Ticket -- do I have a case??
Update: The ticket doesn't have my speed or the speed limit I was in. It doesn't have any violation checked but does have "Unlawful Speed" written under "
"Radar DP5053 ( ) Laser078450 ( )"
I include that because one of those is supposed to be checked off and neither is. So, the ticket only says unlawful speed and has $126.50 on the back. Case?
I was on my way to church (where I'm on leadership) and had a passenger with me. I'm coming down a pretty calm road with a 45mph speed limit and get stuck behind a car doing 40ish. I wait until the road changes to a passing area, signal, accelerate, pass, signal, re-enter. Nothing fancy or excessive.
I pull up at the church, my passenger and I dismount and we begin removing our helmets. As the helmets come off, the blue lights go on. Cop comes up to me and tells me he's citing me for doing 75 in a 45. (yeah, 30 over!) I think, "well, crap. I did pass some cars but returned to my typical 5-10 over" and I inquire if it that was the case and it was.
I didn't get too buggered by it. I coolly told him I thought the ticket was a little outrageous because I was passing and it's unrealistic to pass another vehicle at the given speed limit. He said he wasn't sure, just knew that he caught me on the radar at 75. Well, I guess it's possible. The time it takes to go from 45 to 75 isn't very long.
Right, so I take it on the chin. I knew I'd be getting tickets when I bought the bike. As he asks me to sign the ticket, he realizes that this is a mandatory court appearance. He shrugs it off and explains that he has a "rash of not showing up." I jest and tell him to remember my name.
At this point, I head inside and resume as normal amidst the snickers (I'm typically the trouble-maker as it is). Well, 5 minutes later someone says the officer is requesting me to come back outside. I return and he asks for my yellow copy back and voids the ticket. Instead he writes me a failure to obey a traffic control device and explains that he couldn't in good-conscience give me ticket he had, especially with slew of errors made on it. So I got a $126.50 ticket and 3-points. I'm still not tickled, though. I offer him some coke and pizza from the church shindig going on about our business. Not too big a deal, ultimately.
Just figured I'd share. lol. Also, maybe someone can tell me if there are exceptions to the law when passing in FL?
Last edited by JestrzPlague : 11-19-2007 at 10:36 AM.
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