Just got a speeding ticket on one of my favorite roads to everywhere Oh350 West. It was 76 in a 55mph. (Radar) Damn! Strangely enuff it is my first ticket ever while performance riding in lots of years. The cop said he could have written me up for 80 on a visual which would then would be a Reckless operation. I didnt know better (anybody have clarification?) but I thought a Rec Op had to be a triple digit affair, but 25 over? Any feedback here would be useful. I have been running that road for better than a decade and never even seen a cop on that road, much less a radar trap. In talking to the cop, he mentioned that he has been on 3 fatals this year with sportbikers. Also he said they turned out to be newbies on relatively late model sport bikes. So it turns out that the Sheriff for the area is taking heat for more bike wrecks and now has directed more patrols to be on my favorite road. Yeow! Lets be careful out there, keep the rubber side down.... MD
What I had explained to me one night by a member of the PPD was that in the state of California the maximum limit depended on the road. (this was also back in the 80s) On a city street, or perhaps any non-freeway, the limit is 80 MPH, and on a freeway the limit is 100. He claimed the offence would be "Possesion of a deadly weapon".
MD: Sorry to hear the bad news... I'm guessing it will be in the back of your mind as you crest each hill and round each curve for a bit. Same story on citizens complaining about motorcycles in the DC area. The local cable channel even runs a motorcycle safety ad from the County Sheriff asking folks to report aggressive riders - and explicitly says "sport bikes" are usually the most aggressive. Same thing is happening here. Might want to go to court just for the experience.
No thanks to goin' to court. I'm sending the money in. Dont need a lecture from a judge with no understanding of motorcycles. MD
that sounds like you are already admitting you are guilty. I'm not saying I'm argumentative, but I hate to give in. I'm still regretting paying my 'failure to stop completely' ticket without going to court. I actually was thinking about this earlier today. I feel like fines are set at just about how much you are willing to pay and skip going to court. It's like the executive branch is usurping the judicial branch. You are automatically assumed guilty if you get a ticket. You might want to look into arguing it just to see about it. Have you checked into what's gonna happen with your insurance, etc?
Sure I would like to fight it, but the number on the radar got me, it is what it is. I really wouldnt know what to fight. Not being a smart ass, but tell them it wasnt me? Hell I was flat flying, and lucky to get a number less than 85. (Those sweepers on that road are sweet.) Guilty? Um, my bad. -If you have a defense statigy I would like to hear it. But since I havent had a ticket in 10 years sending the bucks in sucks but thats probly what I'll do. I just look at it as a tax. Insurance? Um, if they dont find out thats fine with me, and if they do my bill is cheap now and still will be even with a bump in rates. I have 4 vehicles and my house on it together. I'm not gonna call them up and say - hey guess what? MD
Not sure on the finer nuances of speed laws in OH... But in most states, anything over 25mph over the posted speed limit falls into the reckless driving category -- has nothing to do with triple digits. 50 in a 25 is reckless (according to the law)... In California, for example, a reckless driving offense can result in either a citation or an arrest. The officer gets to decide your fate. Either one sucks in court, but a bad attitude can end up landing your ass in jail for the night and having your vehicle towed. If it were me, I would have been all over that "visual" 80mph ticket. Those can't hold up in court. "Your honor, I visually tracked the rider at 80mph in a 55mph zone." My response immediately would have been, "Officer are you a cyborg?" 1 ticket in 10 years? Don't waste your time fighting it. If OH gives you a traffic school option, the insurance will never know the better.
MD if feel for you. I myself got a speedy not to long ago...nothing to brag about. He said I was doing 85mph and he had to do 90mph to cacth up to me (I wanted to tell him how far back he was and if he did 90 to catch up to me it proves that I was doing the speed I said but I held back because it dont help when you argue). I admitted to him speeding about 70-73mph.and tried to get him to give me some other traffic violation or reduce the speedy....After he was done with his paper work he said he gave me a break. He said, I gave you a speedy for doing 80 in a 50mph, and I should plead guilty because the infractions could get worse. I was fuming , had a few words snatched the ticket from his hand and said thank you, have a nice day. I had some advice from a friend of mine, a PD officer, and said that I should fight the ticket, go to court half hour to hour early, and get a lawyer from the court not my own lawyer; Most of the time the ticket is reduced and/or beaten. Also anything over 30mph you have to automatically show-up to court (that was my break), and possibly a suspended license. After that I went over the speed limit 5-to 10mph, and find it more dangerous doing that speed because everyone else is going faster. Atleast keeping up with traffic didn't seem like that - maybe thats just me. I hope you fight the ticket, atleast it will get reduced since you have a clean license, and of course you stopped and did not run like most others do. Well good luck and hope all goes good. Let us know what the outcome is.
