Signs are reflective.

Whether you see the cop or not isn't the point, the point was you were speeding. Unfamiliar road and missed the sign though, yeah, that can suck, but the cop has nothing to do with it (well aside from giving you the ticket).

Time of day doesn't matter with a speed limit either... Sometimes I think it should but it doesn't.

 

[gooseman]

Speeding is speeding. How much light the road has is not relevant. That's why your vehicle has headlights! The fact that the cop had no lights on, again not relevant. He does not have any duty which says you have to be able to see him. If you wish to be mad at someone, it is all on you my man. As Six said, grow a pair.

 

[jjsbasmt]

Speeding at night.........................now that's really a smart thing to do!!!!! Pay that ticket and consider it a $150 lesson learned.

 

[midwestfisherman]

LOL @ the OP.

 

[mikegg]

Pay the ticket. You sped 20 MPH more than the limit at night.

 

[unixwizzard]

The ticket was for $150, and obviously I don't want to pay that. What should I do?

You could pay the ticket just like everybody else who gets one and doesn't want to pay..

Or if you are one of those rich 1%ers you could spend a couple thousand on a lawyer to "beat" the ticket.. :sneaky:

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

OP, not sure how this isn't your fault. If you couldn't see the reflective road signs, then you sure as hell would not have been able to see any pedestrians walking along. The fact that you couldn't see the police car is, if anything, even more hinting at the idea that you shouldn't have been speeding.

 

[Colt45]

If you can't see the signs you're going too fast.

 

[Murloc]

I just got a ticket today on my way home for going 60MPH on a 40MPH zone. It's the first time I get a ticket, though.

The road I was at didn't have much lightning so it would've been pretty much impossible to see the posted speed limit, which I'll have to check if there was one even posted. Some other things are that the cop didn't have any lights on at all, so obviously I did not see him. He only turned his lights on when he was behind me, and afterwards he also turned on those blinking lights they have on top of the cruiser. And, obviously, it's fucking 12:30AM and there's no traffic at all so it's not like what I was doing was unsafe. The ticket was for $150, and obviously I don't want to pay that. What should I do?

it doesn't matter if you didn't see the radar or the cop car.
Often they use unsigned cars and hidden radars left alone to avoid being seen.

It doesn't matter if no one was in danger, also you can't know that since you weren't even able to see a cop car, let alone a pedestrian.

Not remembering the limit is no excuse, and usually you can see from the kind of road what the limit is, e.g. inside of villages (= houses on both sides) it's usually 50 km/h, and 30 km/h zones are easy to see due to their unique characteristics and very noticeable signage when you enter them. Outiside if you go 60 km/h you can't go wrong. Instead you went like 100 km/h which is not okay in 99% of places that are not an autobahn.
Now this maybe doesn't apply to the US, but I'm pretty sure you have similar rules-of-thumb too.

Pay up.

 

[steve wilson]

I don't think you can get out of this ticket. I think you will waste time and money fighting it. Accept you got caught speeding, pay the fine and don't waste any more time/money on it.

Or if you can do a drivers ed to get out of it, then do that.

 

[hans030390]

I just got a ticket today on my way home for going 60MPH on a 40MPH zone. It's the first time I get a ticket, though.

The road I was at didn't have much lightning so it would've been pretty much impossible to see the posted speed limit, which I'll have to check if there was one even posted. Some other things are that the cop didn't have any lights on at all, so obviously I did not see him. He only turned his lights on when he was behind me, and afterwards he also turned on those blinking lights they have on top of the cruiser. And, obviously, it's fucking 12:30AM and there's no traffic at all so it's not like what I was doing was unsafe. The ticket was for $150, and obviously I don't want to pay that. What should I do?

How old are you? Did you just start driving? You were speeding by a large amount. The time of day does not matter, though arguably speeding is less safe at night due to more limited vision. You did not get a warning. You got a ticket. You now need to pay the ticket. Man up and be responsible.

Also, as someone else pointed out, street signs are reflective. If you were driving at 12:30AM without headlights on, perhaps you should not be driving at all. Not seeing them otherwise is your own fault.

And what does the cop having their lights off have anything to do with your scenario? This is a common thing for cops to do, and for obvious reasons. (I'm mad because I got caught doing something by someone that didn't announce their authoritative presence that would have otherwise prevented me from acting poorly! It's their fault for catching me in the act!)

The only way you could maybe fight the ticket would be to prove that for X amount of miles of road (whatever X might be), there were no speed limit signs posted (though this argument would not hold up if the road had been unchanging for many, many miles and did not require constant signs).

 

[AdamantC]

Let me get this straight. You were going 60 MPH... down a poorly lit road.... at 12:30AM... without bothering to slow down and check for a speed limit? Your lucky you didn't wrap you car round a tree or another driver.

I'd say it was pretty fortuitous were only fined $150.

 

[gorcorps]

You got what you deserve and would never win an argument otherwise. Pay up chump

 

[AViking]

lol did you buy your driver's license? Go read the book.

You could however spend the $18 or whatever to contest the ticket in court. I highly suggest you use the "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit" defense. Dress up like a bear in the courtroom too and address the judge by a pet name like "kitty" or "shorty".

 

[dabuddha]

Man you're going to get burned on here for wanting to get out of it lol

 

[boomerang]

The best defense in a situation like this where you are clearly in the right but "the man" is coming down on you is to explain to the judge that "hey, at least I hadn't been drinking that night." The judge will be so appreciative that he'll let you off with a warning.

 

[rudeguy]

Stop whining. Man up and pay it. Duh.

this

 

[diesbudt]

Cannot fight this ticket. Don't bother trying.

1) You did speed, greatly even. So you are at fault
2) Signs are reflective. If you have headlights that work you should read the signs. Ignorance is not an excuse of the law. If your headlights were not on/don't work, you should have been ticketed even more.
3) Time of day does not matter. Speeding is speeding, and night time is worse.
4) Cops do not have to announce their presence. And he wasn't on the road driving at the time, so he didn't need to have his head lights on.

Also 20 over, is getting close to go to jail overnight speeding, especially at night. (@25+ over Cop's discretion to arrest the driver) You should consider yourself lucky. And Don't be a fool next time.

 

[rudeguy]

I just got a ticket today on my way home for going 60MPH on a 40MPH zone. It's the first time I get a ticket, though.

The road I was at didn't have much lightning so you were speeding in a dimly lit area? What if someone was walking on the side of the road? so it would've been pretty much impossible to see the posted speed limit, which I'll have to check if there was one even posted you had no idea what the speed limit was? Why not do a million then?. Some other things are that the cop didn't have any lights on at all, so obviously I did not see himif you didn't see him, how do you know he didn't have his lights on?. He only turned his lights on when he was behind me, and afterwards he also turned on those blinking lights they have on top of the cruiser. And, obviously, it's fucking 12:30AM and there's no traffic at all so it's not like what I was doing was unsafebut it was illegal. The ticket was for $150, and obviously I don't want to pay that. What should I do? stop posting

there we go