Are Speeding tickets suplementing budgets?

[Chukar Hunter]

Let me first say I am not a conspericy theory guy and have alot of respect for the law and it's officers.This last weekend I was traveling in Ca and I admit I was speeding and was pulled over by a CHP that was heading the opposite direction. I admitted to him I was going 62 in a 55 and without hardly any talking he returned to his car and came back with a ticket for 75 mph.
I questioned politely the speed and all he said was that signing the ticket was not admitting guilt. Is this just a way for the state to make up for budget problems by targeting out of state people who probably are not going to take a day from work and travel back to fieght it?
Any way be carefull and watch you speed on Hwy 299 near Weaverville Ca.

 

[chnlisle]

I just paid 2 for Pam that I felt were a little CS. The first was photo radar for 6mph over in Phoenix the second was hand held radar a block from my house for 5 over. OK she was over the speed limit but c'mon.

A word to the wise AZ is like a kid with a new toy and photo radar is every where Particularly on I10 between CA and Phoenix.

 

[SunMan]

I just paid 2 for Pam that I felt were a little CS. The first was photo radar for 6mph over in Phoenix the second was hand held radar a block from my house for 5 over. OK she was over the speed limit but c'mon.

A word to the wise AZ is like a kid with a new toy and photo radar is every where especially on I10 between CA and Phoenix.

Ouch! CS is right.

 

[pods8]

I'm just glad we have enough cops out there to hand out speeding tickets because it means they must have already solved all the murders, rapes, burglaries, stolen property, etc... Oh wait those ones don't make revenue...

Long story yes I think police departments (or the state at a minimum) rely on a certain amount of money from tickets and I also think that at times that becomes a priority over some other assignments that would "serve" the public better.

 

[ScottBailey]

Correction

A word to the wise AZ is like a kid with a new toy and photo radar is every where especially on I10 between CA and Phoenix.

Jay,

I'd like to take issue with your use of especially. I don't think that word means what you think it does.

In AZ right now, if it's paved, you must assume it has photo radar. I assume FRs in the National Forests are next.

 

[chnlisle]

Scotty,
While coming back from CA 2 weeks ago the stretch from the scales to the Phoenix bypass had 5 count them 5 photo radar set ups and the California drivers were getting snapped at an alarming rate.

You guys from my old home state they really mean 75MPH not 76 and Especially not 85.

 

[Ted]

I can't speak for the CHP, but my work includes direct involvement with the traffic officers in the city I work for, though I am not an employee of the police department. As a city, we get about 21% of the fine. The bulk of the fine goes to the county to cover traffic court expenses, and the rest goes to the state. When you figure in the time involved for the officer to perform the stop and go to court, the overhead of the officer's vehicle, police station, etc., it truly does cost us more to write a ticket than we make. But the alternative is to do no traffic enforcement at all. While that may sound ideal to some, we get calls every day saying we are not doing enough to control traffic as it is. This may sound cliche', but at least where I work it truly is a matter of safety.

 

[chnlisle]

Les,
Coming in the chippies were swarming. I set the cruise for 71 and relied on my Veterans Plates to save me. Normally when I'm not in a hurry I set the cruise at 64 and let the world pass me by but I had to get in and get out quick.

The rest of you thanks for your kind thoughts about Pam's mom. Things are getting back to normal here.

 

[pvstoy]

Let me first say I am not a conspericy theory guy and have alot of respect for the law and it's officers.This last weekend I was traveling in Ca and I admit I was speeding and was pulled over by a CHP that was heading the opposite direction. I admitted to him I was going 62 in a 55 and without hardly any talking he returned to his car and came back with a ticket for 75 mph.I questioned politely the speed and all he said was that signing the ticket was not admitting guilt. Is this just a way for the state to make up for budget problems by targeting out of state people who probably are not going to take a day from work and travel back to fieght it?
Any way be carefull and watch you speed on Hwy 299 near Weaverville Ca.

Does the law still state that if radar was used, upon request you have the right to see the radar locked in with your info. If the info is not there you can not get a ticket for the speed the officer claimed???

 

[SunMan]

Does the law still state that if radar was used, upon request you have the right to see the radar locked in with your info. If the info is not there you can not get a ticket for the speed the officer claimed???

Patrick,
Apparently still true...

http://law.freeadvice.com/general_practice/traffic_law/speeding_radar.htm

 

[Chukar Hunter]

Thats good info to know about the radar, I will ask if it ever hapens again.
I just want to be clear that I am not anti law. I drive over 100 miles a day and am very thankfull for the work they do but I do feel I was targeted as being out of state and not likely to contest it. For all I know Nevada could be doing the same thing.
I don't dought that it cost the city, county, or state to issue tickets but if they do get an out of state person and add a few MPH to the ticket and that person does not return to defend themself it's profit.

 

[Chukar Hunter]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,490629,00.html
I guess I'm not crazy.

 

[Ted]

Our department has both radar and lidar. Radar uses radio waves, lidar light waves. We use them to get the prevailing speeds on roadways for setting speed limits, signal timings, etc. Radar puts out a wide beam and can read several vehicles at once when shooting a distance away. In the carrying case is a tuning fork used to check the calibration. The officers are instructed to do so before every use. So checking the calibration is not likely to get you out of a ticket.
But this is a moot point because radar is rarely used anymore. With Lidar, the officer can direct the beam on something as small as the vehicle's license plate from nearly 1000'. This eliminates the confusion of multiple vehicles. As to seeing the data, I don't know about that. We read the speeds of 100 free flowing vehicles in each direction as quickly as possible while another person writes them down. I don't know of a way to save each reading to memory but it seems like it would be preety easy to have such a feature in the unit.
Don't forget the manafacturer of these things, the police, and the judges read the same websites about how to get out of tickets.

 

[Sportsman Matt]

First thing is NEVER EVER ADMIT you were going faster than the Speed Limit. that was told to me by a State Trooper who issued hundreds of citations a month. Second, ask to see the radar. If told "No" kindly request the officer explain why you are not allowed to see the radar and take notes. Third, never sign anything without an attourney present. If the ticket is legit, the officer will just write "refused to sign" and hand you the copy. Ask to make sure the correct address for payment is written on the citation. Then leave and contest the ticket. Yes you need to take time off, and you'll probably get hit with the fine if the cop does show up, but 99% of the time, the officer doesn't show and the judge will rule in your favor.

I've been pulled over quite a few times, mostly because I'm the only one on the road and the local police need to make revenue. Unfortunately the times they issue tickets, and I go to court, I have a ruling in my favor because either they didn't show, they failed to fill out the citation properly, or gross neglegence on the officer when giving testamony, or the radar or lidar wasn't calibrated or tested within the specified time frame and information properly recorded.

If your fortunate enough, your insurance company won't catch wind of the ticket if you pay it. Out here they look at in state and out of state tickets to figure your yearly premium, and if you have too many out of state citations, they can cancel your policy due to bad driver history. Which stinks because you are required by law to have insurance or else the registry will cancel your vehicle registration.

 

[mtn-high]

It's either a reaction to the economy or the closing of all those Krispy Kreme stores...

either way...*they* are out here in CO >in force< as of late. On the way to Denver last weekend we must have seen 10 people pulled over in a 15 mile stretch. Of course, there ARE a lot of bozos out there who feel they MUST drive 90 no matter what the speed limit is. (or the road conditions are)

zoom, zoom, zoom...

mtn

 

[Star152]

Bad info

First thing is NEVER EVER ADMIT you were going faster than the Speed Limit. that was told to me by a State Trooper who issued hundreds of citations a month. Second, ask to see the radar. If told "No" kindly request the officer explain why you are not allowed to see the radar and take notes. Third, never sign anything without an attourney present. If the ticket is legit, the officer will just write "refused to sign" and hand you the copy. Ask to make sure the correct address for payment is written on the citation. Then leave and contest the ticket. Yes you need to take time off, and you'll probably get hit with the fine if the cop does show up, but 99% of the time, the officer doesn't show and the judge will rule in your favor.

I've been pulled over quite a few times, mostly because I'm the only one on the road and the local police need to make revenue. Unfortunately the times they issue tickets, and I go to court, I have a ruling in my favor because either they didn't show, they failed to fill out the citation properly, or gross neglegence on the officer when giving testamony, or the radar or lidar wasn't calibrated or tested within the specified time frame and information properly recorded.

If your fortunate enough, your insurance company won't catch wind of the ticket if you pay it. Out here they look at in state and out of state tickets to figure your yearly premium, and if you have too many out of state citations, they can cancel your policy due to bad driver history. Which stinks because you are required by law to have insurance or else the registry will cancel your vehicle registration.

SM Refusal to sign a promise to appear will result in your car being towed and being arrested. there is no requirement to show the Radar/Lidar unit. what state do you live in? if the officers are making that many errors you should worry about how they investigate felony crimes.

 

[Chukar Hunter]

FYI the cost of the ticket is $307.00

 

[DLN]

Ouch, that hurts!