Off Topic · OT: BS Speeding Tickets (NJ) (page 1)

Ugh. Got my first speeding ticket... ever. Was driving through a residential area in West Caldwell/Fairfield, which I was on for the grand total of an entire block. I thought it was 35 mph, but they claimed it was 25 mph. I never noticed a sign. Anyway, apparently this is a $200 ticket. Anyone (guns, nyk, silver) ever have any thoughts on this? Also trying to double check whether the points will get transfered over, since I never had my license and plates transferred to NJ; I still have a NY license.

Pissed as this is a complete BS ticket, but of course I will pay, since I don't want the hassle. My coworker gave me one tip of going to the court, pleading guilty and saying I don't want the points and will pay an extra surcharge (which is high), which will make the ticket something like $500+, but no points.

Hmm... thoughts?

u really have no recourse to fight the ticket if the guy has you clocked on his radar, so i wouldn't bother doing it... the fine sounds way high for just speeding 10 mph over the posted limit though... i hate dick cops like that... u might be able to get the fine cut down if you take it to court, but there's no guarantee.

u can always get a lawyer for traffic court & sometimes they can get u off the hook for the points, but you'll still have to pay for the lawyer fee & any fine the judge decides you have to pay.

if this is ur 1st speeding ticket, i doubt your insurance rates will be effected over 1 ticket in your history of driving... just don't get another speeding ticket until those points come off your record, or else you'll be on the edge of having a suspended license.

i would've shot the cop and sped off.

was this in a school zone by any chance? They usually don't pull you over for going 10over. Either it was a school zone or he wanted to screw an out of towner. You should be able to avoid the points by paying more. Silver is going to have a field day with this topic. that really sucks bro. what are u going to do shit happens



[Edited by - gunsnewing on 01-25-2007 10:28 AM]

Posted by TMS:

u really have no recourse to fight the ticket if the guy has you clocked on his radar, so i wouldn't bother doing it... the fine sounds way high for just speeding 10 mph over the posted limit though... i hate dick cops like that... u might be able to get the fine cut down if you take it to court, but there's no guarantee.

u can always get a lawyer for traffic court & sometimes they can get u off the hook for the points, but you'll still have to pay for the lawyer fee & any fine the judge decides you have to pay.

if this is ur 1st speeding ticket, i doubt your insurance rates will be effected over 1 ticket in your history of driving... just don't get another speeding ticket until those points come off your record, or else you'll be on the edge of having a suspended license.

No... I was 20 over the limit (the next bracket starts at 20, 19 over would've been one less point and $95 cheaper. I was going 45, in what I thought was a 35, but was actually a 25. You're right, though, there's no recourse, but from what I hear, any points is a big kick in insurance rates, which I don't want.

Posted by gunsnewing:

was this in a school zone by any chance? You should be able to avoid the points by paying more

No. I was on Fairfield Avenue... for an entire block. I think I know where the cop was probably hiding, but I just wasn't paying attention and didn't notice him.

Posted by Solace:

Posted by TMS:

u really have no recourse to fight the ticket if the guy has you clocked on his radar, so i wouldn't bother doing it... the fine sounds way high for just speeding 10 mph over the posted limit though... i hate dick cops like that... u might be able to get the fine cut down if you take it to court, but there's no guarantee.

u can always get a lawyer for traffic court & sometimes they can get u off the hook for the points, but you'll still have to pay for the lawyer fee & any fine the judge decides you have to pay.

if this is ur 1st speeding ticket, i doubt your insurance rates will be effected over 1 ticket in your history of driving... just don't get another speeding ticket until those points come off your record, or else you'll be on the edge of having a suspended license.

No... I was 20 over the limit (the next bracket starts at 20, 19 over would've been one less point and $95 cheaper. I was going 45, in what I thought was a 35, but was actually a 25. You're right, though, there's no recourse, but from what I hear, any points is a big kick in insurance rates, which I don't want.

depending on how long you've been insured w/your company, 1 ticket won't effect your rates... i've gotten a few speeding tickets in my time (hey, what can i say, i have a lead foot), & as long as they're spaced out over a period of time & i generally had a good driving record w/my insurance company (used to be Allstate before i switched to Geico), my rates never went up... in fact, i never even lost my "safe driver's discount rate" either... it might be different for your company, but my rates never went up.

Posted by Solace:

Posted by gunsnewing:

was this in a school zone by any chance? You should be able to avoid the points by paying more

No. I was on Fairfield Avenue... for an entire block. I think I know where the cop was probably hiding, but I just wasn't paying attention and didn't notice him.

oh yea you have to be careful there. Should've warned you about those roads that seem like they should be 35 but are still residential 25

that sucks man. Still, you're my age and you've had only one ticket??? I've been pulled over for speeding 3 times. They were all at least 5 years ago, though. I don't go fast any more.

Posted by Bonn1997:

that sucks man. Still, you're my age and you've had only one ticket??? I've been pulled over for speeding 3 times. They were all at least 5 years ago, though. I don't go fast any more.

