Speeding Ticket Or Warning

[KatyGuy]

My very responsible son who has been driving for 3 years (and has a perfect driving record) was pulled over today (for the first time) and given a speeding ticket at college. He was going 45 in a 40. Give me a break. Am I wrong or should he have received a warning? He has a 3.4 GPA his freshman year in college because of his hard work and now he has to worry about a court date. Am I just being an over-protective parent..... Is this just cause for a "warning" or does he deserve his speeding ticket? Anyone care to comment?

[jm1fd]

My very responsible son who has been driving for 3 years (and has a perfect driving record) was pulled over today (for the first time) and given a speeding ticket at college. He was going 45 in a 40. Give me a break. Am I wrong or should he have received a warning? He has a 3.4 GPA his freshman year in college because of his hard work and now he has to worry about a court date. Am I just being an over-protective parent..... Is this just cause for a "warning" or does he deserve his speeding ticket? Anyone care to comment?

Yes...it is excessive...but there's no revenue assoicated with a warning.

Court date? He should be able to just call and get defensive driving.

[KatyGuy]

Yes...it is excessive...but there's no revenue assoicated with a warning.

Court date? He should be able to just call and get defensive driving.

The ticket indicates he has 12 days to go to court. I know he probably has the defensive driving option. I agree that the ticket is a bit excessive. Some people might think differently. It just upsets me and I wanted to vent.

[ricco67]

Tell him (as well as you) to get over it. Getting a relatively minor ticket at this age might actually be a positive thing. Have him go through the process, take defensive driving. Consider it a character building experience.

[memebag]

My very responsible son who has been driving for 3 years (and has a perfect driving record) was pulled over today (for the first time) and given a speeding ticket at college. He was going 45 in a 40. Give me a break. Am I wrong or should he have received a warning?

If he was driving over the speed limit and he got caught, then he should get a ticket.

He has a 3.4 GPA his freshman year in college because of his hard work and now he has to worry about a court date.

His GPA doesn't matter. Tell him not to worry about the court date. This is a learning experience.

Am I just being an over-protective parent..... Is this just cause for a "warning" or does he deserve his speeding ticket? Anyone care to comment?

There is no "just cause" for warnings. Tell him to never expect a warning, be pleasantly surprised when he gets one, and to slow down. If you never break the law, your chances of being punished a greatly reduced.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Call the clerk, tell them you want to take defensive driving, they will more than likely charge you about $80, and have him take his Defensive driving class online @ defensivedriving.com, easy and he can do it on his own time, it's in sections, so he can do it piece mail as his schedule allows, keeps his driving record clean and life goes on. Was it a campus cop? If so they may not take defensive driving and it won't go on his record with the DPS anyway, campus tickets are generally in house.

[musicman]

Am I wrong or should he have received a warning? He has a 3.4 GPA his freshman year in college because of his hard work and now he has to worry about a court date. Am I just being an over-protective parent.....

Yes you are being overprotective, book him dan-o. Edited January 11, 2008 by musicman

[cottonmather0]

Yeah, I would say 45 in a 40 is a bit excessive for a ticket considering how most people drive these days, but it is what it is. Sometimes you are just unlucky and win the reverse lottery to contribute to the municipal treasury and there's nothing you can do about it (see the fees for defensive driving if you think the fine is meant to be "punishment", btw - it's all just a big money grab in the end).

If he's as good a kid as you say he is he probably won't get another one for 20 years, though.

[CDeb]

45 in a 40? He should have never been pulled over to begin with.

[ricco67]

The point is that everyone gets tickets. This is just another learning experience for him.

Even Professors with PhD's from MIT get tickets, so your 3.4 GPA son doesn't make him immune from them.

Either way it's a pothole in the road of life. It isn't a bit deal. Just walk him through the steps of the court system the first time so he won't sweat it the next time.

If it REALLY irks you, hire a lawyer and you can fight it, but it isn't worth it. You're probably stressing more over the ticket then he is.

Edited January 11, 2008 by ricco67

[urban909]

in bellaire they will pull you over for going 1 mile over the speed limit, not using your directional, talking on the phone or for just being on the road in the first place. and there is NO way to fight it.

i have managed to probably get a ticket once a year (and if its been over 12 months since the last traffic violation) i have taken it on defensivedriving.com. easiest way to get rid of a ticket and off of your record without having to deal with some throw-back comedian at a comedy defensive driving course. i used to drive way to fast when i was in my teens, but have since been a lot better (especially with all the speeding tickets )

[cottonmather0]

Driving would be a lot safer all around if people didn't feel such an instinctive need to speed - or if the cops gave out more of these ticky-tack tickets (which they admittedly don't have the resources to do).

[musicman]

Driving would be a lot safer all around if people didn't feel such an instinctive need to speed - or if the cops gave out more of these ticky-tack tickets (which they admittedly don't have the resources to do).

i just hope you're not the one is the left lane going 55. punch it cotton!

