I hate atlanta GA (Dekalb)

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

Driving from Gatlinburg TN back to tampa and got pulled over!

85 in a 55.... I wasn't passing anyone.... just cruising with the flow of traffic.

I thought i was in a 70 on I85 but it was a 55... Never seen a 8 lane highway with a speed limit of 55 but ok..

I also got a ticket for reckless driving because it was over 30mph over the limit... and then the guy says that I changed lanes without using a signal and gave me a ticket for improper lane change! (Traffic merging onto the highway so i moved over!)

He was an A$$ for sure!

Then he says to me oh your from Tampa... HAHA I know they don't have 85mph speed limit their haha... and walks back to his car.

The worst part is I don't even know how much the tickets are. I am hiring an attorney to take this all to court.

After the stop I drive 55 mph for about 2 min but was honked at 4 times and flicked off twice. and after almost being rear ended by a tractor trailer I said the hell with this I am going to go the flow of traffic again!

Joe or anyone from the atlanta area know of a good attorney?

DJ

[kmckis1029]

wow i grew up in dekalb county.. went to elementry, millde, and highschool there... never got a ticket in the 18 years i lived there or since when i go visit my homboyz... But i will say that dekalb police are hard asses. But they have to be... its alot of crime in south dekalb country... Dekalb police actually get to use their guns... Im sorry you caught the wrath of one.

yeah the speed limit says 55mph every where but every one drives 75-85 mph... i learned just not to be the lead car... plus you got a g35 so you might of been singled out cause you have a sports car. I have also noticed that dekalb county pulls over alot of big rigs all the time... maybe its an out of state thing???

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

It must be a out of state thing... and while I was pulled over they pulled over about 5 cars for not moving over!

Real hard a$$es. I have never gotten such ridiculous tickets in my life.

DJ

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

I was in a loaner to boot...

[infinitgkid]

If you can wait a few years, I'll be your attorney...

I'll even give you a Nico member discount

[Jacko3]

Dear Tampa:

Sorry to hear about this experience. Yes, I have heard many scary things about Decatur which is in Dekalb County, GA, which is why their cops are excessively agggressive--they do shoot without asking questions in Decatur. First of all, I have learnt never to be the Rabbit or lead car. Get a lawyer and fight the reckless driving portion at all cost. I think they pulled you over because you were from out of town. And I beleive he waited for you to pass him so that he could see you license plate before he pulled you over. Cops love out of town folks--makes their work easy---its happened several times to me. They can actually shoot their laser after you have gone past them before. And some lasers can actually read your license plate from a distance, from what I heard from someone. I am sorry to hear about this incidence. Next time they pull you over like that, start crying or weeping and show them they are the God of your life. Their heart will melt and they will reduce the ticket, espcially when you don't argue with them.


Modified by Jacko3 at 2:19 PM 12/16/2008

[kmckis1029]

It must be a out of state thing... and while I was pulled over they pulled over about 5 cars for not moving over!

Real hard a$$es. I have never gotten such ridiculous tickets in my life.

DJ

sounds like a trade mark dekalb county speed trap! yeah you got to switch lanes if they pulled someone over....

i was in traffic court one time (a car had hit my jeep a while back) and this dekalb county lady officer had 7 people she had caught between 2 exits lol 3 of them were because of failure to change lanes of the other 4!

yeah i grew up in decatur, ga if you are looking for trouble you will find it quick.... other wise its a nice place to live in general. i go back to decatur at least twice a month to party with my homeboyz. oh and the actual city of decatur, like where the town hall is, is very nice and clean... then there is the other side... Decatur where its Greater!

[kboy79]

Oh man that sucks...

My wife just got a speeding ticket couple of weeks ago, and I received one couple of days before T-giving (remember)? Maybe the three of us can go to Golden Corral and take the class together?

Just trying to bring some humor to the situation...

[zozoka1212]

Tampa sorry to hear your trouble. Hope you'll get it resolved.

zozo

[joe603]

Atlanta sucks...I feel your pain.

Hate to say it but I'm sure you were nailed because you have out of town plates.

As far as speeding is concerned, you really have to be careful. Interstate 75/85 has some portions that are 55mph due to the fact that they are close to residential areas. Take 285 whenever possible.

When I travel into that hell hole, I try to keep it around 70-75mph, even if that means letting people pass me in the fast lane. If you go slower, you are in more risk of getting into an accident.

I don't really know of any good lawyers, sorry.

