I travel throughout the year to check up on my parents and occassionally I have an appointment with a specialist where I used to live.
I live in Denver, CO and I was traveling to Albuquerque, NM , a trip that is over 400 miles and that I have succesfully traveled roundtrip over 15 times.
I have never received a ticket for speeding and have only received two parking tickets while I have been driving. I have only been pulled over in Colorado two times for my rear turn light being burned out and I have never been pulled over in any other state.
I was 4 miles outside of Las Vegas, NM when I started to pass a 18-wheeler commercial truck and I moved from the right to the left lane and as soon as I pulled ahead of the truck I saw in my mirror two sets of bright lights. I then pulled to the right lane after making sure I was sufficiently ahead of the truck and still noticed the bright lights from the truck and a second vehicle in the left lane that had been following me.
The second vehicle then placed on their police lights and I was pulled over to the right hand side of the interstate. The officer asked me if I knew that I was going 89-93 MPH in a 75 MPH zone and I said "no sir" and he asked for my liscense and registration and I quickly give to him becuase I had it out. He then asked me for my insurance card (when I was asked for this information before the registration was fine because it shows proof of insurance) and so I had to look through my files I had with me while he impatiently went to his patrol car.
He was really anxious to charge me with something and said that if I didn't have the insurance card he was going to charge me and he make sure to charge me because I was in"big trouble." When he came back after calling dispatch about my insurance information he said it was valid and I showed him the current insurance card with date but he didn't seem interested anymore. I told him I was going to contest the charges (I know that I always go 80-85MPH and the last that I saw I was going at 85MPH to pass the truck) and he said I have thirty days to go to local magistrate and then gave me the ticket to sign.
I asked him for his ID, business card (Colorado State Trooper always have business cards), and name but he said he could only show me his badge and he seemed annoyed by telling me his name. I asked if he was a NM State Trooper becuase he never said who he was or what kind of police officer he was he also seemed annoyed by this.
After reading the ticket I saw that I was being accused of traveling 88MPH in the 75MPH and that it was "verified by radar" and not the speed he indicated when he first spoke to me. I signed the ticket to appear in local magistrate and then handed back everything to him. He then said I broke his pen or something and I didn't know what he was talking about and I said "if that's all I'll be on my way."
What are my chances of contesting this ticket? I have traveled this interstate many times and the average speed is 80-85MPH and I was keeping the pace of the other drivers around me (the speed of the truck) when I decided to pass on the left hand side. I don't want my record tarnished when I know I wasn't "speeding" or driving outside of the normal range for this interstate.
I live in Denver, CO and I was traveling to Albuquerque, NM , a trip that is over 400 miles and that I have succesfully traveled roundtrip over 15 times.
I have never received a ticket for speeding and have only received two parking tickets while I have been driving. I have only been pulled over in Colorado two times for my rear turn light being burned out and I have never been pulled over in any other state.
I was 4 miles outside of Las Vegas, NM when I started to pass a 18-wheeler commercial truck and I moved from the right to the left lane and as soon as I pulled ahead of the truck I saw in my mirror two sets of bright lights. I then pulled to the right lane after making sure I was sufficiently ahead of the truck and still noticed the bright lights from the truck and a second vehicle in the left lane that had been following me.
The second vehicle then placed on their police lights and I was pulled over to the right hand side of the interstate. The officer asked me if I knew that I was going 89-93 MPH in a 75 MPH zone and I said "no sir" and he asked for my liscense and registration and I quickly give to him becuase I had it out. He then asked me for my insurance card (when I was asked for this information before the registration was fine because it shows proof of insurance) and so I had to look through my files I had with me while he impatiently went to his patrol car.
He was really anxious to charge me with something and said that if I didn't have the insurance card he was going to charge me and he make sure to charge me because I was in"big trouble." When he came back after calling dispatch about my insurance information he said it was valid and I showed him the current insurance card with date but he didn't seem interested anymore. I told him I was going to contest the charges (I know that I always go 80-85MPH and the last that I saw I was going at 85MPH to pass the truck) and he said I have thirty days to go to local magistrate and then gave me the ticket to sign.
I asked him for his ID, business card (Colorado State Trooper always have business cards), and name but he said he could only show me his badge and he seemed annoyed by telling me his name. I asked if he was a NM State Trooper becuase he never said who he was or what kind of police officer he was he also seemed annoyed by this.
After reading the ticket I saw that I was being accused of traveling 88MPH in the 75MPH and that it was "verified by radar" and not the speed he indicated when he first spoke to me. I signed the ticket to appear in local magistrate and then handed back everything to him. He then said I broke his pen or something and I didn't know what he was talking about and I said "if that's all I'll be on my way."
What are my chances of contesting this ticket? I have traveled this interstate many times and the average speed is 80-85MPH and I was keeping the pace of the other drivers around me (the speed of the truck) when I decided to pass on the left hand side. I don't want my record tarnished when I know I wasn't "speeding" or driving outside of the normal range for this interstate.