PA speeding ticket help.

[Buster]

2:00am coming home from susies house on Maple ave. Theres a cop sitting in a parking lot no lights in a dark lot. I see him just as I come down the big hill and turn my highs off. He immediately pulls out and follows me up the hill. Speed limit is 45, I couldnt have been doing more than 50 coming off the hill. So we keep going about a mile and a half and just coming up to the copper kettle at the light before bristol road a guy runs the red light and I just miss him. So instead of pulling the guy who clearly broke the law in front of him.. he pulls me over.

He asks me what the speed limit is, and I politely tell him that its 45. He tells me he clocked me at 75. Correct me if im wrong but arent local cops not allowed to use radar, nad vascar is a load of ****? So again I politely give him my insurance and liscence. He gives me the ticket and then cuts me off.


FUC]<ER!!!! I am not paying this ticket, and am going to fight this. I have a perfect driving record, not tickets not accidents. Im not letting this bored ass cop ruin it. He broke more regulations than points hes trying to give me!

[LSHatch]

So, what help do you need?

I don't know what to tell you. If the cop won't change his mind, sorry for you, but since the entire Bucks County judicial system is BS, you're screwed.

Get an attorney and fight it. That's your only shot.

[Buster]

I meant can anyone tell me I did somthing to deserve the ticket.
It is rediculous, I cant understand how that was at all right.

1. He had no lights on
2. He cant use a radar.. legally
3. What about the idiot that almost hit me?
4. He ****ing cut me off as I was pulling out.
5. Do they hire retards to write these tickets? Ive seen doctors with better handwriting.
6. Who sets a speed trap at the bottom of a hill?!?!?!
7. He couldnt have used Vascar because theres no lines to time me on.

I better be able to plea it down at least. I just dont want points. Especially since I didnt do anything wrong. I even was wearing my seatbelt! I never do that!

[TROLL]

well its clear that you're pissed and venting, but the first thing you should do is look at the ticket... if it was vascar it will say that it was. nobody is going to have any answers for you here... if it really went down like you say it did then go to court and it'll get dropped.
bryan

[Buster]

Its not even marked how it was done, Beleive me, its getting fought. I know i wasnt speeding. It was too late to be driving like that. I would never do it. Youre right im mos def pissed and venting. My insurance is already high with a good record.

[TehWagon]

I have no experience w/the judicial system in Bucks, but I do have faith that if you present yourself well (having an attorney friend can't hurt...) it'll get dropped. Most times they're just trying to get one over on people who don't give a crap and will just pay it to be done with it. If you fight it, you usually win.

Sorry that happened, man, sounds like BS... keep us posted, and good luck!

[poolmike]

Most local cops give you 5-9 mph above the limit. Anything faster than that- you are getting a ticket. On any given night there is a trap on Maple Ave, I usually see a cop sitting in TDS parking lot or one of the body shops there. It is a great location for a speed trap due to the average speed being around 65 mph off that hill.

Take it to court. If he used radar you will have to fight a little. If he used what some cops call "acutrac", which is nothing more than a stop watch and two utility poles, you have NOTHING to worry about.

ALWAYS- ask to see the equipment used. If the officer for whatever reason cannot give you physical proof of your speed, it will be thrown out of court.

[FFG]

Just fight the ticket, when you get to court.... if the cop does not show up the ticket will get dropped. If he does, talk to the DA or whoever is there as a go-between (there is always someone there to discuss your case prior to when you get called) at that time explain what happened. They will either make you plead guilty and just pay the fine with no pionts( most likely what will happen) or tell you that you have a good shot at fighting it and to do so at that time or ask for a continuance and get an attorny. If you plead it out your insurance wont go up, since no pionts will be attached. However if you decide to not plead it out and loose, you run a risk of loosing, and @ 30mph over the speed limit thats a 3 point violation, possibly even a suspention. good luck :-)

[S4toSTI]

I meant can anyone tell me I did somthing to deserve the ticket.
It is rediculous, I cant understand how that was at all right.

