The Top Five Ways To Avoid A Speeding Ticket
Of Course Being A Woman Like The One Above Never Hurt
This past month I received a great present from the state of New York. I got a traffic violation. ME?? A safe male driver who obeys all the laws of the land, getting a violation (TICKET) for the way I was driving. How dare they. What an insult and to add injury to this unimaginable insult, the fine was absolutely crazy.
First of all, I was on a back country road I travel often and know the speed limit by heart. I approached one of those great signs that said 30 MPH from being on a 55 MPG stretch of uninhabited road. Of course I knew the sign was there, not like many people who have never driven this stretch of highway. It’s basically a speed trap, as there is no reason to make this small part of the road into a 30 MPH speed limit, other then it is a small town with no buildings to be seen. But back in the 18th century a Revolutionary War hero had lived there and of course it is now classified as a historic treasure. I believe his family plot is somewhere amongst the weeds and his families final resting place is also there. You would never know it, as no one has ever taken care of it, but history is a wonderful thing and of course if it were not for him and many other brave men and women, we all would be talking French instead of English.
That being said, this hamlet is about 1.5 miles long and along this area is the 30 MPH speed limit. I slowed down well before the said sign as I knew it was a known local speed trap. I slowed down driving in my wifes car, which is much newer and you know how some cars you drive, it just doesn’t feel as though your going as fast as the speedometer says? This was the case and the speed I was traveling was actually 34 MPH. All of a sudden behind me was a state police car and as I was driving he followed close behind me and I knew eventually his lights would go on. You just get that gut feeling. Why they just don’t put the lights on immediately instead of following you for a few miles is solely to intimidate you. Although I have had police tell me they are actually running your plate number as they follow you. If that was the case then why does it take so damn long for them to give you the ticket, while you are sitting there on the side of the road as your neighbors pass you by and wave?
As I was sitting there hoping that he would not give me a ticket, I mean come on I was doing 4 miles over the speed limit and it went from 55 down to 30 in a blink of the eye. Finally he walks up to the door and there in his hand was a brand new computer printed violation for me. All I could think of is what a prick to write me up for 4 mph over the limit. But being a nice guy he said to me I could write you up for a speeding ticket and knowing a moving violation would surely raise my insurance rates, he instead gave me a ticket for an unclean license plate. I took the ticket which I couldn’t even read because the printout was out of ink and unreadable, he must have been overheating the printer, giving out so many tickets that fine morning.
As I drove away I said to myself it could have been worse and been a speeding ticket. Hell, I never even knew there was a violation for a dirty plate, besides the car was clean as a whistle and the plate was easily readable. But I thought heck at least it will be a simple fine for such a minor infraction.
I pleaded guilty, sent in the unreadable ticket and a week later I get the notice from the court that I owed them $190. I couldn’t believe my eyes, are they kidding me? It seems that the state is in such bad financial trouble, that the local TV news had been running stories on how the police were cracking down on all motorists (I never watch the local news). It was a way for the state to make money and help the freaking idiots in the state house make sure their paychecks were cash-able. The fine was $95 and the surcharge was $95. What the fuck is a $95 surcharge? I couldn’t believe I pleaded guilty now, besides even if I didn’t plead guilty how do you defend yourself in court that your license plate was clean? It’s his word against yours, jeez I wonder who wins that in court?
OK there you have my story which leads me to help you my fine readers of some great ways to avoid being stuck on the wrong side of the law.
The first of course is to obey the traffic laws, duh, so use your speed controls more often on your car, even for short trips. They say most accidents happen within 5 miles of your house, I am sure this statistic is also the same for traffic tickets. So I have been getting into using my speed control more and more, for some reason it is very hard for me to stay at 30mph.
When being an outlaw is just in your blood then pick up a good radar detector. The two top ones that have been given high props from Retrevo are the new GPS-based radar detectors that help spot speed traps and can also tell you when you’re approaching a red light or speed camera. Because GPS-enabled radar detectors can tell what speed you are going, devices like the top rated BEL GX65 and Passport 9500ix reduce sensitivity at low speed driving to minimize false alarms in urban areas.
Then of course there are some great sites out there that can give you all kinds of great information. Two of them even have apps to use with the best toy out there the iPhone which requires you to have iTunes. These can both be downloaded at Trapster or Speed Cameras. 
source
One of the best sites is an interactive site and works much like Wikipedia or Tom Tom GPS where the reader helps update info where speed cameras are located. This site however seems to be in it’s infancy, I could be wrong, because I haven’t seen many cameras located where I live, so looks like I better start sending them information to help out my neighbors. The site is called PhotoEnforced and could be a great help once more people help send in more locations.
The last tip is a new GPS integrated mobile unit called the GPS Angel. It’s sole duty is to warn you of speed cameras, which is a subject we could do another full post on. 
Well there you go. I was just thinking I should have signed up as an affiliate with all these products to make a few bucks to help offset my fine, but we do enough sponsored posts here at MOB and consider this our civic duty to help all our male and female readers.
Safe driving and happy travels.
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$190 for a dirty license plate? That is just ridiculous.
Here are some more tips on avoiding a traffic ticket. I hope you and your readers enjoy them.
Drive in a pack. When driving on a highway, try and stay within a group of other cars. It is easy for a police officer to pick off “leader” of the pack. In fact, if you are speeding along with another vehicle, it is advisable to change lanes and let that other vehicle pave the way. Chances are, if there is a police officer ahead, the lead vehicle will be pulled over, not you.
Remain vigilant. Keep scanning the road ahead for areas where a police could hide. Also, do not forget to check your rear view mirror.
Know the law. Keep a look out for traffic signs or markings which apply to you, and refresh yourself regarding the various rules of the law. The last thing you want to do it get a ticket because you erroneously thought some maneuver was legal.
Keep your car in good condition. A vehicle with one working tail light, for example, is crying for police attention. Often such equipment tickets result in stops and more tickets once the police officer’s attention has been directed toward you. Spend the few dollars it will cost to repair such equipment problems and save a lot more later.
Maintain a low profile. A red convertible or a car with neon lights is going to grab the attention of police officers. Try and tone it down so as to not stick out in the crowd.
If you are stopped, always be polite to the police officer. Rudeness has bought many a motorist additional summonses. Also, do not volunteer too much information. The Jack Friday adage anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law is a truism.
Never, ever… EVER plead guilty unless you’re far from home. Hire yourself an attorney, and fight that shit. I hate when the Revenue Generators play the “oh, I could have written you up for X, but only gave you Y.” They do that to make you think, “Oh, what a nice gesture. I think I’ll just take this lump and go along my merry little way.” Bullshit. Take the bastards to court, and fight that shit. When I lived in Seattle, we had an attorney that fought and won many moving violations, including driving in the HOV lane with nobody else in the car. That was about a $300 ticket, and is a moving violation. I paid $250 to the attorney, and that shit never saw my driving record.
This isn’t a sore subject with me, or anything.
All this is fine, but where is the fun, especially if you drive in the third world country, where the is penalty of one hundred dollars, but you can bribe cop with only five dollars.
Oh no! Poor you
I can’t believe that cop, “pretending” to care about your insurance costs going up in order to milk you for more cash! Not nice.
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