3 Tickets in 1 week

[jammmieus]

Guys,

Would be greatly appreciated if someone can help me with this.
I got 3 tickets in one week.

One was on NJTP for Sign Voilations ( Actually I went in HOV lane to pass a car and I was a bit over the speed limit, cop gave me sign voilation instead of HOV voilation and speeding.) this ticket have 2 points

Then I got 2 tickets in one day at same time. I was doing 46 in 25 zone, but i was not alone. Cop stopped me and gave me a speeding ticket and along with that he gave me a ticket for View Obstruction as I had soem beads and other stuff ( not too much though ) hanging from my rear view mirror. I asked him to atleast give me waring for the view obstruction thing, but he dint listen and gave me two tickets.
And now I have 3 tickets in one week, second speeding tickets comes with 4 points.

Guys help me and please advice what should I tell the Judge in the court so that I don't get any points and if possible get my fine reduced.

I'll appreciate all advices.

[L. ed foote]

Laws vary by state.

In NY, you meet with the officer, and cut a deal.  Pay (or arrange to pay) and walk out.

If points are assessed, take one of those driver safety course offered by your local high school, college, hospital, whatever.

If that doesn't work, buy



And apply liberally...

[SaltyDog]

You might want to get a lawyer that specializes in traffic offenses, especially if you are young, male, and drive a high-risk car.

[TurboDan]

OK, the problem that you're probably going to face is that the NJTP ticket was given by NJSP and the other ticket was probably given by a local PD.  Hence, you have two different court dates.  Therefore, you can't take it all into court and plea everything down.  

Plus, when you do go to court, they're going to see that you have other charges pending.  Now, I know plenty of roads that are 25 where everyone goes much faster, but on paper (to people who want to make some cash!) "46 in a 25" is considered a "serious" charge.  

My advice to you would be to go to court about the sign violation as they will probably let you slide with no points.  Speeding is where they money's at, not stuff like HOV lane violations.  It's not worth wasting their time over it and they will probably just cut a deal with you.  

For the second ticket, I would reccomend simply going to court and trying your best to cut a deal.  It simply depends on the jurisdiction.  In what municipality did you get the 46 in the 25?  

[Catman]

Welcome to CarSPIN.  The 46 in a 25 is going to be hard to deal with but you might get a fine reduction if you're humble.   The obstruction ticket might get dropped if you claim ignorance and tell the judge that it's been taken care of, etc.  As for the sign violation, not sure.  I got a ticket for an HOV violation once.  Regardless, you should go to court even if it's simply to plead for mercy.  You'd be surprised how many people get breaks in court.  SO many people go in there with attitudes that it's actually refreshing to hear from an honest person who takes responsibility.   Just my 2 cents.  

[jammmieus]

OK, the problem that you're probably going to face is that the NJTP ticket was given by NJSP and the other ticket was probably given by a local PD.  Hence, you have two different court dates.  Therefore, you can't take it all into court and plea everything down.  

Plus, when you do go to court, they're going to see that you have other charges pending.  Now, I know plenty of roads that are 25 where everyone goes much faster, but on paper (to people who want to make some cash!) "46 in a 25" is considered a "serious" charge.  

My advice to you would be to go to court about the sign violation as they will probably let you slide with no points.  Speeding is where they money's at, not stuff like HOV lane violations.  It's not worth wasting their time over it and they will probably just cut a deal with you.  

For the second ticket, I would reccomend simply going to court and trying your best to cut a deal.  It simply depends on the jurisdiction.  In what municipality did you get the 46 in the 25?

Thanks all for your suggestions and advice.
I'm not realy sure if getting an attorney would help as I would have to go to court 2 different days for different tickets.

I got the 46 in the 25 ticket in Middlesex County and North Brunswick township.

[TurboDan]

Hmm..  I'm not sure what the racket is like in Middlesex County.  I'll ask around...

Make sure to give extra credence to Catman's posts, though.  He's an Officer up in MA.

[giant_mtb]

It's illegal to have stuff hanging from your rear-view mirror?  Gosh...best tell my brother to take his mardi gras-style beads off his...    <_<  

[TurboDan]

It's illegal to have stuff hanging from your rear-view mirror?  Gosh...best tell my brother to take his mardi gras-style beads off his...    <_<

Not to mention every female I've ever known who drove.    