1. He had no lights on (certain counties
2. He cant use a radar.. legally ( true unless he was a statey)
3. What about the idiot that almost hit me? (the cop will say he didn't see it)
4. He ****ing cut me off as I was pulling out. (don't mention that cause a you can't prove it and b it will only get u pissed off and the judge won't care)
5. Do they hire retards to write these tickets? Ive seen doctors with better handwriting.(don't say that in court either)
6. Who sets a speed trap at the bottom of a hill?!?!?! (not your decision)
7. He couldnt have used Vascar because theres no lines to time me on.(there can be systems that are little boxes on the side of the road it is not always lines in the road)

I better be able to plea it down at least. I just dont want points. Especially since I didnt do anything wrong. I even was wearing my seatbelt! I never do that!

Finally your clean record is your biggest tool.

Your honor i am really saorry it was late and i may have strade slightly over the limit but no more then 5 mph over. I don't want to say the officer is wrong but i was not doing that speed. I have never gotten a ticket before and don't plan on getting any again. I don't speed ever speed and that is why i find it hard to believe i was doing 75. I am about to move into a house wiht my gf living on my own, i support myself and i have for a long time i would really like it if you could get rid of the points for me. Honestly your honor i wouldn't lie to you i really never speed and i amreally am so surprised i am here.


Done pay the fine no point and leave. Be nice be polite... don't get a lawyer. You have an appeal worst comes to worst you bring a lawyer to the appeal if you want, but form my expiernces in little town courts you get a lot farther by being nice polite courteous and personal. And honestly if you lose in the first one and have to go to a appeal it will be another judge and you probably will get the points off then.

Hey keith you don't need to listen to me and anyone can refute what i said but i have gotten more tickets then you would believe(as alot of people know) and i have gotten out of many many tickets. Good luck keith let me know what happens.

I would be very surprised if you don't just walk in and the cop says to you how about we take off the points and call this a day. At that point u take the deal swallow your pride and say have a nice day officer.

[UncleTom]

if i am not mistaken:
it is the law for local police that they MUST have at least their parking lights on if they pull you over.

as has already been stated, radar is illegal to use for local police.

and as has already been touched on too, dress nicely and be VERY respetful, but at the same time (RESPECTFULLY) don't take any crap. You know what it right and wrong and what happened, so don't let the cop or the judge bully you, cuz sometimes they will.

[90gt]

he didn't use radar don't you know what them white lines in the street are for....no point in getting an attorney just a waste of money. plea with him and pay your fines, if it was lower south judge is cool cops are dickheads

[WhiteXFire]

When you drive along that part of Maple Ave, you have to watch out for cops around the sharp turn to Bridgetown Pk. They're always either sitting at one of the Auto Body shops, the grass where the turn is, or the entrance to the "park" on the left. It's possible that he timed you as you were approaching him, but unlikely if he followed you for so long. Legally, they're allowed to "clock" you by following you and maintaining the same speed as you are, and it should say something on the ticket about how far they followed you. Obviously it's not exactly accurate, but it's accurate enough to tell if someone is blatantly speeding. If anyone ever drives past 413 coming up Maple Ave. at night, you usually run into the bored Langhorne cop sitting in the gas station parking lot that has followed me numerous times up Maple until Old Lincoln Highway where he loses jurisdiction. I ALWAYS make sure I'm doing the speed limit along the Langhorne Burough portion of Maple Ave. because the 1 cop on patrol has nothing better to do besides make money for the burough. Oh, and a lot of the time there's a cop sitting in the parking lot behind Kopper Kettle.

Anyway, just take it to court, and you should be fine.

[Little G]

Do you know any cops in any other townships....Cause when i got my ticket in west chester i got a cop that i knew in my home town to call him and tell him that i was a good driver and i would never do it again...So i ended up going to court and payed nothing and got no points....
Eventhough 2 days later i got pulled over for speeding in my home town by 2 cops and the one cop is the one that got me out of the ticket....That didn't go to well...

[99SL2_Modder]

Ok, lets first sort this out.

Legally, they can use radars. End of story. It costs LESS to do ACUTRAC or the other methods for clocking that involve the stopwatch.

Second: Just don't be a dumbass in court.

[TROLL]

i dont think anyone needs to repeat the same things any more, haha.
bryan

[Crzyguy972]

first of all u shouldve asked me how did u calucalte my speed if u coudltn ahve used radar, one dumb responsse i have encoutered was with a hightech stopwatch, secondly they just want your money

[Mr Tomtastic]

have fun fighting it.

I went to court for a wrongly appointed ticket and the judge told me right off the bat that I'm not getting a fair trial.