[cottonmather0]

i just hope you're not the one is the left lane going 55. punch it cotton!

Oh, I'm talking about surface streets. There is a time and place for driving fast and the left lane of the freeway is one of them.

Going 50 in the 35 mph zone on TC Jester through my part of Timbergrove, or any other street with cross traffic and stoplights, however, is not.

[musicman]

Oh, I'm talking about surface streets. There is a time and place for driving fast and the left lane of the freeway is one of them.

..that instinctive need to speed you were talking about.

Going 50 in the 35 mph zone on TC Jester through my part of Timbergrove, or any other street with cross traffic and stoplights, however, is not.

for me, where ever you are if cars are passing you on the right you're going to slow.

[TJones]

KatyGuy, what if your son got a ticket for running a redlight, but it was only "a little red" or did a "California roll" through a stop sign in your neighborhood ? What if his insurance had expire 3 days earlier, and you didn't have a renewal ? Would you feel the same way ? When do you consider it worthy of a ticket ?

I'm just sayin.

Edited January 11, 2008 by TJones

[marmer]

KatyGuy, what if your son got a ticket for running a redlight, but it was only "a little red" or did a "California roll" through a stop sign in your neighborhood ? What if his insurance had expire 3 days earlier, and you didn't have a renewal ? Would you feel the same way ? When do you consider it worthy of a ticket ?

I'm just sayin.

I personally would feel the same way about all of your examples. When is it worthy of a ticket? When it's a flagrant violation that is clearly a danger to other people. Or if you have not had any proof of insurance (or inspection, or registration) for months. Or if it's in a school zone with kids around. Or if you nearly cause an accident.

Concerning the "instinctive need to speed," it surely exists, and the people driving 50 in a 35 on TC Jester are demonstrating it. But 45 in a 40 sounds like driving with the flow of traffic on a major-ish roadway, and (horrors!) paying more attention to the other cars than to the needle of your speedometer.

[Ethanra]

Check on the back of the ticket at what the cut-off speed point is to jump up to the next fine amount. I believe HPD is 10 m.p.h. The first 10 m.p.h. over the speed limit is a set amount then the fine increases after that. I have experienced many times in different jurisdictions that you can be speeding 10 or more m.p. h. more then what your ticket is posted as. If your son was polite and has no record the cop may have given your son a break and not wrote what he was really driving. What town does he go to college in? Small towns are usually more strict about pulling speeders over.

Your kid is at least 18 so go tell him to get over it and take care of it. Treat it is a learning experience. The bottom line is he was breaking the law, he was speeding. Its not excessive, the speed limit is set for a reason. Your are being very over protective. Stop whining, teach him to be a man and take care of his responsibility.

Edited January 11, 2008 by Ethanra

[cottonmather0]

..that instinctive need to speed you were talking about.

for me, where ever you are if cars are passing you on the right you're going to slow.

That's exactly the attitude I'm complaining about. The left/right lane distinction on a surface street is not at all the same as it is on a freeway. There is no such thing as a "passing lane" on a city street... although I will grant that if you are going to go fast it is marginally safer to do so if you further away from the curb and pedestrians on the sidewalk and if someone is going to pass you on the right then you probably should move over for the greater good so that the idiots passing you are less of a danger to everyone else on the road.

That said, if it is at all possible that someone ahead of you can ever slow down or stop to turn left, then it makes no sense to think that it's more allowable to speed just because you're in the left lane.

[ricco67]

The thing is that the 30MPH sign means you go to UP to that speed if it's safe. The officer can determine if it is safe to go UP to that speed and I think it's rather arbitrary.

I don't know what the situation under which your kid was caught speeding, and I really don't care, but if it's a crowded street, a residential street, slick with rain, etc...the officer could determine that you were going to fast for the conditions.

I'm sure Red will knock down MY post in a heartbeat if I'm wrong.

[musicman]

That's exactly the attitude I'm complaining about. The left/right lane distinction on a surface street is not at all the same as it is on a freeway.

PASSING

KEEP TO THE RIGHT

NEVER drive on the left half of the road in the following instances:

1. When pavement markings prohibit driving on the left (a

Edited January 11, 2008 by musicman

[RedScare]

The thing is that the 30MPH sign means you go to UP to that speed if it's safe. The officer can determine if it is safe to go UP to that speed and I think it's rather arbitrary.

I don't know what the situation under which your kid was caught speeding, and I really don't care, but if it's a crowded street, a residential street, slick with rain, etc...the officer could determine that you were going to fast for the conditions.

I'm sure Red will knock down MY post in a heartbeat if I'm wrong.

Actually, the posted speed limit is supposed to be the highest safe speed for any condition (except, I guess, for ice). The speed limit is required to be arrived at by a traffic study. If it is not, the speed limit can be attacked in court.

