Mr 5er

Well...... fellow e60sters, I have been pulled over a number of times while driving my e60 and guess what, I don't think it was because the COP was jealous, I was speeding each and every time, there's two sides to each story

amigo525

Nah, i think she gave you an 'under speeding' ticket!

soc_fans

Thanks again guys for the comments. I really do appreciate the help here, that is why i always see this is the best forum ever!

First of all, i don't think jealousy comes to place.. the cop is a f*@!$@ing young lady with a big fat @$$. Yes she did follow me from behind for less than 1/4 mile before pulling me over. And i was cruising at 35mph all the time ! I'm F***** sure because i am always looking at the HEAD UP DISPLAY while driving.

I don't know if i should fight for this. As what i've checked the website from heezy545i has given (thank you so much for that), i could choose the option of written declaration. But the problem is that i don't have any evidence with me to support.

Well, as what some of you have suggested.. easiest way for me is just to pay the fine and go for traffic school. Should i just forget the whole matter and pay the &@!$!ing fine? I guess the fine would be around $150-$250, money isn't the big problem for me. The thing that really bothers me is traffic school, i have to attend classes when i'm already so busy with my school schedule.

UNFAIR UNFAIR UNFAIR!!!! ARGH!

miss525i

funny but in the state of South Carolina certain officers (Traffic patrol) don't need to prove speeding using a radar. They are certified to detect simply by watching you interesting...try to fight this one...

znod

I am rethinking the second thing I said. I don't think I would go to court unless you still can still go to traffic school regardless of the court outcome. That's not the way it works in AZ. So, if your state is like AZ, then I would just pay the fine and go to traffic school. My usual way is to try to find a way to make lemonade. I am hard pressed on this one. All I can think of is that you may get some lemonade if your experience helps you to realize what my sig says about the universe. In my universe, there is no such thing as unfair so one can't be unhappy about unfair. But, I know exactly how unfair feels. Whether my universe is the real one doesn't matter. If one goes with the idea in my sig, then that universe is the real universe even if it isn't. See?

Scott

No, it's not your legal right to have a jury trial in CA. No jury trials for infractions. And most cops are required to go to court, so the odds are she would be there. Like anything, it's a gamble -- but the odds are against you.

Soc--

I understand how much it sucks to know that you've been wronged -- it's the principle of the thing. If you took all your evidence (you were on cruise control, HUD, etc) who knows, the judge might believe you.

Personally, I would take traffic school because it guarantees no insurance hike which is the real expense.

I've taken traffic school online and finished it in about two hours while I was at work doing other stuff. No big deal.

I know you're upset about what happened to you, sounds like you got a raw deal. But for what it's worth, it's more likely a mistake than her lying to screw you. There are so many people out there breaking the law, why make it up? (I'm not saying there aren't bad apples, but that's everyone's assumption when it happens to them -- they got the crooked cop).

If you do argue remember that the less distance that she paced you, the more you could make an arguement that she might have been closing in on you still, making it appear that you were going faster.

Was the road curvy? Were you starting from a stoplight where she couldn't have gotten a steady pace for long enough? There are lots of things you can use to help prove your case.

But when you throw pride out the window (hard to do I know) ask yourself if you are making the smartest, logical decision for YOU.

Busta

"The thing that really bothers me is traffic school, i have to attend classes when i'm already so busy with my school schedule."

There's always online traffic school, that should save you some time.

Bimmer32

"To let go is to relieve yourself." or "Let it go and you will receive in return ten folds." You can be an optimist or a pessimist, your choice. If you are Christian, offer it up. You will be reward.

Miss525i, you are right about the certification. My brother can stop someone speeding even if they are not speeding and write them a ticket. Thank God he's my brother and doesn't abuse his authority.

EBMCS03

Man that totally sucks! I hate cops like that.

CoolTones

Hi soc_fans,

Sorry to hear about this incident.

I have a couple of family members in law enforcement. One advice I can offer is to DEFINITELY GET A LAWYER who specializes in traffic violations.

Going to court without representation *hoping* that the police officer will not show up and the ticket will be thrown out is not the best thing to do.

Again, having family members in law enforcement I was told that a police officer actually gets paid *extra* for taking extra time out to go to court. So there is actually a motivation for the police officer to appear in court. This is TRUE.

Another phenomenon that can happen -- If you have different size rims/tires it can actually affect your speedometer. There are ways to validate this. One of the easiest ways (not 100% accurate but close) to check the accuracy of your speedometer is to have a buddy drive along side you at varying speeds and register what you see vs. what he sees. Just a thought.

The problem with the incident that you shared was the cop's invitation to you to fight it in court. This is almost a guarantee that the cop looks forward to attending court. IMPORTANT NOTE: If a cop says "Based on my judgement...." this is almost always considered "True" and seen that way to the judge; HOWEVER,.... with a lawyer they can handle such situations.

Not a guarantee that you'll get off the ticket; however, a lawyer does better your odds.

Good Luck, and please keep us posted.
-CoolTones