I was doing about 35mph on the street I live on in western massachusetts, hit some sand and fishtailed a bit, cruiser coming the other way. Wrote me a $225 ticket for "f-ailure to stay in marked lanes", and $50 for "violation of speed regulation" where he didn't say how fast I was going. Gonna go take some pictures of the sand tomarrow and challenge the ticket, any advice? I've never gone to court for a ticket before.

 

I just thought of something else to keep this off my insurance, I heard (in massachusetts) if you overpay the ticket by like $10, they will have to send you a rebate, and if you don't cash it somehow the ticket doesn't enter the system. Is this true? Red tape could be beautiful.

 

That's a bogus rumor...the state doesn't care about you overpaying. They'll gladly keep the extra $10.

 

Nice try smonka on the over pay

Go to court and try to win



[Modified by Desertdawg, 11:37 PM 4/16/2002]

 

I just went to take pictures of the sand today, sadly there weren't any skid marks showing I never went over the line, but there is a dirt road dump truck come out of frequently next to where I slid, giving me the source of the sand.

 

Chances are you will get your ticket reduced but doubtfully thrown out. I have had 2 tickets in the last 10 years (not the Vette) and fought both of them. They just plea bargained it down to a lesser charge. Unless you have concrete proof they will get something out of you. Give it a try you have nothing to lose

 

When I got my ticket I mentioned to the judge that I was a young man in a corvette. The judge would have thrown it out had I plead innocent(I plead guilty) I WAS speeding. She reduced it as far as she could. Apparently she had a vette when she was a young lady and they hassled her too. So that helped me. Remember we are in high visiblity vehicles.

Jake

 

Urban Legend. No truth at all. :nonod: The ticket is already in the system, just waiting for a final disposition. If you over pay and they send you a check for a refund and you choose not to cash it, that's your problem, not theirs. If you under pay or don't pay...well then they get REAL concerned. :yesnod:

 

Nope, sorry dude.
http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/ticket.htm

 

You might try asking for this to be considered a civil charge instead of a criminal charge. You will still have to pay the ticket, but it will not show up on your insurance. Good Luck!!

 

They were both marked civil on the ticket, I thought any moving violation raised your insurance? It has to be criminal to raise your insurance? I don't think speeding is criminal.

 

Try giving them a sob storry about your car being out of tune and it hesitates then takes of due to bad carb. They may change the ticket to defective equipment with no insurance worries. Just another angle to think about.

 

I would plead innocent and tell them that with sand like that on the roads it's sometimes very easy to slip a little especially with positraction...You wern't hotroding, and remind her the 'normal cars in that situation will only sip one wheel, your's spins both

 

Be straight with the court. Show a solid, steady demeanor and simply state that you hit the sand and the car momentarily lost traction - like hitting black ice. You were not speeding and that the car was quickly corrected with no risk to any car nearby. Furthermore, that in your two+ years of driving you have not had ANY tickets. That you are a very careful driver in a car that attracts even more attention to your behavior than a standard car. (I've had my 69 since I was 17). Push your good driving record very firmly, it is your strongest argument. But be very respectful to both the court and the cop. Your behavior in court speaks volumes of your behavior and maturity on the road. If the cop exaggerates your fishtailing, simply and clearly state in even tones that this is not correct. Perhaps the fine dust made by a sleek looking car made it look more dramatic; but, in truth it was less than 1 second and under the 35 mph limit.

Don't get into what may have been wrong with your car. Such claims make even my eyes roll :rolleyes: The simple fact is that the cop was not impressed with your driving and now you must show the court that you are worthy of the state's trust to hold a license.

I had such a ticket when I was 21. I was ticketed for doing65 in a 45 when I had been following 5 cars for the last 15 miles. He said that the cars in front of me were only doing 45. In court, they had me go talk to the DA who was very willing to compromise on the ticket. I kept telling him that I wasn't speeding. " How about 55 in a 45?" My response, "No!" Politely I continued to firmly state my innocence. Only because of my very clean record did he reduce the ticket to a "broken headlight", no moving violation. You might even suggest to the court that the ticket be thrown out if you keep your nose clean for a year without any more tickets.

Best of luck to you,

Chuck

 

Don't know how old your car is - but I've used the 'old car excuse' with a cop once and I got a warning.... he stopped me for speeding through an intersection (although he didn't know what speed)....I told him that I was in danger of not making the light & since it was an older vehicle - I didn't have enough stopping power..... He gave me a warning & told me to 'slow' down.

You could also tell the judge you have posi-traction without traction control which caused you to 'fishtale' .....just be honest - the judge will 'see' right through a :bs story !

Good luck ! :cheers:


[Modified by verskel, 11:53 AM 4/18/2002]

 

Believe me, they HAVE heard them all. :yesnod: :rolleyes:

 

I must take issue with all of the "old car" excuses. If I was a cop or judge and heard such a line, I would be more motivated than ever to get that piece of crap off the road before it hurt somebody.

Regarding "positraction", if it was so bad, why do all the new cars like my ZO6 still have it? It puts the power down to the wheel that still has the traction, what is bad about that? If it didn't, the one tire would simply spin out. This is good?

The GM design is a very good one. The plates expand a little when they get hot from slipping and lock up the rear using a clutch instead of using a pin which can shear off. I know I may be hurting some feelings, but complaints about positraction from Corvette owners surprise me. This is the kind of stuff I would expect to hear from uniformed drivers. Vette owners are a cut above. I say this with over 300,000 miles in Vettes while living in the mountains of Colorado. I never didn't drive the cars because of bad weather. I found the Vette to be a great improvement over my Camaro that didn't have positraction!

Chuck

 

Your doing 35mph and your back end kicked out enough to catch a cops eye? Come on.. Tell the truith.. What were you doing? :jester

 

Kinda have to agree with this one. Was the road at least curved? Otherwise, I probably have to go with the cop on this one. Old car or not, you don't just start fishtailing on sand cruising along at 35 mph on a straight road in a Vette. That being said, the judge is probably going to think the same thing so don't try to BS him/her. You might be able to fight the speeding because the cop coming the other direction has no idea how fast you're going (unless you passed him doing 80, then it's kinda obvious). I think your best bet is to try and plead this one down and throw yourself on the mercy of the court. Dress appropriately, be respectful and a little, "I'm sorry your honor. I was acting stupidly and have learned a valuable lesson and pledge not to do it again. You will never see me before you again on such a charge" won't hurt either. (They LOVE groveling)

 

Civil vs. Criminal charge may be different from state to state. I had a ticket reduced in Arkansas. I paid the ticket and that was the end of it. I have never tried it in Missouri. I have only recieved one ticket in Missouri and I deserved getting that one. 35 in a 20 mph school zone.