My suggestion to KatyGuy and others is simple. Contest ALL moving violations. Either hire a lawyer, or take Defensive Driving, or plea bargain for Deferred Adjudication. Since insurance companies and the State of Texas use your driving record as an excuse to raise your rates or assess extra fees, only a fool would willing accept such a fate. This is not about safety. This is about wasting money, and taking a conviction on moving violations is wasting money, when there are so many ways to handle it differently.

As for 45 in a 40, technically yes, it is illegal, but, yes, it is chicken____.

[Jeebus]

Tell him (as well as you) to get over it. Getting a relatively minor ticket at this age might actually be a positive thing. Have him go through the process, take defensive driving. Consider it a character building experience.

Life's not fair. This is the best way to approach your situation. Remind him also to always be polite - no matter how rude the officer is. You'll never find an example of someone who was a jerk to a cop and got rewarded for it.

Just for giggles, which police department was that issued the ticket?

[cottonmather0]

My suggestion to KatyGuy and others is simple. Contest ALL moving violations.

I'll second Red's advice. It may seem that I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth here, but even if I have strong opinions about how unsafe it is to drive unnecessarily fast, the way "justice" is administered in moving violations cases, particularly speeding tickets, is a huge issue to me. It's all just a big money grab and the rules are gamed in such a way to separate the driver from his money as efficiently as possible. But it is also quite simple to beat most tickets in COH municipal court because the system is mostly just focused on people rolling over and paying and generally can't handle anyone who rocks the boat.

All it takes is a little time (ie 3 or more days free to do nothing but sit quietly in a courtroom for 8 hours), which is why most people roll over since their time is valuable, but if you can spare the time to play the game you can get out of just about any ticket. In the end, not only do you get the satisfaction of getting out of the ticket, but the system doesn't get a piece of you, which is something of a Thoreau-type civil-disobedience kind of victory.

Edited January 11, 2008 by cottonmather0

[Jeebus]

My suggestion to KatyGuy and others is simple. Contest ALL moving violations.

How much, if played out, does contesting a ticket usually cost?

[tanith27]

Anyone ever been going 30 on a city street and a cop goes flying by you doing at least 40 with no lights on? Yeah. That always annoyed me. I saw a vignette on tv in the past week or two where a citizen (not from Houston) took his camcorder out and recorded events like this. Or recorded cops taking 2hr lunches, or napping on the job. It was a funny story. The cops didn't like his actions but the city defended him and said it was his right to scrutinize any public official doing public duty.

[cottonmather0]

How much, if played out, does contesting a ticket usually cost?

Not sure I quite understand what you're asking. Hiring one of the local "attorneys" who specialize in contesting tickets will run you $125 or so for a normal run-of-the-mill speeding ticket. Generally speaking, the lawyers will charge you roughly the same amount of cash as the fine would be, which is economically rational on their part.

It doesn't cost you anything to contest a ticket yourself and be acquitted. I think the court will, however, hit you with additional "court costs" on top of the fine if you contest and ultimately lose, but I could be wrong about that.

[apocatastasis]

Something similar happened to me in Sealy last week. I was on US 90, going out of Sealy, cop ahead of me did a couple of crazy U-turns in the street, pulled me over in the last of two school zones and said I was doing 46 in a 35.

There are two school zones on Hwy 90 within a quarter mile or so of each other, and the funny thing was that when I entered the FIRST school zone, I slammed on my brakes and thought to myself, "Last thing I need is some small-town bozo writing me a." And for the second speed zone, I also slowed down to 5 mph UNDER the limit and dropped my transmission into 4th which is cruising speed for 30-39 mph in my car. I was staring at my speedometer the whole time... and STILL I got a goddamn ticket. For speeding in a goddamn school zone... ON A DAY WHEN THE SCHOOLS WERE ALL ON VACATION! I am assuming the cop saw the fact that my car didn't have Texas plates when looking in his rear-view mirror (we in Louisiana don't have front license plates at all) and decided some quick cash could be made.

It really fills you with rage. I am beyond p-o'ed. I want to see Sealy and all its crooked cops wiped off the face of the earth...and I'll even volunteer to do it.

As for your son, it's ridiculous that he got a ticket. But libertarian/anarchist that I am, I have to say speeding tickets are rarely about safety. They're about making money off hapless citizens, and unless you've got hard evidence like some kind of GPS tracking device, they're hard to fight.

[RedScare]

How much, if played out, does contesting a ticket usually cost?

A ticket lawyer can cost from $50 to $150. If you contest it yourself, it can be from $0 if you win, to $50-75 for defensive driving, to $75-150 for deferred adjudication. The more important savings comes from not having your insurance increase for 3 years, or not having to pay DPS surcharges for too many points. Additionally, some tickets (No Ins., Minor in possession, no glasses when required, etc.) can get your license suspended if you pay the ticket.

[rapturematt]

I think that 5 miles over the speed limit is a little crazy, but maybe my mother was right when she told me that if you speed, only go 4 miles over the limit. They will never pull you over for that.