First Speeding Ticket in the Q!!

[downtempo]

Had a long week at work. Friday night, taking the long way home, to relieve stress the only way a Q can. Picked up some ice cream. Ran a light changing froim yellow to red as I was leaving the lot and gave her about half throttle. 50-60mph, look in my mirror, see a new SUV closing on me. I thought it was a pimp mobile trying to ride up on me. As I was watching my mirror, the Q went past 70 in a 45. I was about to drop the hammer on the SUV, when a little voice said "something ain't right". I kept cruising, unfortunately, it was still about 60-65. Finally I slowed down for the next light, and a christmas tree lit up behind me, the SUV was, as i suspected, a cop. It had fog lights, could not see the light bar at night, he got me.

On the good side, the cop let me go for 55 in a 45, only $100. I have this rather innocent look to me that has helped me before in situations like this. I am so glad I didn't drop the hammer on him. I could be in jail now.

On a better note, I completely demolished a mid to late '90's 740iL and S420 this week, both from a light. Just toasted them.

Well I guess I'm not a virgin anymore

[elwesso]

On my first ticket, they spelled infiniti wrong!! I got clocked going the other way...

Definitely good thing you didnt hit the hammer, i hate thoes new SUV cops...

Whenever I get pulled over in the Q, i i think 2 things.

A. Its SO worth it

B. When am I gonna get a radar detector..

[PalmerWMD]

Good story!

Great pic too!

Fred..

[elwesso]

BTW downtempo, in case your wondering, I edited your post so that the picture would show up

[downtempo]

Thank you Thank you. I was this close to punching it. I have a semi-effective built-in radar detector in my head. Well, maybe that's IN my head. I always get those confused. I had an incredibly long work week, 5 14 hour work days in a row. I think it dulled my perceptions.

And I'd like to give a shout out to my man Todd aka 1Qckser, who showed me where the gas pedal was and taught me how to floor it.

[Jesda]

That is an AWESOME picture! I love it! Once I'm done mourning Wes's crimson Q (the one I lived through vicariously), I might do a rotation where different Qs randomly come up on the front of q45.org.

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for my insurance rates to go down before I get crazy with the throttle again.

[911/Q45]

V*A*L*E*N*T*I*N*E O*N*E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dareo]

I'l make you feel better. My first ticket in the Q was followed by my SECOND ticket in the Q less than an hour later. 1st for going 54 in on a huge 4 lane bridge that in Evanston WY is only 30mph (to rape peoples wallets) then one more on the highway back to Utah, 94 in what was a 65mph for 1 mile. I was pissed.Luckily they didnt see me going 90-130 on the way up, 100 mile trip in less than 1 hour from my house.

[Altiman94]

Ive had too many tickets in my life, consquently I not longer speed and am hardly ever in a hurry.

[docsmile71]

I would try to fight it. If the SUV headlights were closing in on you, just tell the judge that you saw speeding SUV headlights coming up on you and you wanted to maintain a safe distance between you and the driver behind you. Also, look into hiring a lawyer. I don't know how much tickets and insurance is in Connecticut but I assume it must be expensive.

Traffic lawyers usually charge about $600-900 but you'll get off. That'll save you the price of the ticket and increased insurance rates.

There's a lawyer in MA and I'm sure there's a firm like them in Conn. They specialize in traffic tickets. http://www.speedingticketdefense.com

[Q45tech]

It is possible to drive a Q for 14.4 years [268k] and never get pulled over or have a flat tire [spare has never been on ground] [checked and reinflated regularly].........even with JWT ecu.

[PalmerWMD]

Just say:"I saw a huge SUV in my rear nearly blinding me with its headlights and was trying to overcome the unsafe condition created by the Officer".

[PalmerWMD]

It is possible to drive a Q for 14.4 years [268k] and never get pulled over or have a flat tire [spare has never been on ground] [checked and reinflated regularly].........even with JWT ecu.

I have seen some pretty high speeds being well tolerated by GA police ( tho bnot all as I have gotten a ticket there once.

Atlanta metro is particularily fast driving environment.

Fred..

[DAEDALUS]

The problem with that argument is that he was pulled over for something he did before the officer came up behind him. I agree it may be worth the $$$ risk of fighting it depending on how much your insurance rates would go up. Give your company a call to see how much the rates would be if you don't fight it.

[574-240sx]

Nice burnout. Don't worry I got a ticket Friday on the way to work. Right out side of my subdivision. I guess there is a usch thing as unsafe start. I kind of chirped them in second, I didn't even notice. I guess the cop did notice.