[giant_mtb]

It's illegal to have stuff hanging from your rear-view mirror?  Gosh...best tell my brother to take his mardi gras-style beads off his...    <_<

Not to mention every female I've ever known who drove.  

haha Yeah...I guess it's just one of those laws where they'll only yell at you for it if they pull you over for some other reason...?  :blink:  B)  

[Catman]

Anything that interferes with the operation of the vehicle can be considered "Impeded Operation" in MA.  These are throw away tickets in court though.  Most often the violation is an excuse to make the stop, not to say it isn't valid but it is nit picky.

[Raza]

I got nailed at 70 in a 35, but since it was my first offense in that district, I pled it down to 41 in a 35 and 2 points instead of 4.  Since, as Cat mentioned, you'd have two court dates, you should try the same.

[Colonel Cadillac]

70 in a 35? That's pretty bad.  Sounds a lot worse than 46 in a 25.  

[dazzleman]

70 in a 35? That's pretty bad.  Sounds a lot worse than 46 in a 25.

I agree.  I don't think I've ever gone faster than about 55 mph in a 35 mph zone.

[Raza]

In my defense, it was a 4 lane 35!

[SaltyDog]

Hmm, I don't consider myself a dangerous driver but I've done 70 in a 35.  It's not that bad; no one was around and this particular road is labled a 35 because certain parts are twisty.  Other parts are straight that people travel 45-55 on.

[Raza]

And to characterize the road, you'll get passed doing 60.  

[dazzleman]

In my defense, it was a 4 lane 35!

Ha!  Was it like a limited access highway, or were there streets intersecting it, and a lot of turn-offs?

Either the speed limit was set way too low, or you were driving pretty recklessly, dude.

[Raza]

In my defense, it was a 4 lane 35!

Ha!  Was it like a limited access highway, or were there streets intersecting it, and a lot of turn-offs?

Either the speed limit was set way too low, or you were driving pretty recklessly, dude.

I was going a little faster than traffic (I was passing someone when I got clocked) but overall it wasn't dangerous.  I've done 60 in the right lane, and gotten passed on that road before.  If you do 40, let alone 35, you get honked at and flipped off.  The speed limit is really, really low, and that's why there are cops there a lot.  I just got unlucky.  

I'll run out there one of these days and snag a pic for you.  Vindicate myself.

[dazzleman]

In my defense, it was a 4 lane 35!

Ha!  Was it like a limited access highway, or were there streets intersecting it, and a lot of turn-offs?

Either the speed limit was set way too low, or you were driving pretty recklessly, dude.

I was going a little faster than traffic (I was passing someone when I got clocked) but overall it wasn't dangerous.  I've done 60 in the right lane, and gotten passed on that road before.  If you do 40, let alone 35, you get honked at and flipped off.  The speed limit is really, really low, and that's why there are cops there a lot.  I just got unlucky.  

I'll run out there one of these days and snag a pic for you.  Vindicate myself.

Dude, you hardly need to vindicate yourself to me.  I was giving you a little bit of s**t, that's all.  It's not as if I've never gotten a speeding ticket.    

[SaltyDog]

In my defense, it was a 4 lane 35!

Ha!  Was it like a limited access highway, or were there streets intersecting it, and a lot of turn-offs?

Either the speed limit was set way too low, or you were driving pretty recklessly, dude.

I was going a little faster than traffic (I was passing someone when I got clocked) but overall it wasn't dangerous.  I've done 60 in the right lane, and gotten passed on that road before.  If you do 40, let alone 35, you get honked at and flipped off.  The speed limit is really, really low, and that's why there are cops there a lot.  I just got unlucky.  

I'll run out there one of these days and snag a pic for you.  Vindicate myself.

You mind giving me the road name?

[Raza]

Bustleton Pike, near the Street Road end.

[SaltyDog]

Bustleton Pike, near the Street Road end.

Feasterville, a?  I'll give it a look B)  Ever been to Kennedy Ford in search of a Mustang test drive?

[MX793]

Why do people automatically assume that 4 lanes must be travelled at highway speeds?  There are a couple of 4 lanes around here where the speed limit is 40 mph or less.  There are lots of businesses and sidestreets on these roads with cross traffic that poses a danger, which is why the speed limits are low.  And generally, people keep within 5 mph of those posted speed limits.  I think the only road around here where people regularly travel well over the speed limit is I-81, which is 45 mph through the city but everybody does 60 mph.