It could have been worse; people die on that road almost every week!

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

ok so i called about a lawyer.... well now I know why I want to be one

1500 bux to take care of all this and he said he can get me no points for all of the tickets and community service for the fines...

I have a friend that can sign the community service that I did in High school.

DJ

[zozoka1212]

1500?

That sux. Wow.

You should ask the lawyer if you can work this money off. Like playing with/on his wifey. LOL

Maybe you should ask another lawyer too.

That was an expensive trip.

zozo

[Jacko3]

Thats too expensive. The whole tickets together is approximately the same price plus points. If you can't get a cheaper lawyer below $800, pay the fine and plead NOLO---no points. But, find a lawyer if you can. Just my 2 cents worth

[BrandAidDesignG35]

Ouch dude,

What a trip Too bad he wanted to play tough guy. Cops can be worse than drill sergeants.

I have never had a speeding ticket, knock on wood, hopefully you can fight this, as I would agree, it seems like he tried to take advantage of you for being out of state.

Good luck keeping your points, and sanity during this ugly process.

[G_whizz]

Uungh...sorry to hear.

Must be related to the asswhipe I had to deal with a few months ago and the matter is still before the courts.

Hope it works out for you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

yea i was thinking for 800 to 1000 I would be happy.. .1500 is to much!

DJ

[Jacko3]

Tampa:

I have received reckless driving before in 1998 with my little Nissan. I was going about 1** miles per hour. The cop was nice becasue he said, ordinarily, he would have arrested me to begin with. He said he let me go because I wa sin the military at that time. Oh yes, I have been there, and it ain't nice on the insurance payments.

[tollboothwilley]

DO NOT plead NO CONTEST. It will still give you points on your record and you will pay still have to pay fines.

Just check around and see if there are other lawyers that you price with.

[Jacko3]

I think NOLO works differently in different areas. According to the judge who talked to me and in my area, if I plead NOLO, I pay the fine, and get no points on my driving record, which means my insurance rate stays the same. However, I cannot plead NOLO for another moving violation for another 5 years. But if I contest it, and lose the case, I get the fine, get the points, and then I get court costs as well. So, certainly, contesting the ticket, especially reckless driving where cops have discretion on what that means, requires a lawyer.

[greg_atlanta]

You must have been on I-285 bypass (we call it "the perimeter")?? That stretch of I-285 is way ghetto, cops can easily bust people for multiple offenses even if they're not speeding. Next time go through downtown (unless it's Friday afternoon rush hour). Trucks aren't allowed on 85 & 75 inside the perimeter (except local deliveries), so traffic flows much better and fewer accidents and delays -- and nice view of skyline. On 75 & 85 intown it's 6 or 7 lanes in EACH direction.

[zozoka1212]

I think NOLO works differently in different areas. According to the judge who talked to me and in my area, if I plead NOLO, I pay the fine, and get no points on my driving record, which means my insurance rate stays the same. However, I cannot plead NOLO for another moving violation for another 5 years. But if I contest it, and lose the case, I get the fine, get the points, and then I get court costs as well. So, certainly, contesting the ticket, especially reckless driving where cops have discretion on what that means, requires a lawyer.

might worth to try.

zozo

[jbillion]

In Illinois, you can plead guilty to a traffic offense and if you have a clean record, they will grant you court supervison, which means "no points" on your diriving record if you do not get another ticket for 4months.

$1500 seems excesive to defend you for traffic tickets, but if wreckless driving is a criminal offense (misdemeanor), tried in criminal court, that seems pretty standard.

[Busta Nut]

Last year, my wife and I were on I-20 east and a Dekalb motorcycle cop got me for 86 in a 55 with a laser. I knew he had me, even though there were several other cars around me. I was respectful, and he was as well, and he wrote me up for speeding, 86 in a 55. I didn't realize it at the time, but that terminology cut me a big break from "wreckless driving". Anyway, Dekalb has a website where you can go online and pay the ticket unless you're absolutely sure you want to get a lawyer and fight it. Mine was only $250, so I'd suggest going to the website and at least checking it out. Any lawyer around here will charge you $1500 just to take a look at your case, so good luck !
Modified by Busta Nut at 9:32 AM 12/27/2008

[audtatious]

Expect more and more revenue generation from cops due to budget limitations and the economy. It's the way most municipalities are fixing their shortfalls.

[greg_atlanta]

Expect more and more revenue generation from cops due to budget limitations and the economy. It's the way most municipalities are fixing their shortfalls.

