Speed Ticket Survey by state

[sdmills]

Add my vote for respect, and throw in a dash of appearance and honesty. I've never been pulled over for BS, so I don't insult an LEOs intelligence when he asks if I know why I got stopped. Here's my assessment of the cop philosophy and standard protocol for ticketing.

On any highway I travel, it's got to be like shooting fish in a barrel for them....75% of the traffic is 20 mph over psl, and they've got better things to do with their time when shooting. There's no shortage of chrome, loud pipes, musclecars, and people weaving through traffic like they're running in the Indy 500. Why screw with the orderly flow of traffic when a big fish will come along every 15 minutes or so?

Don't believe an FOP, PAL, or other such LEO supporter sticker won't help; but, if you're one of the big fish above, forget it.

Come to WI and you'll sing a whole different tune about how "fast" people drive. I swear people here are constantly on Sunday afternoon mode.

Yes, I've driving in IN and most of the people there actually drive (fast).

There are exceptions and I won't doubt you....add MI to the list. I vote MI people as being the most psl +/- 0.5 mph cruise control setting people on the planet and you could put duct tape over their rearview mirrors and they'd never notice.

[OpenRoad]

My brother works for a court in a state that will remain unnamed for his protection. He said should I get a ticket in his county - he can make it go away.

DELETE FROM TBL_TICKETS WHERE Ticket_ID=12345

Something like that.

[chris98891]

when i first got my car and had my restricted, i was going a little over 90 in a 55 (mid day on a 2 lane highway, 20 miles straight with virtually zero traffic) and as i see this cop pull around the turn right as i go around it, i go ahead and pull over because he starts to slow down.

i found a nice safe spot for both of us, and as leaves his police outfitted Newberry Chevy Silverado he walks up he says "you know how fast you were going." asks for my license and reg, and comes back and says he is writing me up for 74 in a 55 because anything higher would get my license taken away. 2 points, 76 bucks.

he also held entry of the ticket to insurance for a year until i had my full so that insurance wouldn't destroy us, and when it did show up it showed up as 10 mph or less above PSL.

i love SC cops. i definitely deserved that ticket, and it totally changed the way i drive.

[GearedUp]

Pulled over once for speeding (50 in a 25....) and got away with a warning. I think being young and wearing a suit and tie helped me out with that one honestly.

Second time was St. Patty's day, thank god I only had one green beer. Officer was very nice and seemed concerned about keeping the roads safe that night, so I hope he was able to pick up some drivers that shouldn't have been behind the wheel.

Still, I'm very thankful for my lack of encounters and the outcomes for both

[trazadone]

Pulled over 4 times for speeding in 20 years.

83 in a 55 in Salt Lake City. Got a ticket for $100 (yeah, a long time ago). Went to court. Got it reduced to $80 and to 14 mph over.

66 in a 55 in NorthEast Washington State. I was due to work a shift in the local ER and the cop and I shot the breeze for 5 minutes. Verbal warning only.

85 in a 75 in Western Montana between Missoula and Butte. Wide open country. Written warning.

50 in a 35. My wife and I were actually on our way to church and we were late. The cop asked why I was in such a hurry. I sighed, and said, "You'd never believe me." He said, "Try me."

So, I pointed at the church a half mile ahead of us and said, "I'm going there, and the next session starts in 5 minutes." I was wearing church clothes and looked the part. The cop suppressed a slight grin, and said, "Well, you'd better not dilly-dally if you're gonna make it on time. But don't speed." Verbal Warning!!

[Davis]

I got written up for 83 in a 70. A Texas DPS trooper in wide open country at night. Open road, extremely light traffic and rural. Cut me no slack, no warning. I took the defensive driving option to avoid insurance. I ended up paying almost as much as the fine, which was a hefty $170. I don't get it. You guys all quote fines way less than what I've seen. I always thought Cali was the crazy state, but the DPS guys can be hardasses. I wasn't rude or anything, I guess he just wasn't feeling good about his job or something. Or maybe he had a quota to fill. Or maybe the county needed the money. I would have gone to court, but even though I'm a Texas resident, I go to college in Tulsa, OK and could never appear for a court date.

[mfcool45]

coming from dallas to houston at night got caught before i had an RD.. going 82 in a 65 on 45 south...here is the discretion part... he pulled up behind me, came around the left just to see my headlights then got back behind me, lit me up...gave me a citation for speeding.. the reason for the headlight being checked was that i had crashed in dallas (wet weather) .. since it was in the city of buffalo i couldnt take it to court but eh i took the defensive driving but it was much more cheaper than "170"

[Qui-Gon]

Pulled over on NY I-90 West near Pembroke - 76 in a 55 (before they upped the PSL to 65 MPH) in 1991. Speeding ticket turned into a very expensive parking ticket, due to the fact the trooper did not show up, and I knew friends of the town judge at that time.

That was the ONLY time I have EVER been pulled over for speeding on the Thruway!!!

[Davis]

coming from dallas to houston at night got caught before i had an RD.. going 82 in a 65 on 45 south...here is the discretion part... he pulled up behind me, came around the left just to see my headlights then got back behind me, lit me up...gave me a citation for speeding.. the reason for the headlight being checked was that i had crashed in dallas (wet weather) .. since it was in the city of buffalo i couldnt take it to court but eh i took the defensive driving but it was much more cheaper than "170"

Total cost of defensive driving in Texas:
$110 court cost
$10 for your driving record to the court
4x stamps
$25 driving course

$135 total, which is pretty damn close to the fine. Of course there is the insurance not getting to know and a lack of points, but if the officer wrote a ticket for minor speeding at around +5 PSL, I could see it breaking even or costing more than the fine.

[89shoman666]

Only once thus far... 76 in a 55 by PSP on 322W heading back to Penn State. Got complacent with no rabbit. Came around a blind corner, and I caught him out of the corner of my eye right as he pulled out his HR-12. I was able to slow down quite a bit so I felt lucky to have gotten clocked at 76. But no warning as he knew that I was going much faster.