Aaron,
There was a story in AutoWeek about a year ago that spoke of a judge in New Jersey that would NOT accept any tickets given by the use of a laser. The anti-speeding coalition rep had them bring a laser gun into the courtroom and demonstrate how effective they work. As the trigger was pulled, the gun jerked and showed the judge that the wall was moving at 6mph. Of course the judge knew better and threw the case out.

Worth a try...good luck.

Tobias MB
4 MB

Gee whiz guys, nobody ever learned the principle of cause and effect in school? How can you cherish a perfect driving record but not care whether your driving is perfect?

OK, we all like to go fast but why do some people get stopped often and others hardly ever? Maybe its not the speed but the circumstances that gets you!!

I got my first ticket in 20 years while driving through Idaho on holidays. Was feeling pretty smug using my GPS to go exactly 10 mph over the limit, which allowed me to sail past all the cops. Got careless and pushed it while passing a string of road slugs up a hill and guess what - a trooper was parked over the crest.

He gave me the ticket and some advice on local sights to see. We spend the rest of the day in Zion State Park and it was worth the ticket. I sent in my cheque when we got home and wrote a thank-you note for the cop...every once in awhile you need a reminder to slow down and smell the roses.

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Dean Albrecht
94 E500
99 ML320

www.need2speed.web.com

'Slow down and smell the roses' ... that's a good one, and there's a lot of truth in it.

I agree that ticket-happy cops are menace. But there are many more logical arguments for backing off a little, than for driving pedal to the metal.

As they say, you're a long time dead. And personally, I'm in no hurry. I like to savour my time behind the wheel of my Benz.

Just a thought ...

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Chris Hunter

1977 W123 280E auto
Cayenne Pepper orange
289,000km and goin' strong ... touch Zebrano.

Hey,

For those with speeding tickets and need to attend driving school, may I recommend the following site:
http://members.aol.com/doggiesnot



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1995 Mercedes-Benz E420

Wow, how ironic that as I read this thread, I have a hearing at 1:15 PM later today...I guess I kind of asked for this one, but it was 3 AM one late saturday night in August and I was on my way home...my neighborhood lies off of a two way, three lane in each direction highway so I was crusing at around 70-75...and I spotted two county cops sitting in a field off to my right. I saw him pull out behind me, so I knew the deal...pulled over and the guy was a REAL jerk. He was very confrontational, then when I asked to see proof of my speed, he said the radar officer is in the other car, no you can't.

There was no way he was gonna be lenient on me...a kid 10-15 years younger than him in a big benz with big wheels at 3AM...I knew I was sunk just by the look on his face when I lowered the window.

But the worst part is........the guy said I was doing 81!!! in a 45....I'm sure you can do the math. This translates to NOT GOOD, since I have two other tickets within the last 3 years in MD. I admit...I have the ol' built in radar but it was off. Need to invest in newer technology I guess. But I know I wasn't doing 81...(now there is a long stretch a couple miles down, closer to my house where once in awhile I push it to about 130 or so, but hey...let's deal with the FACTS people)

Anyway, I asked for continuance at my first hearing, and I'm sure the pricks will show up. But the one thing I have in my favor is that one of the prosecutors at the courthouse is a family friend and will represent me...so wish me luck.

Sorry if I bored you guys to sleep but I thought I'd share my story. Wish me luck.

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Chris Singh
1983 300D (ODO dead at 289k and still churning)
1993 500SEL brilliant silver monotone w/ AMG monoblock II 19", clear corners, 600 grill, in car multi monitor entertainment/computer/mp3/navigation system
Had an 89 560SL
Had an 89 50SEL
Had a 90 300E (miss ya)

I'd be willing to trade 2 points for speeding to get my 300SD back from the grave. Being 3rd car in a 3-car chain-reaction did "total loss" damage.

Put on your "sunday best" and go to the court date. Explain to the nice judge that you didn't realize you were going that fast, light traffic, nice day, etc.

Hope they don't consider the 60 day suspension, which I'd guess they won't given your clean record.

Best of luck.

BCingU, Jim

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'96 E300D 61k mi (wife's daily ride)
'95 Audi 90 120k mi (my daily ride...)
'92 GMC Suburban 140k mi
'85 300SD 235k mi KIA/RIP

Agron - if this was your first offense just go to traffic school. You think it's worth it to get a lawyer? How can you possibly win if the cop was standing there just *watching* (and ostensibly waiting for) you pull out and pass a string of cars illegally? No getting out of this one. Sounds like a dumb decision, no matter what you drive.