I've only had my license a little over 5 years. I didn't get my license until after I graduated college. I guess maybe I just knew Long Island better, as to where not to speed and I got caught in NJ in an area that I didn't know well enough to know that would happen. Ahh well.

down with the swine

If your license/insurance/plates are NY based- I believe any out of state violations are, for points, halved- not sure if that is in consideration of insurance or license suspension purposes.

the premise is you are less familiar with the area- check with your insurance company.

Posted by franco12:

If your license/insurance/plates are NY based- I believe any out of state violations are, for points, halved- not sure if that is in consideration of insurance or license suspension purposes.

the premise is you are less familiar with the area- check with your insurance company.

Hmm, thanks for the tips.

points are transfered over now. plead guilty to a lesser charge which will cost more in fines. Its worth it. Also, leave Caldwell asap. I got over 8 tickets when I lived there. Haven't gotten a single one over the last 3 years after I moved out. Fuk Caldwell and their BS Cops.

Posted by Silverfuel:

points are transfered over now. plead guilty to a lesser charge which will cost more in fines. Its worth it. Also, leave Caldwell asap. I got over 8 tickets when I lived there. Haven't gotten a single one over the last 3 years after I moved out. Fuk Caldwell and their BS Cops.

I'm going to do the plead guilty to a lesser charge thing. I was told it'll probably cost me around $500, but no points. Also, I'm starting to agree with you about Caldwell. I get this BS ticket, meanwhile I hear cops turning on their sirens just to speed through the stoplight on Bloomfield all the time. The moment they get through the stoplight, the sirens are turned off. Anyway, I'm thinking about buying a house soon enough, and I think Caldwell is going to just be too expensive. My landlord's house + this two family house I'm in = over $1 MM. Might just be too pricy around here.

Posted by Solace:

I think Caldwell is going to just be too expensive.

And expensive for no reason. All the towns around it in Essex County are basically the same prices but much better. The East Hanover, Livingston area is the best IMO.

Solace, plead not guilty. Go to court.If this is your first violation, they will probably plead you down to a non-moving violation(radio too loud, no seatbelt). You'll get a fine and traffic school more than likely but if it goes that route, no points on your license(I think).

Just because he clocked you doesn't mean your cooked(sometimes they just say that, if there are other cars around you can say he clocked them). Also, sometimes-especially if it's your first ticket, they'll be sympathetic to the "I didn't know there was a sign" argument because you have no history of speeding.

Good luck.

Posted by joec32033:

Solace, plead not guilty. Go to court.If this is your first violation, they will probably plead you down to a non-moving violation(radio too loud, no seatbelt). You'll get a fine and traffic school more than likely but if it goes that route, no points on your license(I think).

Just because he clocked you doesn't mean your cooked(sometimes they just say that, if there are other cars around you can say he clocked them). Also, sometimes-especially if it's your first ticket, they'll be sympathetic to the "I didn't know there was a sign" argument because you have no history of speeding.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. The problem with fighting it, is if I lose, it's points. The other way I can approach it would cost a lot but is no points. I'm more concerned about the points than anything else, since that's more $$ in the long run. You are right that I have a good reputation, but at the same time, I'm a NY driver in NJ, and I don't think that's going to get me any sympathy with the court. From what I understand about this area, they're just looking to get extra money for the police department, and I was oblivious to what speed *that* street was... which is probably a common thing, which is why the cops were hiding right there. So, other than paying the extra $250 to get no points, and making this a quite expensive ticket, I'm not sure what the alternative is.

If I can avoid this problem in the future, which is possible if I take Silver's advice and buy a house in a different area (when I'm ready to start looking), then I can groan right now, but in the long run, $500 *once* isn't too terrible. It's just how the area is. I've driven for five years in Long Island, which also has speed traps in various places and is looking to collect money, and not once did I get a ticket. I've driven in Essex County for 5 months and I already got a ticket. Silver is right, it's just the area. They're trying to collect money the easy way instead of watching the dangerous areas and actually trying to protect people. So, it is what it is, I guess. I'm not going to win in court with a case like that. *At best*, I could talk them down to a 2 or 3 point ticket, but like I said, I don't want the risk of getting points.

Anyway, I appreciate the advice.

[Edited by - Solace on Jan 26 2007 08:54 AM]

If you get points take a defensive driving course....reduces points and lowers insurance by about 10%

http://www.dmv.org/nj-new-jersey/defensive-driving.php

I have a question..how long does it take for the points to come off and your isurance cost to go down?

you get a certificate at the end of the 5 hour class... you send that certificate to your insurance company for the discount to be processed.

all it is is a long video watching session about drunk driving & how many points you get if you get pulled over for different moving violations, etc... pretty stupid... some places u can even pay & get the certificate w/o having to go through w/the actual ordeal of watching the videos, etc., but that's pretty much under the table.

[Edited by - TMS on 01-26-2007 5:16 PM]