Got pulled over for speeding- should I just plead guilty?

[rexcrk]

I mean, I definitely messed up. Should I just plead guilty and accept the fine?

I have no problem admitting and paying for my mistakes, but this is the first time I've ever gotten pulled over (and I've been driving for about eleven years).

If I just mail my ticket, pleading guilty will that be the end of it? I just want this to be over, I think I'm fretting over this more than I should be.

 

[Oscarfan]

If it doesn't cost a lot, sure. Check if it'll add points to your license.

I got my first parking ticket this year. Paid the fee online and that was the end of it. So, pay the fee and you'll be good.

 

[LittleJerry92]

I've only gotten pulled over once for going 90 on 495 S for an interview for an internship at a radio station when I was in associate's at my college's Digital Media program (sadly didn't get it because it was too late to determine if they would need me); cop was not happy at all and I'm thankful I was let off with a warning. I'll sometimes go 80 but I try to stay within 60/70 on the highway.

All I can say is let this be a life lesson and try to go within the speed limit; and this unfortunately is coming from someone who doesn't tend to really follow the speed limits himself (though I've been more careful after a car accident I got into a few weeks ago). Hope the best!

 

[fuzzygobo]

Go to court, talk to the prosecutor, he might cut you a deal. They might offer to drop the points if you pay a higher fine.

Fines are one thing, but points stay on your license for three years, and your insurance goes through the roof.

The more miles you went over the speed limit, the more points they can sock you with.

Parking violations, no points. Pay the fine and walk away. Moving violations.... Points can come back to haunt you.

 

[D'Snowth]

This is why I always drive at the posted speed limit, because cops are notorious for hiding out in speed traps, waiting for the first speeder to come along to nail them.

But then I get real annoyed when everybody else gets right up on my tail, or swerve around me as if I'm impeding traffic.

 

[LittleJerry92]

This is why I always drive at the posted speed limit, because cops are notorious for hiding out in speed traps, waiting for the first speeder to come along to nail them.

But then I get real annoyed when everybody else gets right up on my tail, or swerve around me as if I'm impeding traffic.

Try living in Massachusetts.

 

[MuppetsRule]

Who drives the speed limit anymore except little ol' ladies? You drive the speed limit and you get passed like you were standing still. It's ridiculous.

Generally, police will give you about 10% over.

25 speed limit - 28-30 mph
35 - about 38-40
55 - 60 mph
65 - 70-72 mph
70 - 77-78 mph

 

[D'Snowth]

Not our local police. They'll gladly pull you over and write you out a ticket for going two miles over the speed limit. Especially if you're speeding in residential areas, or school zones, or cemetaries.

The way I see it: speed limits are posted for a reason, otherwise we wouldn't have speed limits, would we?

 

[fuzzygobo]

Around here they have a lot of these huge sensors that clock your speed and display them to get you to slow down.

I've had a number of run-ins with the cops over the years. Back in the 90's, I got pulled over a lot having long hair and a car covered in Grateful Dead stickers, thinking I must have a stash of pot on me.
Never did, never got busted, never minded that they searched for nothing.

The best way to handle cops is give them respect. Don't give them an attitude, don't try to talk your way out of a ticket, don't cry or beg.
"Yes sir". " No sir". are the best answers you can give.
I've dealt with good cops and bad in 32 years of driving. Black and white, male and female. By and large, I got treated fairly. More often than not, being respectful to them (not kissing up to them) led to them giving me a break, when they could've easily thrown the book at me.
Hope things work out for you.
If you do get points on your license, a lot of towns offer safe-driving or point-reduction courses. It takes a whole day, costs a hundred bucks, but in the long run can help you save, especially on insurance.

 

[LittleJerry92]

I love how long hair instantly means one smokes pot. Such an ignorant stereotype.