yuppers...

- Dr. Del
http://www.SuperBlog.com
AMD 2200+, ATI Radeon 9700 Pro, 512 RAM, 19" ViewSonic LCD flat panel, 140 G WD HDD 8meg cache, WinXP Pro SP1

Mothers Are Everything. Jan 1, 1943 - Oct 19, 2002.

FAKE?

While I have yet to be pulled over in this state it is my understanding that the first ticket essentially automatically gets waived if you take a cheap defensive driver course before the court date.

Yeah basically. You can't take defensive driving if you were going more than 25mph over the speed limit, but otherwise, you can take it once per 12month period to get out of a traffic ticket. And "getting out" means that yes, it costs less than paying the fine (assuming sitting through an 6hour (8?) course is no big deal to you), and the ticket doesn't go on your record either.

I like that Nebraskan idea. That would rock!

Blue if you don't mind me asking....Where do you live? not too specific...of course. I am right up in New Windsor, NY. Route 32 is notorious for its Cornwall speedtraps.....

While I have yet to be pulled over in this state it is my understanding that the first ticket essentially automatically gets waived if you take a cheap defensive driver course before the court date.

I don't know if it was passed or not but Nebraska was toying with letting drivers purchase a booklet of passes that would be presented to the officer that stopped you. The officer would then punch your booklet and you could just drive away, no muss, no fuss. Kind of like a get out of jail free card.

Anybody that has driven through Nebraska knows why this is a good idea.



-TPFKAS2S

Tempus,

Since when do people in Austin actually stop for red lights? I moved here from the Milwaukee, WI area a few years ago (and EvilDark is right when you get the points and ticket cost reduced in WI the court fees always seem to conveniently bring it back up to the original ticket $ amount) and I swear that everyone in Austin is a transplanted LA or Boston driver. I have never seen such repeated flagrant (and often downright dangerous) violation of traffic law as there exists in this city. I've had people pull up next to me at a stop light, look both ways, and then drive on through.

The "Texas Off-ramp" is a cute habit too (all large roads here have frontage roads that run nearly their entire length so when someone gets annoyed and stuck in traffic they just drive over the median of grass to the frontage road and back not waiting for an actual exit to show up).

While I have yet to be pulled over in this state it is my understanding that the first ticket essentially automatically gets waived if you take a cheap defensive driver course before the court date.

[Anyway, I will never understand speeders.

I'm one to be careful on city streets, when it's a 25mph limit, you won't see me over 30, and definitely not a mile over in a school area.

It's a different story once I'm on the freeway, however.. I once made the journey from minneapolis, MN, to Milwaukee, WI in under 4 hours.. according to yahoo it's a 336mi trip, which if travelled from both end points works out to a sustained 84mph. In reality I was between 70-110mph depending on the area... (and believe me that much of west WI is NOTHING but farmland for many many miles)

It was in the middle of the week at that, daylight, the few cars that were on the freeway usually give plenty of clearance and yield to the right when they see you coming.. (gah I wish it were like that in other places)

Either way it's more than an hour I took off my trip, which because of the circumstances (I won't mention here) was a lifesaver.

-EvilDark

Yeah, I lurk around

I generally like to drive the maximum "safe" speed for the road and given conditions. Good visibility on a limited access highway with light/no traffic means I'm almost certainly going 100+. But you turn that into a residential road, or a road with nearby forests (animals), or too many turns, or lots of other cars, and my speed drops accordingly (until the point where the max safe speed = flows of traffic).

Also, most of the places I drive (to work or between Dallas/Austin) have very few traffic lights along the route (all highway). So I don't have the "stuck at the next light" scenario as often as you might expect. Speeding genuinely does get me some amount of time back.

And it's fun

Hey Red I didn't know you came here.
Anyway, I will never understand speeders. 5 over makes sense, I will go that fast, but its a proven fact that weaving in and out of traffic, waste's gas, and won't get you where you are going any faster. Many a time I have been passed by someone on on 183 in Austin, just to see them 5 minutes later at the same stop light i am at. OF course, my car won't go fast.....But even when i did have a fast car i hardly ever went more than 5 over.... probably has something to do with hitting a cow going 90mph.

http://www.excelbydesign.net/tempus

Hmm...I guess that things (mentality) are just different from area to area. Around here, in the San Jose/Santa Clara area, the judges do not really seem to be open to such ideas. Sure, if you are polite about things, it is highly unlikely that you will be hit the maximum fines, but they generally do not want to hear any explanations and/or rationalizations for your actions.

