Has anyone successfully fought a speeding ticket in court? (Phoenix: photo radar, school)

[dermjess]

Hello!

I'm new to Phoenix from Boston, where we all drive 10-15 mph above the speed limit, just to avoid getting run down! I can't remember the last ticket I got and I drive reasonably and safely IMO. So, like all transplanted morons, I didn't know about the cameras on the streets (not intersections) and got myself four tickets since I got here. Two were 2 minutes apart on the 51 (the same offense) and one was in the mail unbenownst to me while I got the 4th from a real patrole car (going 74 down a hill in a 65) on the route 87 from Payson.

Anyhow, I obviously now drive exactly the speed limit everywhere (and watch everyone drive around me) because I can't deal with yet another ticket. I can do traffic school for only one (and it costs the same). I am going to court for the the other three (the photoradars). I need someone to take pity on me and help me either get them dismissed or lower the fines. It all adds up to 800 dollars and with the recession having hit us hard, I am not making ends meet as it is and that amount of money is a true hardship.

Can anyone give me advice (without telling me I broke the law and suck it up)????

Thanks in advance.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by dermjess

Hello!

I'm new to Phoenix from Boston, where we all drive 10-15 mph above the speed limit, just to avoid getting run down! I can't remember the last ticket I got and I drive reasonably and safely IMO. So, like all transplanted morons, I didn't know about the cameras on the streets (not intersections) and got myself four tickets since I got here. Two were 2 minutes apart on the 51 (the same offense) and one was in the mail unbenownst to me while I got the 4th from a real patrole car (going 74 down a hill in a 65) on the route 87 from Payson.

Anyhow, I obviously now drive exactly the speed limit everywhere (and watch everyone drive around me) because I can't deal with yet another ticket. I can do traffic school for only one (and it costs the same). I am going to court for the the other three (the photoradars). I need someone to take pity on me and help me either get them dismissed or lower the fines. It all adds up to 800 dollars and with the recession having hit us hard, I am not making ends meet as it is and that amount of money is a true hardship.

Can anyone give me advice (without telling me I broke the law and suck it up)????

Thanks in advance.

Have you responded to the scamera tickets yet? If you haven't, you can get out of them just by ignoring them.

[dermjess]

Unfortunately I didn't read the forums and I did request court dates! I was so nervous about incurring more fines. Now I'm just hoping the officer doesnt show because I have no argument if he does (except for the fact that he wasn't actually there!)

[steel7]

Read las vegas drunk post. Just ignore the camera tickets & dont show up in court. Thats unless you already contacted the courts.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by eagle7

Read las vegas drunk post. Just ignore the camera tickets & dont show up in court. Thats unless you already contacted the courts.

Maybe you missed the OP"s last post. He's already requested court dates.

To the OP-

You are going to be stuck, probably, on the camera tickets. MAYBE the judge will take pity on you because they were in such quick succession on the same road (don't you see the signs???? There's signs for all the enforcement zones). Those tickets do not involve the testimony of a law enforcement officer. The Redflex representative WILL be there.

As far as the live citation, you're stuck, as you said, unless the officer does not show up.

Expensive lesson to pay more attention to speed limits and road signs.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by dermjess

Unfortunately I didn't read the forums and I did request court dates! I was so nervous about incurring more fines. Now I'm just hoping the officer doesnt show because I have no argument if he does (except for the fact that he wasn't actually there!)

Unfortunately, you are stuck. Arizona does not reduce fines on tickets. You have to be VERY careful in Arizona as it is a police state. Pretty much everytime I go visit my friends in Arizona I wind up with scamera tickets. That is in contrast to Vegas where I have not had a speeding ticket in 3 years but I drive the exact same way.

[Bummer]

This entire thread is very suspicious to me . . .

Anyone who accepts the claim that it is OK to regularly drive 10 to 15 MPH over the Speed Limits in Massachusetts is not thinking clearly. Possibly there are times but definitely not on a regular basis. In fact, my experience with driving in Boston was that due to the heavy traffic and less than courteous drivers, quite often even reaching the posted speed limit is difficult.

Also, the OP is asking for sympathy after receiving FOUR CITATIONS?

GIMME A BREAK!

One citation, possibly two, but after that . . . NO SYMPATHY FROM ME. Hopefully, The Judge will feel the same way.

Finally, if anyone believes Arizona is the ONLY state with Speed and Red Light Cameras or the ONLY state actively enforcing their Speed Laws . . . they are in dire need of a REALITY CHECK.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH.

[Ritchie_az]

"Anyone who accepts the claim that it is OK to regularly drive 10 to 15 MPH over the Speed Limits in Massachusetts is not thinking clearly. Possibly there are times but definitely not on a regular basis. In fact, my experience with driving in Boston was that due to the heavy traffic and less than courteous drivers, quite often even reaching the posted speed limit is difficult."

My experience driving in Boston was sitting in traffic. It was terrible! Of course, that was before "the big dig" so maybe it's not as bad now....

[Howard Roark]

You are right. In the mid 1990s Arizona was very libertarian, relative to California. Now it is a police state. I felt like an adult when I first moved to AZ. Now I feel as though the law is watching me daily.

I got one speeding ticket by a photo radar in 2007. I did not know about the threads at that time that if you ignore the ticket you will not have to worry.

I'm very watchful of cams now. And my speed. I use the rightmost lanes so that the hot doggers could charge right past me and hopefully they will get the speed ticket for showing off!

Saw that happened on the east coast as I drove on I-95 a couple years ago. Some hot shot charged past me in the left lane. Moments later I saw an undercover cop had stopped that same hot shot! Justice to all rude people!

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

Unfortunately, you are stuck. Arizona does not reduce fines on tickets. You have to be VERY careful in Arizona as it is a police state. Pretty much everytime I go visit my friends in Arizona I wind up with scamera tickets. That is in contrast to Vegas where I have not had a speeding ticket in 3 years but I drive the exact same way.

[steel7]

Is arizona more of a police state then ca ?