Who knew that MPG was in there somewhere? :)

My suggestion. I have daughters who both have a heavy foot. Each ticket they have received I have taken to court.

A good lawyer here charges $250 to $500 to handle a ticket. Also, get a lawyer who is of the same political party as most of the judges in your jurisdiction.

What the lawyer typically does, and you can do this yourself if so inclined, is to get a couple of continuances and at some point you hope the copy does not show up. No witness, no prosecution.

I have gotten the daughters out of four tickets this way. BTW, traffic tickets in most instances are just a tax and nothing more. It is revenue generation pure and simple.

If more people or all people fought these in court, government would stop this nonsense for revenue generation. It ties up the courts, keeps the police from stopping REAL crime and just gets the citizens ticked off at the police.

Please fight the ticket.

IYM wrote:

SUV's and trucks take a big hit over 65mph. Cars however can show no change or even better the EPA estimates. Usually cars with tall gears like late model firebirds and my Bonneville...

Doesn't work that way on LI though...Very strange system. They set up something here called a TVB (Traffic Violation Bureau) that is headed by the DMV to keep the regular courts freed up. There is no plea bargaining...It's either guilty or innocent. They have a 90% conviction rate. I've had a few friends try to fight it and no one has ever won. This, even in a case where he was picked up going 76 by radar. When he got to court, the cop presented a calibration sheet for the radar gun that was outdated by 6 months. The judge said that even though the gun was not calibrated and could have been off a couple of MPH, the officer's judgment of the speed was what he was trained for and that there was no way he could have been going the speed limit, so he still got the ticket. This is as one sided of a system that you can get and it's a pure money maker, that's all. Very unfair. You have to show up to court with evidence to prove your innocence instead of the officer trying to prove you guilty. All this and now as of 2 years ago, NYS instituted a "Safe Driver" surcharge. If your license ever hits 6 points you're automatically charged $300 + $25 for every point after. Because this one first ticket of mine was for 6 points, my fine is: $90 ticket + $50 surcharge (administrative fee) + $300 (safe driver surcharge) = $440 + 6 points on license + increased insurance premium (god only knows what that's going to go up to)

It is a EXTREMELY unfair system, especially for a first time offender. The only "Loophole" is that you plead "not guilty" and delay the date as long as you can, then right before your date you can change your plea.. As the points apply from the date of the incident, and not the date of conviction, if you can drag the date 4-6 months, that 4-6 months of additional clean license, less insurance and you already knocked that time off your 18 month total. The cop ALWAYS shows up at court, as they have 2 times to get there. You take a day off from work and the cop doesn't show, the date gets rescheduled. As the cop gets paid overtime for court appearances, he is always there one of the two times. Officers here make so much $$ and benefits...

To see what I mean about the system:

"Hang_Traitor_Democrats" wrote in message news:481f7b5b$0$3374$ snipped-for-privacy@roadrunner.com...

I suspect, the conviction rate is high because most do not use a lawyer. Second, I know here if the attorney thinks the judge will be a problem, they just ask for a jury trial. You know, what you are entitled to by the US Constitution. No one wants to do that for a traffic ticket.

I would say that the conviction rate is high here to. Because I have seen people try to do this themselves and they are not trained as a attorney so they lose. Get an attorney no matter where you live.

When you consider the increase in car insurance you will get from the ticket, the money is better spent getting an attorney.

I am not a lawyer, but seems to me in the case you cited below, I would file for an appeal. A reasonable judge would have thrown out that case. The gun is out of calibration and the judge still convicts on what the officer "thinks" the guy was traveling......Woooooo, Woooooo....all aboard the legal Railroad.

Why pe> Doesn't work that way on LI though...Very strange system. They set up

Many years ago, right before Christmas, I got a ticket for passing a stopped school bus ($200 at the time). I still maintain that I turned off the main road before I overtook the bus. Am certain that it was just a money grab to fund holiday bonuses since the cop listened to my explanation and said very sorry but...wrote the ticket anyway. A buddy with an uncle 'on the job' told me to send in the ticket requesting a trial and requesting a deposition. By law (and I don't know if this is still the case), a requested deposition has to be received no closer than 30 days before trial. Usually my city has long waits for traffic court cases but this one came up in two weeks I go into court and wait for my case to be called. The cases prior to mine make it very evident that this is the 'hanging judge' I am to appear before

Finally they call my case, the cop is there and the judge starts. I ask if the court is in possession of the requested deposition. Judge looks at his papers, then at the bailiff and says, "was Mr. O. given his deposition when he arrived in court." Bailiff looks flustered but comes over and hands me my deposition. Judge starts again and I interrupt, "your honor, I was under the impression that a requested deposition was to be received 30 days before trial." Judge now looks extremely pissed off and I figure that I had really screwed up big time and was going to jail now. He looks down at his papers and starts writing. Looks up at me with daggers in his eyes and says, to my overwhelming relief, "case dismissed for untimely rendering of deposition." I'd rather be proved right than pull a legal maneuver but this was the right way to go. Oppie

Yuck!

That is awful!!

Of the thre tickets I've had in the past 22 years, I've gone to court on two of them. Both times, the officer didn't show up and the case was dismissed. The third one was written down wrong as a fix-it ticket (I didn't have my lights on.) and written off.

At last, a reason to like California. :P

To make sure we stay within the spirit of the newsgroup, I am sure everyone was driving a Saturn in the examples cited - right?

;-)

Well my son is getting a lesson in civics with his first ticket in his 98 SL2. $200 and 8 to 10 hours missing in his and my life. :)

David

What does that have to do with beer?

Dunno but at this point, beer is cheaper per liter than gas. If only my lil' saturn would run on beer....

I wish my Saturn ran on Methane....Just think - You'd stop at Taco Bell to fill up! Family Trip? No prob...Get the Grande Meal and get clear-cross country!

IYM