should i fight my speeding ticket? i think the cop was doing something illegal PLUS using intimidation?

Question

A week ago I got chased by a car- last night a car got on my ass again so i started going faster and it stayed on my ass so over 10 min I went from 55 to 75 I realized it was a cop when he put his lights on. I told him the reason i sped up was cuz i was TERRIFIED that I was being followed again plus these guys across the street have been harassing me so it couldve been them-the cop was literally 3 feet from my bumper for 10 min.He gave me a break (after giving me a sobriety test) by writing me a ticket for 60/50 instead of 75. He said that even w/my story he clocked me at 70mph before he came up to me which is BS cuz i remember looking at how close he was then looking at my spedometer and thinking "im going 55/50 what do you wnat from me?" im thinking of fighting cuz he was tailgaiting for a while which is ILLEGAL+it seems like he was trying to get me to speed/ waiting for me to go fast enough to write me a big ticket.Im pissed cuz i dont wanna pay 130 when i only sped cuz i was scared

Answer 1

If your only defense is that the cop made you speed, or was tailgating, the judge will laugh at you. You have a history of reckless driving and the cop thought you were intoxicated. If you were scared of being followed, traffic court will scare the heck out of you. Pay the fine and slow down.

Answer 2

Here's the deal: If you go into court with an axe to grind the judge is going to HAMMER you, especially when you consider the fact that you have another recent speeding ticket. Your best bet is to go to court wearing your Sunday best, plead guilty, explain the situation (emphasizing the fact that you were being harrassed by those three guys and you thought it might be them), take full responsibility for your actions, and ask for leniency. If the police officer who wrote you the ticket doesn't show up, there's a chance the judge may throw it out. If he does show up, however, you don't want to say ANYTHING negative about the police officer or else you'll look like a whiny-@$$ with an attitude problem. Be smart, be respectful, show the judge that you take this very seriously, and there's a good chance the judge will knock it down to a lesser offense or reduce the fine.

Answer 3

To fight a ticket of this type, which will be a he said-he said deal, you'd need to hire a lawyer, and if the cop shows up and testifies to what he told you, you're guaranteed to lose. Ticket courts are kangaroo courts with the sole object being generating income for the city/county. There is no due process there. You would have to appeal, and would still likely lose, since the court always goes with the police testimony. The officer's rely on this, as it allows them to fabricate at will. The expense of fighting it would far outweigh the fine and increased insurance costs.

The thing to do, I think, is to see if you qualify for a defensive driving program, where you take a driving class and the ticket does not go on your record. I have done this, and it cost $50 plus the fee for the class. Also my insurance did not rise, but went down due to the certificate I received for completion of the course which gave me a 10% discount on my premium.

Answer 4

You do what you feel is best but its the luck of the draw if you get a good judge you could possibly win but a bad one on a power trip and youll loose. And take into concideration if your not caucasion. I was in trafic court and saw serious offenders get off because they were white but the judge screwed the black and hispanics.

Answer 5

Most likely he got you on RADAR and then got behind you, so your argument wont hold up. Most likely he wasnt as close as you think, but understand that he may have pulled that close in order to run your plate or check your registration tags. Hes exempt from traffic laws in the line of duty. You can file a complaint with his agency, but it wont get you off the hook for the ticket.

Answer 6

You stated that the officer told you he clocked you at 70 "before he came up to you". You looked at the speedometer "when you were looking at how close he was". You can fight it but will probably lose and spend extra money for court costs.

Answer 7

the judge is going to look at your past driving history, to wit i think he will believe the police over your statements



try a lawyer

Answer 8

You have nothing to figtht. Pay the fine.

Answer 9

YES WHEN YOU GO ASK THE OFFICER FOR A RADAR GUN CALIBRATION REPORT

Answer 10

i'd fight it thats complete BS...take him to court..good luck