I have heard a couple strategies before. One was waiting to the last minute and calling to reschedule. The officers have to show up for court and I forget how many days they have alotted for that. It increases the liklihood he won't be there. Usually, I think, if the officer doesn't show, you can get the ticket reduced or voided. But as you say, you don't have a ticket so it may be a lot of trouble to little result. I just hate tickets. I understand he was just doing his job and stuff, and I just pay the fines also. I just find it a little overly convenient that the fines are usually just under what the inconvenience of going to court would be. I also hate feeling like the country is being policed to the lowest common denominator. We will become a nation of idiots if we haven't already. I'll get off the soapbox, though, as I am heading off a tangent already...
I hate the ticket too and I agree the fine($155) is just enuff so it more hassle to fight the damn thing than to mail it in. Like I said its my first ticket in 10 years so the ding on my record will be nill.. I just gotta watch my butt a little more closely for a solid year. I'm with you on the over policed thing, the speed trap was in a rediculus spot. The weather was perfect and I'm the only vehicle on the road. I'm in perfect control of the bike and know what I'm doing. yeah that sucks - The cop was a nice guy and was somewhat apoligetic about the thing and thats where I found out about the fatalitys and the bulleye on sportbikes lately. He said he rides himself too. - yeah we are becoming dumb downed USA. I dont know better and its not my fault. I have no responsibility.... :usa2: It sucks we are drifting down that path... oops thats my two cents.. Um what was the topic about? - Oh speeding,yeah speeding, speed traps. Later MD
Thanks for the tip on the 25 over thing. I better keep that in mind. On a lot of backroads around here - farms and more farms it too ez to get going faster than that on the way to the twisty stuff. Yep 1 ticket in 10 years. Kinda amazing considering. Yeah the ding on my record will be minimal.. MD
MD: I've heard that some judges will reduce the ticket fine or points or both if people plead guilty and leave quickly to clear the back log. Sounds like you'd plead guilty, but you could respectfully ask the judge for a break on the points since this is your first offense. The points on your license and the resulting increased insurance (*all* the insurance companies will see your ticket and the cost *will* go up) may make a difference. You are gambling the your time in court .vs. a possible reduced sentence. - Paul
I don't know how it works in OH, but in LA (louisiana). you get busted doing 30 MPH over the limit it can be a wreckless op. Mandatory court appearance. Here's the kicker, Hire a lawyer(he eats lunch with the DA), most charge $50-$100 fee for tickets. He goes to court for you gets your charge reduced to a non-moving violation you pay the fine another $100 or so and it's done. A speeding ticket 10-15 MPH over down here the fine will be in excess of $250. Wreckless operation here carries the same penalty as a DUI. guilt does not matter. It is called plea-bargaining. insurance companies are not informed of non-moving violations. no hit there. it is all good. I used to just pay the fines, too. Never been in a wreck or damaged anyone else's property. Just like to get there quick.
In Canada it's 50km/h - 30mph over for a reckless - 6 demerit points. A visual ticket, never heard of it in these parts, not to say someone else hasn't. If it's yer only ticket in 10 years I would let it slide too! Tickets are always a bummer, hard to keep the speed down though!
Very good chance your insurance will find out very soon. They check much more frequently now, and are sometime notified I believe. Fighting it depends on the circumstances. You might be able to fight it questioning if he had his radar calibrated, was radaring the right vehicle and/or maybe the cop will not show up, or you will get a plea bargin and get the points dropping, and just have to pay the fine. My brother got two cases thrown out when the cop did not show. One reduced to a plea bargin using the radar calibration defense beforehand with the prosecutor. I don't really care about the ticket cost, it is the insurance increase over years and years.
In Tennessee the rule is 25 over under normal road conditions is reckless driving, speeding in construction by any amount over can be reckless as is speeding under bad road conditions. I found this out after poping a 98 in a 70 in my trans am. Cuff marks suck, but I was able to talk the cop out of taking me to jail and he even dropped the reckless driving. I did have a "must appear" ticket, and the judge tore me a new one. He was even made at the cop for dropping the reckless, he wanted to "Throw me under the jail"... I'm like you: If I know I'm in the wrong I'd rather just pay the ticket and move on. I can always do without a lecture
I do beleive in WI 30+ over is a free ride to jail; as far as fighting the ticket. As a rule I always go to court, not to save money but to save points. Wisconsin uses a point system you can either accumulate or lose 12 points in a 12 month period depending on how you look @ it. I have found if you go through the motions contact the DA or an ADA they will work with you on a reduced charge I'm assuming just to clean up there schedule. I have currently used up 8 points & need to make it til' September on 4 points(1, 15-19 mph over I think ) I go in streaks I've never gone 3 years w/o a ticket I've come close, usually when I get one two more are close behind. In my defense I log 60K plus a year on average so I put myself in harms way more often. On the 30 over thing I have been stopped doing 110 on the I-state(65mph) & got off w/ a verbal warning; I was racing a hail storm home from work. The LEO told if I would have kept it under 100 he wouldn't have pulled me over as he knew what I was doing. Detained me long enough to get me caught in the storm:frown: :redface:
