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I was ticketed for going 89 in a 65( 24 over) I have no previous citations and DO NOT want this on my licenses if possible! I have had my licenses for 3 years I'm 19 almost 20. I plan on hiring a Lawyer and attending trafficc school/courses if possible. I most definitely do not want my insurance to skyrocket. In my defense, I dumbly told the officer I was late. What's the worst/best that can happen? Other than my licenses being suspended or revoked??
Sn: I went 89 for only 5 seconds to get around a few cars if that changes anything(I doubt it will)
I was ticketed for going 89 in a 65( 24 over) I have no previous citations and DO NOT want this on my licenses if possible! I have had my licenses for 3 years I'm 19 almost 20. I plan on hiring a Lawyer and attending trafficc school/courses if possible. I most definitely do not want my insurance to skyrocket. In my defense, I dumbly told the officer I was late. What's the worst/best that can happen? Other than my licenses being suspended or revoked??
Sn: I went 89 for only 5 seconds to get around a few cars if that changes anything(I doubt it will)
Whew... Not good my freind.
In this case, you need an attorney to help negotiate a deal for lower points and to prevent a suspension of your license. No matter what, the fines and higher insurance are going to be very expensive.
Your lawyer can explain the ramifications and the best course of action. He will probably recommend preemptive community service and attendance at defensive driving class. The amount of time you exceeded the speed limit is irrelevant.
5 seconds or 5 minutes, the speed on the radar unit is all that counts. Check your mailbox in a couple days and pick an attorney from the loads of mail you'll possibly get (or do they only go after wrecks and DUIs anymore?)
If the trooper let you continue on your way, that's a positive. Anything over 85mph is bad. Don't do anything until your attorney tells you to do it. The defensive driving classes are not cheap. You don't want to take the class and find out you took the wrong one. The place here in Charlotte offers 3 different classes; 2-hour, 4-hour, and 8-hour. It would suck to take one and find out you needed another one.
Not sure about Cabarrus county, but here in Meck you can ask the District Attorney to throw out your first offense (or any offense for that matter). I had a red light violation thrown out 5 years ago at the DA's window. It only cost me time in line and parking uptown. The DA is worth a shot before hiring your own lawyer.
If you do hire someone, expect to pay $500-$700 to make your citation "go away", but there is no guarantee that it will go away. At best, a good attorney could have your speed reduced to 74 mph or have your citation changed to a non-moving violation (ie seat belt citation).
Trust me, you want the seat belt citation over the reduced speed if it's offered to you, but either one will save your driver's licsense. My last bit of advice to you is DO NOT SPEED any more; and by "speed" I mean the following....
On average, freeway speeds are 8-12 mph above the posted speed. In other words, most people are doing at least 73 in a 65. However, a cop can write you a ticket for doing 66 in a 65 (they typically do not do this, but keep in mind that I once got a warning for doing 72 in a 70). The unwritten rule to avoiding speeding tickets is not to be the guy who is passing everyone else. The vehicle that's doing a lot of passing stands out and looks very aggressive.
Also, pay attention to your surroundings. Many folks have high dollar radar detectors. These folks tend to slow down without warning and reason when driving on the freeway. When you see this strange pattern of cars slowing down, you might want to slow down with them. At your age, most drivers around you are far more experienced, so assume that they've spotted the unmarked-police vehicle that your eyes missed.
When we stop to think about it, speeding is very illogical. Even if you could get away with speeding from Charlotte to Winston Salem; the speeder will make that trip in 1 hour (a trip that can be done in 1hr 15mins legally). Speeding cross-town is even more illogical than long distance speeding. I've often been passed by a serious speeder on the freeway; only to see that same speeder 20 mins later waiting at the freeway exit traffic light. Due to traffic light timing upon exiting, speeders rarely "get there faster". At best, a cross-town speeder might beat a cross-town legal driver by 5 mins. Is the extra expense of worse gas mileage (due to speeding) worth getting to your destination 5 mins faster? Is the citation worth it?
I'm sure it's been said to you before, but I'll say it too ....SLOW DOWN YOUNG MAN. I don't say this to be mean. I say this because I've seen the bad accidents. You may be excellent behind the wheel and I'm sure you were in total control of your vehicle while doing nearly 90 mph. Consider this....What if your front tires blew while doing that speed? What if the tires on one of the cars you passed blew while you were passing and they lost control? What if they had hit you from behind causing you to fish-tail?
My point here is that a crash at your speed would have most likely killed you or killed who ever you ended up hitting. Vehicular homicide is a charge I'm certain you do not want. That's the thing about speeding. When accidents occur (and someone dies) the onboard computer on your car is the first thing investigators check. If a car cuts you off, you hit them, and they die; in most cases you will walk. On the other hand, if you were speeding, their attorneys can (and WILL) argue that your failure to follow the legal speed limit contributed to their deaths.
I've been driving nearly 14 years now as a trucker. I get paid to "get there faster" and I choose not to speed because it's simply not worth it. If it isn't worth it for me, I'm certain it isn't worth it for you. If you're running 5 mins late for something, oh well. Be 5 mins late and leave out earlier next time. In my industry, there is a saying.....No load is worth someone's life. And really, that's what speed control is all about. It's about getting us all home safely. These vehicles on the road today are not designed to protect you in 90 mph crashes. A crash at 90 would rip your vehicle to pieces and most likely throw you out of it. If such a crash doesn't kill you, it would certainly make dating very difficult for you from here on out.
These are just some things to think about before you get too upset over your citation. The fact that there was no crash, no death, and you kept your license makes you an extremely lucky guy. Learn from this, make that citation go away, and leave the speeding to NASCAR drivers. They get paid to crash and speed, the rest of us don't.
Ouch! Be patient. The advertisements from attorneys offering to help will flood your mailbox. Pick two or three to call to "interview" them. Briefly go over your speed/scenario and ask what their success rate is in reducing your speeding ticket to a lessor violation...i.e seat belt. You shouldn't have to pay more than $350-$450 (make sure the rate includes appearing in court). Keep interviewing until you get someone to answer your questions and charge a reasonable rate. Unfortunately, I am speaking from experience.
My speeding ticket was reduced to a license and credential violation which was 1 point. If my insurance rate went up, it wasn't much.
Good luck!
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