My $741 speeding ticket I recieved today.

[Early93Viper]

I was driving with my buddies (3 other vipers and a Lotus Esprit) on our weekly car cruise. I was in the lead with my buddy Steven in the passenger seat and with my buddy my viper buddy ****** (I am not going to name him without his permission) right behind me in his viper. When I stepped on the gas and brought the car up to a decent speed. That's when I saw him, in the distance a Johnson County Sheriff. The a$$hole quickly turned on his lights and I knew I was in for it. ****** and I pulled over while the other guys (who had better radar detectors and slowed) drove on to the restaurant we where meeting at.



The Cop quickly got out of his car walked up to ****** first and said he clocked us going 180 MPH! (We where not going anywhere near that) Then he walked up to me and said (correcting himself) that he clocked us at 108 MPH and said that he was going to give us a ticket for drag racing. I looked at Steven in the Passenger seat and looked back. I then said "How could we be drag racing". We where on a back country road and ****** was at least 7 or 8 cars behind me in the same lane. He then turned around and went back to his car.



About 30 minutes latter (most of which I was wondering if I was going to jail) he came out of his cop car and hands us our $741 tickets. (A least he didn't give us a bogus drag racing ticket) Both our tickets are identical speeds which leads me to believe he didn't lock on to both of us. And that maybe we can fight it.



What really tops it off is it was the day before my birthday.



So does anyone know of a good lawyer?

[kcobean]

OUCH that's an expensive ticket. Sorry to hear about that.

It always ticks me off to hear about cops 'probing' people during traffic stops to see how much BS they can lay on and get away with it. If you guys hadn't politely disagreed with him, you'd have both gotten tickets for a 180 MPH drag race. The cop knows that once he's in court, all he has to do is show that his gun is calibrated, and beyond that it's your word against his, and that 9 times out of 10 (or more), the judge is going to side with the cop.

[big-n-italian]

if a cop told me i was going that fast, i would tell him i want to see it for myself on his radar. what keeps a cop with a "tude" from making up bogus numbers?

are there any laws that allow us to see this gun and claim if asked? otherwise, how do we know?

[ViperTony]

Hmmm...108mph speeding ticket in a Viper...good luck with that. No judge would ever believe you were traveling that slow in a Viper Get yourself a good attorney, somoeone that knows how to maneuver the local courthouses and make a deal for you BEFORE you have to face a judge. Hopefully, they'll be able to knock down your ticket so you can avoid the judge altogether. I'd be less worried about the ticket and more worried about your insurance if you don't get this knocked down. Keep us posted.

[Scratch]

Did he actually get you on radar? Maybe you can plea the "he was jealous of our cars" routine, and was just harrasing you. Otherwise, does Kansas have a Defensive Driving class you can take in lieu of points and a fine?

[V10SpeedLuvr]

are there any laws that allow us to see this gun and claim if asked? otherwise, how do we know?

In GA (and I assume everywhere else), cops are required to show you the radar gun if you ask. They also have to test it with you watching if you request. I'm not sure how they do the test though. A couple times when I've been pulled over the cop has volunteered to show me the radar gun.

[Viperchad]

Dude....trust me. Get an attorney. You can PM me if you like....I just got out of a HUGE NIGHTMARE here. You don't want that on your license....the points will get you..and you risk your insurance company finding out.

[V10SpeedLuvr]

What was the speedlimit where you got busted? In FL, I got caught doing 101mph in a 70mph and the fine was only ~$350. I definitly say do whatever you can to keep it off your insurance!

[Pictureman]

Hey Dan it wasn't on 179th st was it? The sherrif sits out in front of our house and writes tickets all day long. The speed limit is 45 out in the middle of no where and has that long gradual hill out front and so they get people all the time. The Valentine will go off about 1 mile away from them so I never got any tickets, my wife did in her Saturn Vue though. She said the guy was jerk to her too.

[N2 Vipers]

One thing I learned in traffic school was; always ask to see the gun!

[trumper Z06]

In GA (and I assume everywhere else), cops are required to show you the radar gun if you ask. They also have to test it with you watching if you request. I'm not sure how they do the test though. A couple times when I've been pulled over the cop has volunteered to show me the radar gun.