Especially newly incorporated cities!! Sandy Springs is very aggressive and tickets are pricey (on GA 400). I wouldn't be surprised if John's Creek and Dunwoody do the same thing.

(In Atlanta area cities are forming in the upscale areas of the counties so the tax dollars aren't sent to the not-so-nice areas).

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

Just an update for you boys....

I found a lawyer that quoted me 500-750 and he knows the judge that I will get for the court date! I think I have to pay him in cash lol... Oh and guess what... In GA... Tell me this isn't messed up... But for a traffic ticket you can get a trial by jury!

The good news is that GA can't suspend my fla drivers license

DJ

[Jacko3]

$500 - $750 is fantastic--thats about tight. Wire the money to him fast. Trust me, you will be saving a mother load of money and headache without having that reckless driving stuff on your license. Reckless driving can put you on SR-22, which is one of the riskiest and costliest level of insurance out there. I have had reckless driving before on my license with my little nissan sometime in the late 90s when i was flogging my baby, and got pulled over at 105 miles per hour. I paid an extra $100 every six months for my insurance.

[EZcheese15]

All you guys that are giving advice based on experience in other states is for the most part irrelevant. State laws, and even city/county laws very greatly across the country.

I got a ticket a few months ago in Dekalb county for going 80 in a 55. This was a 4 point violation, and the fine was right around $250.

I didn't go to court because the court date was November 7th, which was during the week of SEMA. It was too much of a hassle to get the court date changed, so I just bit the bullet and paid it and took the points. Also, I couldn't plead nolo anyway because I did that a couple years ago for another ticket and you can only do that once every 5 years in GA.

Pleading nolo in GA drops all points associated with the offense. Like I said, you can do this up to once every 5 years. If you are from Florida, and have a FL driver's license, I highly recommend pleading nolo, since you don't drive through GA every day. Heck, I'd plead it anyway if you can unless you have a rough history with the law and need to "save" your nolo plea for the future.

Wreckless Driving will most likely get dropped in court. First of all, one of the tickets will. It is illegal in GA to fine somebody for both Wreckless Driving and Speeding, as the Wreckless Driving ticket supercedes the Speeding ticket for the same offense. As long as the judge isn't a total *******, he's most likely going to drop the Wreckless Driving ticket because at only 30 over, on I-85, that ticket is ridiculously harsh.

Also, by going to court, more than likely the judge will also drop the speeding ticket down to the next lower fine bracket. I forget the bracket breakdown exactly, but I want to say it's 25-30. Which means if it were dropped down, it would be the 21-24 (I think) bracket, which would be even less of a fine than I paid ($250). Even if it doesn't get reduced, you are looking at $250, because I think 30 over is the same bracket as 25 over which is what mine was.

I really think paying a lawyer to handle this is probably going to be more expensive, even at $500, than it would be to just go to court, plead nolo, and take the fine. 30 over on I-85 in Dekalb county, GA is not the same as 30 over in Lincoln, NE. GA is actually VERY lenient on speeding fines when compared to the rest of the country. I had a ticket 2 years ago (Atlanta City Police) for going 87 in a 55. When I went to court for it, and they read the offenses of people, I had the weakest speeding ticket in the court room. I plead nolo, fine was reduced to $220, and no points. Dekalb County isn't going to be much different than Atlanta City.

[EZcheese15]

Oh, and just to add something.

I wouldn't worry too much about points. I've probably gotten a dozen speeding tickets in various states since I've had my license, and I've never had any points transfer to my GA license from another state. Also, GA drops all points (on a GA license) every 2 years. I believe Wreckless Driving is also a 4 point offense anyway, and improper lane change is no points, fine only, which will probably be dropped in court by the judge.

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

I was thinking the points would never make it to FLA anyway... But since I want to go to Law school... I want to take care of all my loose ends!

I talked to the lawyer again today and he wants 500.00 dollars to go to court and try to take care of it the first day. He wants me to do a defensive driving course and also have 50 hours of community service done to (look good and to pay the fines). He also asked for a copy of my driving record so i got that to him today. he said since it is so clean that I will have a really good chance!

Driving record is completely clean thanks to my court appearances on all my other tickets and getting out with no points.

Oh and he told me that he has a GA state trooper friend that if you are going 55 or even 60 on I85 he would give you a ticket for obstructing traffic flow!

that would have been nice to get in the same day and then show up to court with both and say

DJ