[dazzleman]

Why do people automatically assume that 4 lanes must be travelled at highway speeds?  There are a couple of 4 lanes around here where the speed limit is 40 mph or less.  There are lots of businesses and sidestreets on these roads with cross traffic that poses a danger, which is why the speed limits are low.  And generally, people keep within 5 mph of those posted speed limits.  I think the only road around here where people regularly travel well over the speed limit is I-81, which is 45 mph through the city but everybody does 60 mph.

True, the issue is not so much the number of lanes, but the access to those lanes.  It's not safe to go highway speed generally if there are lots of intersections, shopping center turnoffs, etc.

[ifcar]

Exactly. There's a 4-lane road near me that has a 35-mph limit because it is bordered on both sides by strip malls/gas stations/stores for several miles, and there are always cars suddenly turning on or off. Most people I see are doing about 50, but there have been too many accidents on that road for me to want to keep up with that flow of traffic. I generally do 40.  

[dazzleman]

Exactly. There's a 4-lane road near me that has a 35-mph limit because it is bordered on both sides by strip malls/gas stations/stores for several miles, and there are always cars suddenly turning on or off. Most people I see are doing about 50, but there have been too many accidents on that road for me to want to keep up with that flow of traffic. I generally do 40.

The only time I'll go much over 40 mph on a road like that is late at night, when there is no traffic and all the shopping centers are closed.

A few years ago, I got popped for going 52 mph in a 35 mph zone on a road like that, under the conditions I described.  It was late at night, no traffic, and nobody coming out of the shopping centers.  Normally, I only go 35-40 mph on that road, but I increased my speed due to the conditions.

It was such a great drive.  I wasn't getting any of the lights, nobody was in my way, and I could just cruise through a normally busy area at an elevated speed.  It was all going great until I saw those flashing lights behind me.....

Still, I couldn't see myself going 70 mph on a road like that.  In fact, when I got nailed, that was about the fastest speed I would go on that road, under ideal conditions.

[TurboDan]

The FDR Drive in NYC is limited to 40MPH because it was built in the '20s and '30s, but (except in traffic jams) I rarely go below 70 on it.  Now THAT is a fun highway!  Lots of twists, turns, and other fun little "obstacles" they throw at you.  

But I think a great point has been made in this thread - it's not the number of lanes, but the access that counts.  In NJ, down by Long Beach Island, there is Route 72, which was basically a deserted highway for years and years.  The speed limit was (and still is) 55MPH.  But, the road now has TONS of shopping centers, condominiums, and everything else imaginable on it - yet the speed limit has stayed the same.  It's actually pretty ridiculous.  I've seen many accident, and have had a couple close calls myself on there.

[dazzleman]

The FDR Drive in NYC is limited to 40MPH because it was built in the '20s and '30s, but (except in traffic jams) I rarely go below 70 on it.  Now THAT is a fun highway!  Lots of twists, turns, and other fun little "obstacles" they throw at you.  

Dude, you must be driving that road in the middle of the night.  

I hardly ever drive on that road, but I work in Manhattan, and sometimes when I work late, I take a car home up the FDR Drive.  Even when I'm on it at 9-10 at night, there's too much traffic for the driver to go much over 50 mph because there are so many cars in the way.  I feel lucky if we don't get stuck in a traffic jam, never mind get the car up to 70 mph.

But man, you're right, that would be a fun road to drive with little traffic at 70 mph.  There must not be much enforcement on there either, since you've never mentioned getting busted on that road.  I imagine the cops would be so relieved to have traffic moving for a change that they would be disinclined to interfere.

BTW Dan, did you ever drive on Route 8 in Connecticut?  I got up early yesterday morning, and was in the mood for a fast drive, so I took a drive up Route 8.  I didn't go nuts; I just kept it in the 80-90 mph range except on the curvy parts, where I slowed down to about 70 mph.  There was hardly any traffic, and luckily there were no cops.     Great drive.

[Raza]

Bustleton Pike, near the Street Road end.

Feasterville, a?  I'll give it a look B)  Ever been to Kennedy Ford in search of a Mustang test drive?

Not since the ticket.  I usually go to Macafferty's in Oxford Valley.  They're rated very highly by Ford owners.