In Georgia, they use a "tuning fork" to test the radar detector. Don't ask me... how I know !

[V10SpeedLuvr]

One thing I learned in traffic school was; always ask to see the gun!

Really? I never ask. I figure it'll tick them off and make it harder to get them to agree to drop the speed/points when I fight it. Plus the fact I know I'm always guilty anyway

[Early93Viper]

Hey Dan it wasn't on 179th st was it? The sherrif sits out in front of our house and writes tickets all day long. The speed limit is 45 out in the middle of no where and has that long gradual hill out front and so they get people all the time. The Valentine will go off about 1 mile away from them so I never got any tickets, my wife did in her Saturn Vue though. She said the guy was jerk to her too.

It was at 19300 blk of mission RD a 45 mile an hour zone.

I was going to ask to see the radar gun but with his attitude I was thinking he might cart me off to jail if I piss him off further.

I will start calling lawyers today but don’t know if it will count on my insurance more than a regular ticket. I talked to a few people who seem to think (as far as the insurance company is concerned) a speeding ticket is a speeding ticket. They don’t look at MPHs over.

[AviP]

In many states, 30 mph over the speed limit is a serious offense. The cops even have the liberty of adding "reckless endangerment" and/or making it a "criminal" offense and/or "arrest". Basically, the cops can fcuk you legally.

During casual speeding, I always stay under that 30mph mark. When I feel the need for speed, I go nuts but never for long. And I've stopped street racing totally. It's just not worth the price. Note that I'm not even concerned about points and insurance. That's just money! It's the criminal record that worries me the most.

Check out your state laws online and figure out the limits you are willing to risk. It's better to be informed. You might just thank yourself one day.

[JohnnyBravo]

Police calibrate their radar guns a few different ways. They generally have one or two internal calibrations. Push one button on the gun and it should light up "888", which shows that all of the LED's function properly. Push another button and it should light up a particular number like "123". Then they have a tuning fork that they can waive in front of the gun which emits a certain exact speed based on the vibration of the fork. That way they know that the gun is spot-on accurate.

Apparently, in Kansas they are not required to show you the gun. And if you ask, most of them just get ticked off.

Depending on the insurance company, a speeding ticket is not a speeding ticket. A minor infraction (like 15 over) is classified as an SP-1 on your record. A bigger infraction (like more than 15-20 over) is classified as an SP-2 and they look VERY closely at those. They also nail you for things like 'careless and imprudent' and 'drag racing' more than just a simple speeding ticket. Basically, the insurance company recognizes that anyone can get a simple speeding ticket, but if you're going 30+ mph over the limit, then they can deem you a "risk" and bump your rates because they think you're nuts.

There was a law on the books for a while that anything over 95 mph was deemed an attempted vehicular suicide and they'd take you to jail on the spot. They didn't care if it was 95 in a 65 or 95 in a 45. Nobody should be going 95 mph, according to the legislators. I don't think they enforce that one anymore.

You're going to need a good lawyer, and even then, I'm not sure how they will explain going 63 mph over the posted speed limit. More than DOUBLE the speed limit is a tough one to beat.

Call me later and I'll see if I can get you in touch with someone.

[ViperJohn]

We all have had our moments in our cars, I can only imagine how I would feel if I got nailed during one of my escapades. Good luck getting this situation resolved.

[goldcup]

I unfortunately am Dan's viper buddy."Officer it was all Dans fault I was not speeding or doing anything remotely Illegal!!!" He didnt believe me so Dan and I got matching tickets suitable for framing!Otherwise it's always a good drive.

[big-n-italian]

if it were true that you were going (huge number) over the speed limit, AND you were drag racing, why werent you arrested and why wasnt your car impounded?

that is what happens around here under those circumstances. they certainly dont write you out a ticket and allow you to go on your merry way.

are the laws different in MO or is this cop testing you?

[V10SpeedLuvr]

When I got my ticket in FL, I was also sweating bullets on if they were about to impound the Viper and arrest me. To my surprise, the cop just had me sign the ticket as normal and told me it'd be no court appearance required. I took the FL online driving course that dropped my fine 15% and supposedly makes it where my insurance rates cannot go up. This was in September. I found out that starting October 1, any speeding 30mph+ over requires a court appearance and the FL traffic school is no longer an option. I checked last week and the speeding ticket isn't on my record so hopefully that class did keep it off my record.

Has anyone else from GA (or really any other state) gotten a speeding ticket in FL and can confirm if that driving school really keeps the ticket off your record or not?

[RoadiJeff]

that he clocked us at 108 MPH

Tell them you were confused and thought you were going 108 kilometers per hour (about 67 mph).

As the others have already said, a good lawyer is what is needed here.

[KURT E]

I was third in line. They were NOT drag racing. The "questionable judgement" started from a 50mph roll on a 2 lane blacktop in single file. Car #1 takes off, car #2 does the same. No side-by-side at all. I know we were going 50 because I checked my speed when I saw the events unfold in front of me. Furthermore-there is no way the officer got a clean shot at Viper #2 (I think this might help driver #2 in court).

When I stopped (I knew I was not speeding) to ask the officer what I should do he gestured and glared like I just got off of his mother. I dont understand that. Even temper or even a smile---it still results in $741 worth of fines.

I would love to find out that I am that officers dentist (Dan e-mail his name to me). For the record-I have no problems with the police at all. This guy was an a$$.

Kurt

[KURT E]

AND happy birth-day. Did you tell the little lady yet?

Kurt

[big-n-italian]

i know alot of us have these "louder" aftermarket exhausts on our car including me. i have heard some vipers LEGALLY accelerate and sound like they are blasting going down the quarter mile.

is this what happened with you guys maybe?

[my viper]

When I got my ticket in FL, I was also sweating bullets on if they were about to impound the Viper and arrest me. To my surprise, the cop just had me sign the ticket as normal and told me it'd be no court appearance required. I took the FL online driving course that dropped my fine 15% and supposedly makes it where my insurance rates cannot go up. This was in September. I found out that starting October 1, any speeding 30mph+ over requires a court appearance and the FL traffic school is no longer an option. I checked last week and the speeding ticket isn't on my record so hopefully that class did keep it off my record.

Has anyone else from GA (or really any other state) gotten a speeding ticket in FL and can confirm if that driving school really keeps the ticket off your record or not?

I got a ticket on the FL turnpike for 34 over. $350 in fine, took the online course and no record of it. I lived in Atlanta then and had a GA license.

[my viper]

That sucks though. Hope you guys find a good lawyer and fight it out. Or, at least take the defensive driving class and get it off the record if possible. Definitely would not want that on your record.

[ViperGTS]

>>>There was a law on the books for a while that anything over 95 mph was deemed an attempted vehicular suicide and they'd take you to jail on the spot. They didn't care if it was 95 in a 65 or 95 in a 45. Nobody should be going 95 mph, according to the legislators. I don't think they enforce that one anymore.<<<

LOL - I do that any day in any of my cars, going over 100 mph ..."attempted vehicular suicide" - thats what I will tell my wife tomorrow morning when I leave for work going on the autobahn for 1 hour ... ;-)

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I got a ticket on the FL turnpike for 34 over. $350 in fine, took the online course and no record of it. I lived in Atlanta then and had a GA license.

Great news! Thanks Getting that ticket has really slowed me down. A few weeks afterwards, I was on a 4 lane road (2 lanes each way) at around 5am and had a C5 Vette beside me at a redlight. Talk about self-control! I just kept telling myself "I dont need another speeding ticket" over and over

[ViperTony]

In CT, I got into a really bad ticket situation. I hired an attorney when I got pulled over for speeding (96mph), following too closely, reckless driving and failure to pull over. I knew I needed an attorney at this point. The speeding part was correct but everything else was b.s. My attorney got my case postponed several times until he it got assigned a judge he knew he could negotiate with. Well, the day of my case the judge was switched to another judge that could not stand my attorney... My attorney proceeded to tell the judge that we questioned the clocked speed which was done by aircraft...The judge says to my attorney: "Let me get this right...what was your client trying to do? Catch up to the airplane?" The judge reduced the ticket to speeding... at 96mph. GET A GOOD ATTORNEY!

[Early93Viper]

AND happy birth-day. Did you tell the little lady yet?

Kurt

Thanks! And yes I told the wife. After a dirty look she just started laughing about it. So I am in the Clear.

-Dan

[viper spray]

You should have made a run for it..............