Expecting an update tomorrow morning :),
Ray

--------------------------------------
I AM TEH WYN!!!!!!!111111
http://users.ign.com/collection/RayMarden
Tumor marker up to 500 and allergic reactions to the one drug that is good at fighting pancreatic cancer. Damn.

Hey, I use one of those, too!

|<3\/\/1

On a semi-unrelated now, I am frequently bemused by our "need" to speed, especially when we are already going faster than we ever would without an automobile.

Liking The Sum of All Fears more than I thought I would,
Ray

--------------------------------------
I AM TEH WYN!!!!!!!111111
http://users.ign.com/collection/RayMarden
Tumor marker up to 500 and allergic reactions to the one drug that is good at fighting pancreatic cancer. Damn.

Unfortunately, that "clock" on the left is off by a good 10mph or so :-P (well in my car anyway, and I'm too lazy to fix it)

In some areas, if you aren't "going with the flow" then you become a hazard as everyone violently swerves around you. Granted they aren't right for doing it, but until I install that PA system, I'll just have to make do with keeping with the flow.

And since it's been said a few times, you can't beat the V1. Several people I know swear by 'em. When it beeps alerts at me, I can gradually let off the gas and coast down to a reasonable speed, while everyone else slams on their brakes as "lesser" detectors pick up the hazard at the last second. It's quite good for wear & tear on the car..

I can easily justify the price based on how many times it's let me avoid a ticket, plus it's another cool device in the car that makes noises and senses the world around me.. (complimenting the radio scanner, and GPS

-EvilDark

Anyway, what I do is, I just make sure that this device (I call it the "speed clock") is not showing a value higher than the numbers on these signs.

Good advice Hazard - but Blue, in case your car is really fancy and has two speed clocks, use the one on the left because the one on the right will result in even more tickets and you'll also go through engines like crazy.

*** As usual, I could be wrong. But really, what are the odds of that happening twice? ***

Well, maybe you've just got nothing better to do with your time. But me personnally, I find the occassional fine well-worth the extra 30+ hours a year I would have wasted in my car. It's like buying an extra day for $100.
This comment was edited on Oct 30, 19:09.

I have this other device that saves me from getting speeding tickets. Its really quite simple. You know, like a clock but it doesn't show the time but how fast you're going. And then, a few years back, I discovered those signs that show you how fast you can go without getting a ticket (can you believe how dumb those cops are? Telling you exactly how fast you can drive to circumvent the whole system and avoid speeding tickets! I laughed all day when I found out!). Anyway, what I do is, I just make sure that this device (I call it the "speed clock") is not showing a value higher than the numbers on these signs. It really works! Hard to believe, but it does!

What product are you talking about, Blue? Cold-Eaze? If so, I've tried it and swear it makes a difference, especially if you start taking them when you first notice symptoms. You can even buy Cold-Eaze gum now. I always keep a supply on hand. YMMV, however.

Fletch

I just wanted to vouch for the V1. There is none better. I've had mine for years, and it's saved me more times than I can count. Granted, I've still been caught, but it's from those sneaky cops that pace me from far behind (no radar involved). And, radar or not, it's hard to convince them I wasn't speeding when I was in fact going 120MPH or more.

On another note, as much as I hate traffic cops in Texas, at least we don't have some silly point system.
This comment was edited on Oct 30, 16:42.

"If your ticket was in some really small town, ask for a trial by jury... "

I thought that put you at greater risk. Can't a judge then impose a LARGER fine/punishment if you are found guilty? I'm not positive about this. Anybody?

Fletch

This comment was edited on Oct 30, 16:40.

I think I'm too late (i.e., Blue probably already contested this) but I heard this tip once:

If your ticket was in some really small town, ask for a trial by jury - the law says if you ask for one they have to give it to you (even for speeding tickets) and if the town is small enough, there'll either be a problem with justifying the funding to pay court fees and a jury or they might have a problem even finding 12 people who can't weasel out of it. Often times the judge will simply dismiss the case.

DISCLAIMER: I haven't tried this, I just heard about it and hey, it sounds plausible...

Schnapple

http://members.tripod.com/schnapple99/

I thought you were supposed to ask the officer if you could pay him the fine right there on the spot

Most of the time when I get pulled over I'm rushing to an emergency at a water or wastewater treatment plant. When I tell the officer why I'm rushing they let me go.

I never abuse it. Too great a risk of getting into serious trouble.




-TPFKAS2S