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I'm sorry, but I've had enough. I was driving in a "school zone" at 4:28 PM. I was going the speed of traffic, I was going on a major street in my city, there was no "pedestrians" around, and it was, I repeat, 4:28 PM. School was long, long over. But, ok, if the speed limit was 20 and I was going 45, then I would understand getting a ticket, but no, I was going 27 miles per hour at 4:28 PM with no pedestrians on a major road in my city when school was almost 1:30 hours out of session and I get slapped with a speed limit for speeding in a "school zone". From research, apparently, DURING SCHOOL HOURS, going at 26 is a ticket. So, I was one mph above that an hour and a half after school ended, going the speed of traffic. This all makes sense. While my city has one of the highest murder rates in the country, with gangs roaming the city untouched, I am slapped with a ticket for this.
Good job, police department. You "got" me!
I did some reading a while back about speed limits and the posted speed limit is essentially a "recommendation" its not a hard and fast rule. Clear visibility, dry roads and other circumstances are factors, like quick lane changes and visibily reckless driving....if you were going 1 or 2 MPH over on a clear day while not doing anything reckless and essentially keeping up with traffic, you could get this thrown out.
I'm sorry, but I've had enough. I was driving in a "school zone" at 4:28 PM. I was going the speed of traffic, I was going on a major street in my city, there was no "pedestrians" around, and it was, I repeat, 4:28 PM. School was long, long over. But, ok, if the speed limit was 20 and I was going 45, then I would understand getting a ticket, but no, I was going 27 miles per hour at 4:28 PM with no pedestrians on a major road in my city when school was almost 1:30 hours out of session and I get slapped with a speed limit for speeding in a "school zone". From research, apparently, DURING SCHOOL HOURS, going at 26 is a ticket. So, I was one mph above that an hour and a half after school ended, going the speed of traffic. This all makes sense. While my city has one of the highest murder rates in the country, with gangs roaming the city untouched, I am slapped with a ticket for this.
Good job, police department. You "got" me!
Assuming it's law in my home state school zones are clearly marked and have signs stating the hours the zone is active. They may or may not have flashing lights.
The sign might read like this:
Speed Limit 25 mph
7:30 - 9:30
2:00- 3:00
Any time outside of the posted hours the speed limit is the regular posted speed.
Many of these smug, self-righteous responses assume the OP had reasonable notice of the speed limit in effect when IMO it's not so obvious from the facts and information provided.
...But you weren't there so that makes your comment hearsay. Maybe we should convene CD Court?
Besides..."self-righteous" would be more like saying: "Dear god no, I NEVER speed...ESPECIALLY in school zones!" which is a patently false statement for anyone who has ever driven a car further than a block. I'm not saying that nor am I really hearing it from others... I'm saying that while I still wouldn't enjoy it, I would consider that ticket MY fault and not whine and cry about the perceived injustice of it all.
But who am I kidding... this is America and it's ALWAYS somebody or something else's fault.
...But you weren't there so that makes your comment hearsay. Maybe we should convene CD Court?
Besides..."self-righteous" would be more like saying: "Dear god no, I NEVER speed...ESPECIALLY in school zones!" which is a patently false statement for anyone who has ever driven a car further than a block. I'm not saying that nor am I really hearing it from others... I'm saying that while I still wouldn't enjoy it, I would consider that ticket MY fault and not whine and cry about the perceived injustice of it all.
But who am I kidding... this is America and it's ALWAYS somebody or something else's fault.
You're right, technically, by the letter of the law, it is my fault. It doesn't make the law "right". If you sit quiet when you think that there is an injustice, then progress will not be made...
...But you weren't there so that makes your comment hearsay. Maybe we should convene CD Court?
Which comment is "hearsay"? And may I remind you that you're the one assuming facts not in evidence, not me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chango
Besides..."self-righteous" would be more like saying: "Dear god no, I NEVER speed...ESPECIALLY in school zones!" which is a patently false statement for anyone who has ever driven a car further than a block. I'm not saying that nor am I really hearing it from others... I'm saying that while I still wouldn't enjoy it, I would consider that ticket MY fault and not whine and cry about the perceived injustice of it all.