:very undetailed shortened story:

I was following a friend, doing the speed limit and even in the same lane and a cop comes flying up behind us. so we get over for him to pass and he stops behind us. The cop talks to my friend in front of me then comes to me and asks what were doing and tells me the other guy said we were street racing. I reply "ok", like what the hell attitude and the cop writes us both tickets for street racing.

At court the officer said that I "complied" when he asked about street racing. When it was my turn to testify(or whatever) I was able to get acouple sentences out when i paused for about 3-5 seconds to gather my thoughts the judge said I was guilty.

Now I have to pay $1500 for a lawyer to appeal this mess or deal with this mark on my previously clean record and lose my license for 6 monthes. 6 years of driving and i've been pulled over/ticketed once, only for a lighting violation.

Damn the man!

[Buster]

I drive late just about everynight, and most nights I am very responsible. I also know about the cop in the borough, before the borough, the one who hides in the autoparts warehouse, The woods skool cop, the shopping center on maple ave, the one who stopped me, the one or two depending on how late it is, at doughboys, theres one at the library, the kettle cop, there is always one coming towards me on bridgetown once I get into feasterville.... anyways what im saying was that I expected him to be there and knew I wasnt doing anything wrong. either way, I have a month to sit on it.

[Chair-Force]

1. Radar isnt the only speeding gun used.
2. He can say he paced you and that is legal.
3. He can have his car lights out, have a pen light on and it isnt entrapment.
4. Dont waste your time in court, you will lose.

[WrxJC]

I got pulled over by a cap w/no lights on doing 94 on 95. that shouldve been an automatic suspension. Also, he couldve nabbed me for street racing. ANYWAY....all i did was show up to court and out in the room you wait in the cops always bargain..i said NOTHING and he said, "ok, how about we say 15 over and 2 points" and i was like, "how about no points?" and he said that since on that same day there was someone there who did 15 over and he dropped HIS case to 0 points, that 2 points was the best he could do for me. SO...cops will bargain, no biggie, go to court, they'll throw u a deal, u accep it and plead guilty and your sentence will be dropped.

PS--- the Lower South judge is a woman very compassionate towards children if you can somehow throw something about that in your story.

[dolphinS4]

There is alot of down right wrong information in this thread, lets really try to help this guy out.

Always plead not guilty to a ticket, any ticket, you have absolutly nothing to lose by going to court. Most times, as correctly stated earlier, they will plead simple speeding tickets to a lower value without points. Assuming your not an ass. If you are found guilty with points, nothing is lost.

It doesn't matter how they determined your speed 9 out of 10 times, the cops know what stands up in court and what won't. Plus, its your word against the cop, and your gonna loose that challenge, right or wrong that is life. They most likely used VASCAR or paced you, since no local PD can use radar or laser to enforce speeds on public roads. Period. Only State Police can.

Just go to court early and talk to the officer nicely. Tell them your are sorry and are looking to just avoid the points on your license. you'll be outta there in no time with just a fine.

BTW: they will have a copy of your driving record before you arrive, so for all the people with a history of reckless driving, this advice will probably not apply.

[TehWagon]

keith, correct me if i'm wrong, but don't you want to be found not guilty and not even get a fine? i agree with fighting it, but it sounds like all the advice is pointing towards pleading guilty but lessening the sentence/fine... ? i'd want it wiped off and forgotten about!

[S4toSTI]

keith, correct me if i'm wrong, but don't you want to be found not guilty and not even get a fine? i agree with fighting it, but it sounds like all the advice is pointing towards pleading guilty but lessening the sentence/fine... ? i'd want it wiped off and forgotten about!
when you plead guilty to something lesser is is just that lesser i forget that they give you but it is a no points no moving violation... its vasically a parking ticket.

[PorscheAlbany]

i didn't feel like reading all the posts, so here i got and dont be mad at me if someone already said it. Anyway
Yea if you cannot see him 60ft all the way around i beleave that is call entrapment and it can get thrown out. Townships are not allowed to use radar, but broughs can, so watch out on that.

This is all i remember from when i use to live up there around cheltenham, hope it helps out

[PY TYPE R 483]

1. Radar isnt the only speeding gun used.
2. He can say he paced you and that is legal.
3. He can have his car lights out, have a pen light on and it isnt entrapment. :finga:
4. Dont waste your time in court, you will lose.

Found this out the hard way!