[IvoryJ30t]

^^ thats BS. a chirp shouldnt get you unsafe start.

i got unsafe start once. but that was for multiple attempts at breaking all four tires loose [GSX]

[blender66]

Well, I guess I'm not alone in this! On my way home from band practice last night, within a one mile stretch I passed TWO DPS cars that had pulled people over on the (posted 65 MPH Speed Limit) 101 Fwy westbound (Phoenix, AZ) - I had my cruise already set at 70, knowing their penchant for "harrassing" drivers in this so-called "Zero Tolerance" zone.

Well, lo and behold - I get pulled over by yet a 3rd officer for doing 75mph. How, I ask you, did he figure that I was going 75 when my speedo was set to cruise at 70? And, he had just come back around on the 101 after herding someone off for speeding going the other way. I tell the guy that my cruise was set at 70, but he reiterates - you were going 75. I shook my head in disbelief and handed him my license & registration...

While I'll grant you that I was going 5mph faster than the posted limit, clocking me at 75mph (remember, this is ticket-happy end-of-the-month meet-your-quota time in a "zero tolerance" zone) is unjust and wrong. Yet, here's the dilemma: if I choose to fight this ticket in court, I lose the option of going to driving school AND my insurance rates go up. If I swallow my pride and go to driving school, my whiny little voice is stifled, strangled, squelched. And, I'm sure many others decline protesting what I consider harrassing behavior (not to mention that it stinks of a big scam) for the same reasons.

As Jim Carrey's character in "Liar, Liar" said to the towing company employee, "You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna bend over and take it up the tailpipe!!!"

[greg_atlanta]

Atlanta metro is particularily fast driving environment.

That is changing..... even city cops are getting more aggressive. I got pulled over going 73 in a 55 (ticket was for 68). There are some new all black cop cars which are very hard to spot at night. I see a lot more blue lights these days. The statewide "100 days of summer heat" campaign never went out of season.

[Jeff Williams]

Sorry for the ticket. Don't fight it, it is not worth it. At least speeding is cheaper, and less points than a red light. If you can't talk the cop out of the ticket when he stops you, your are not going to talk the judge out of it in court. You might get him to lower the speed, though.

Your only recourse, in Alabama is, IF it is your first ticket, they MIGHT allow you to go to traffic court.

I was heading to work afew weeks ago, about 4:30 AM. I was merging across 5 lanes, to get to my exit, 2 miles ahead, and kept having to speed up, to get infron ot some dump trucks (I will NEVER follow a dump truck again!). by the time I got to the exit, I was going 75 in a 55. The last SUV I cut off, 20 yards before the exit, happend to be a cop.

I did clear him by 3 to 5 feet, so I had no idea what the ticket(s) would say. He popped on his lights, and followed me into my parking lot at work.

I apologized, and explained that I was blocked multiple times, by trucks that I refuse to tuck-in behind, because of the poor way they tarp their loads, and had to keep speeding up. I did not see him, until it was too late, and decided to punch it. I understood it was not a good decision.

His comment was, "I just wanted to chedk you for drinking, I ahve never seen anybody drive like that, without being drunk!"

He tossed me my license, and said be more carelul!

[blender66]

Yeah...as I said...I'll just do the "smart" thing and not fight it, even though my instinct wants to scream "INJUSTICE!!!".

AC

[SurfinGator]

I worked Alabama for a couple of years as a field engineer ... 150k miles up and down I65 .... you can get around Alabama tickets ... When the trooper writes the ticket the court date is the day he is on day patrol I found. Push the court date back a few days before the trial date...

The Clerk's Office gives you a new date that corresponds to the judge's schedule ... not the trooper's. They rotate to nights or their day off ... whatever. When I showed up for court .... in Florence and Tuscaloosa, they tried to radio the cop to show up in court to testify and they couldn't get him ....

You have to argue with the judge .... I had to take a day off from work, I drove all the way out here ... yada yada ... but you walk. That didn't work in Montgomery ... the trooper was working that day I found ... boom ... I paid it plus the costs. But hey, one out of three ain't bad ...

[pito11213]

That change the court date trick doesnt work here in NYC. The cops have no problem coming to court to bust that a$$. I haven't had any speeding tickets in the Q and I dont want any. I get scared on the highway because the Q will reach 80 and 100 so easy and you wont really feel it. One time going down a hill I easily crept to 110 after I just finished cruising at 80.