Nah, it's sufficient to wallow in someone else's misfortune -- especially when you've been guilty of it yourself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chango
But who am I kidding... this is America and it's ALWAYS somebody or something else's fault.
Sometimes, it actually is someone else's fault. If the state expects people to follow the law, they should provide reasonable notice of what the law is. I recently got out of a ticket precisely for that reason -- not because I didn't break the law, but because the signage indicating what the law is was vague and misleading. All the moral preening in this thread (including yours) presumes guilt when the fact is that none of us have sufficient information to make that presumption.
You're right, technically, by the letter of the law, it is my fault. It doesn't make the law "right". If you sit quiet when you think that there is an injustice, then progress will not be made...
So, what did you do to object before you got the ticket?
High schools don't have night sessions, nut I know from experience that it's common for students involved with sports and other extracurricular activities to be at school well beyond 5:00.
That's the way I look at it too. Whenever I see one of those school zone signs, I slow down to the "school hours" speed. You've got kids coming and going at all hours, and all days of the week, for extracurricular activities and whatnot. It's just not worth the 20 or 30 seconds I'd save by going the extra ten MPH or whatever.
Can you explain to me why different high schools in the same area have different times for their school zones?
no since i dont live in your area.
Quote:
Can you explain to me why they put the camera right around the same so the driver doesn't have sufficient time to slow down?
again no i cant. but if i had an issue with it i would check the state laws regarding traffic cam placement and school zones, as well as the requirements for any warning signage, and then check the area for signs meeting the requirements, etc. i would take lots of pictures and measurements, and if anything was out of whack with the minimums required by law, then i would know that i had a case against the state, and i would present the evidence to the judge in a respectful manner, with the hope that the ticket would be tossed on proper legal grounds.
Quote:
Can you explain why questioning the rules in place is now labeled as "whining"?
its not whining to question the rules, its whining though when you constantly complain about how stupid the situation is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WFW&P
Assuming it's law in my home state school zones are clearly marked and have signs stating the hours the zone is active. They may or may not have flashing lights.
The sign might read like this:
Speed Limit 25 mph
7:30 - 9:30
2:00- 3:00
Any time outside of the posted hours the speed limit is the regular posted speed.
silly us here in arizona, we put out signs that specify the speed limit, when the signs are out the zone is in effect, when the signs are in the zone is gone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David910
You're right, technically, by the letter of the law, it is my fault. It doesn't make the law "right". If you sit quiet when you think that there is an injustice, then progress will not be made...
if you want to fight the law, fine. but you do it in the proper place, in court or in the halls of the state legislature, not whine about it on an open forum. what you want to do here is get suggestions on how to deal with the situation, and how to fight the ticket.
I don't remember even seeing the lights flashing, but at 428 they couldnt have been. I'll see the city in court, though, because I aint accepting this bogus ticket without a huge fight.
I did that the last time I felt I got a bogus ticket, spurred on by an article in an AARP magazine, which said: if you go to court, there's a 50% chance the charges will be dropped, if the officer doesn't show up.
I opted to go with the gamble, played their silly games: first go to court to plead Not Guilty, then set a date 2 months later, which I attended, where the DA tried to get me to accept a $130 deduction in the fine, from $480 to $350. I refused the offer. Then? Set another date 2 months later, with my fingers and toes crossed, and I'll be damned if the police officer didn't show up, and I had to pay the $480!
With the 2nd court meeting, I sat in the pew and watched all these others, where the police officer didn't show up, leave the courtroom with big smiles! And that, again, is what spurred me on to go to that 3rd court date!
Net time try this... Before the officer gets up to your window ... Unbutton a couple of buttons so there's some cleavage showing, admit you were exceeding the speed limit a little, then ask it it's possible to get a little spanking in lieu of a ticket. Oh wait... You're a guy. Nevermind
You Need to refrain from the smiles as the Officer might be Gay and it just might WORK!
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