speeding citations situation (Annapolis, College Park: insurance, homes, layoffs)

[diesel222]

Okay, I've been driving for about 2 years now in the Annapolis area. Back in July of 07' I was pulled over and given a speeding citation for 22 over (67 in a 45). It had been my first time ever getting pulled over and with my luck I didn't get a warning like most of my friends. I went to court and was granted PBJ (probation before judgement) and had to take an online driving course. Recently, again in July of this year, I was pulled over again on the same highway doing 24 over. I got my issued court date in the mail the other day and I have been pretty nervous thinking about it. Is my license going to be suspended? Is my insurance going to skyrocket? Do I have to take any more driving courses? This all adds to the agony that I'm going to college in the Fall at UMD-College Park. Yeah, I'm pretty stressed, any suggestions?

[Marylandsailor]

Yes, your insurance will go up and for good reason. I don't think your licence will be suspended though. Just SLOW DOWN A LITTLE, please! Tell the judge that you are very very sorry and that you have learned your lesson and that it won't happen again. And really mean it! I think you're lucky you got caught before you killed someone or killed yourself.

[jessy0780]

They don't suspend your license for 2 speeding tickets. Most likely you will have to pay a fine, and there will probably points on your license. IF your insurance finds out about them, then they will raise your insurance. They don't always find out.
You are lucky that they didn't charge you with reckless driving. Also, if it had been in a construction zone, then the fines would be doubled. 67 or 69 in a 45 is way too fast- hopefully you'll be more careful in the future.

[DLK]

"guilty with an explanation" will at least get your fines cut and points reduced. The 'explanation' part is up to you.

Your rates WILL go up. You can always hope the officer won't show and then you get off completely much to the demise of the rest of us on the road.

[AllisonFc21]

I got a 90 in a 55 last year on Rt. 32 in AA County. I only ended up with 1 point & a $60 fine. The judge (a very very nice woman) lowered the speed to 69 in a 55...Allstate (my insurance co.) said they only raise rates if it's 15+ over the speed limit. I lucked out big time!

The best you can do is hope the cop doesn't show...I've never been that lucky but I've heard stories of cops not showing. They won't suspend your license...unless you go to court and act like a jerk. It's hit or miss...it depends on the judge's mood unfortunately. Cross your fingers for the lady judge! GOOD LUCK!

[diesel222]

If anyone is familiar with Generals Highway in A.A County it is a straight dark road at night with little to no traffic. I was keeping up with the guy in front of me, which still keeps me guessing on how he didn't get pulled over. I hope that I can reschedule the court dates to better my chances of the cop not showing because right now my budget is tight and my insurance is already high enough. Ughh..

[emsgoof]

The cops and courts are all very aware of the "tricks" the public try to play to get out of traffic citations. Suck it up, you screwed the pooch, and now you have to pay the price. The judge has access to your past driving history, and will probably see your history of EXACTLY THE SAME THING. Sorry, but after cutting people out of cars for 11 years, I have little sympathy. Hope you learned your lesson this time.

[cutgarden]

Diesel, I have heard (no proof though) that the last guy in the line of cars will be the one getting the ticket. While I routinely drive over the limit myself, I try to keep it to 10-13 over. Certainly not 20+. Hope it works out for you though!

[psychofan]

Bear in mind that with the current economy and housing crisis, where homes are being abandoned, the revenues the town, county, and state collects through taxes (e.g. sales, property, etc.) are ALL sharply declining. What this means for you and I is that the funds that were used to hire all the police officers during the housing boom to keep up with the growing population are running out. Therefore, a way to avoid layoffs for the police departments is to issue more traffic citations, which without question are great way for the police to ensure funds are available to justify their jobs. This is another reason for "quotas" or "monthly performance review (where issuance of citations is a factor for satisfactory performance among some precincts)." Where else can one person's words essentially render you and your opinions moot without any hard evidences? Traffic citations are therefore the absolute best way to make money to ensure jobs. This is why I bet traffic citations are sharply increasing throughout the areas. For those of you who proclaims one shouldn't speed, I will bet anything that you yourself have sped. Going 1 mph over the limit IS speeding, how many of you truly drive 10 mph in a neighborhood? You probably do 13-15 mph AND that's speeding!

Though 67 in a 45 is definitely too fast and dangerous and so is 90 in a 55. Those are definitely justifiable tickets! Though I doubt there are any hard evidences in either cases except for the officers' words.

[debbiekr]

Don't mean to sound rude but that ticket sounds well deserved since it's the second time in the same place. That's not smart. Just means you didn't learn your lesson the first time. Maybe if they are harder on you this time you will not do it again. I do think we probably all speed at sometime or another but 20+ is not even justifiable. I have two kids and even though I am a safe driver I always worry about that one who is not. Be respectful of others and their lives. Reminds me of the story of the girl who was doing 97 on Rt. 1, wrecked a minivan with an entire family in it. Killed the Mom, Dad and two kids, one kid, a 4 year old, lived. Now she gets to grow up without parents or brothers and sisters. The only difference between you and her is you haven't killed anyone yet. By the way, she's in jail for involuntary manslaughter.