The ambiguity of radars and speed traps are an entirely different scenario. I think Aaron should fight this, not simply take his chances by rolling over and begging for mercy with four points, a big fine and a possible 60-day suspension on the line.

As to the posts about slowing down and smelling the roses - why even bother taking up server space posting that kind of garbage here? The man has a BIG ticket. Slapping him with some BS story about cheerily accepting a ticket and hugging a cop isn't going to help him.

Believe it or not, there are tens of thousands of miles of highway in THIS country where the surface, visibility and amount of traffic makes it perfectly safe to run at 90mph in a car engineered to do much more than that. I agree - speeding through traffic is asinine, but I think hiding out (be it over a crest, behind a bush, whatever) with very questionable electronics and the ability to at-will issue and enforce such draconian penalties is crazy.

Good luck Aaron.

Regrettably - we all end up at the short end of a speeding ticket. I am not a lawyer, and I am a litigation support specialist - ever wonder how the big name lawyers seem to know their stuff There are different tactics you can utilize - most of them on your own devices.

1) Get on the internet and determine what "local" jurisdiction you were caught (where you need to appear in court)
2) Send a letter to the prosecutor (with proof of mailing and service) to request the calibration information of the radar/laser unit, submit written questions (interrogatories) requesting info on service history of officer, number of tickets written, number dismissed, etc.
3) Request number and model of laser/radar units in service, age, repair history, etc.

The point is, as long as you have requested this information (discovery) the other side has to supply. If they do not respond to you, ignore you, etc. The judge will be forced to dismiss. Most likely the prosecutor will not want to put the effort in to getting all the information you have requested and drop the case.

At the very least you can continue to get continuances until the one time the officer can not make it and the judge will dismiss. Remember, you may be summoned to appear (in which the officer will be present for several tickets) and you send a letter requesting a different date - and the one time the officer does not make it - dismissed.

These tactics are used all the time - trust me, this is how I make my living!

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Make it a Good One!
1993 500E

Ernest you rule. Finally, a better way to fry bacon! I'm capturing this asap!
Thanks,
Matt

quote:

---

Originally posted by makakio:

As to the posts about slowing down and smelling the roses - why even bother taking up server space posting that kind of garbage here? The man has a BIG ticket. Slapping him with some BS story about cheerily accepting a ticket and hugging a cop isn't going to help him.

Good luck Aaron.

---

Yep, he has a BIG ticket and it won't help, but he DID say he WAS going over the POSTED speed. How does that make cops the bad guys here?

Does that mean you never admit to being wrong unless someone PROVES you were wrong? Hmm, sounds like the sort of people we wish weren't in elected office now...

My $0.02 here

BCingU, Jim

well.........

I must have gotten the COOLEST judge in the county. He was in there giving EVERYONE probation before judgement. I was looking at $270, reckless driving for being 25 over, AND 4 points....yikes!! Instead I ended up with $150, including court costs, and NO POINTS. At one point he called this guy's name, and the nervous guy tried to say guilty with an explanation, then the judge said "ok, what do you want from me after you give me your explanation." The guy says, "Lower my fine and no points." And the Judge goes "nice going Cochran, you win the case." The whole courtroom bursts into laughter. All of this and there were STILL some IDIOTS who tried to plead not guilty to speeding charges...anyway, I'm very happy and this funny judge has restored my faith a tiny bit in our system. Not EVERYone is a jerk. My 2 cents....I hope you guys get as lucky as I did today.

BTW...speaking of jerks, the cop that had my ticket had 2 cases on the docket and the prick still showed up. When my prosecutor friend tried to tell him to take it easy on me, he was like "this kid has 6 priors, NO WAY..." what a jerk, he really had it in for me, digging into my past like that...even the insurance company doesn't see that far back.

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Chris Singh
1983 300D (ODO dead at 289k and still churning)
1993 500SEL brilliant silver monotone w/ AMG monoblock II 19", clear corners, 600 grill, in car multi monitor entertainment/computer/mp3/navigation system
Had an 89 560SL
Had an 89 50SEL
Had a 90 300E (miss ya)

Not to be confrontational, but jeez guys, we're not all that bad. We even have heavy feet too. Heck, I even got pinched, by another agency once (while working) - going with the flow of traffic.

Yes, it sounds like a big one, and I feel for you, but how many times have each of us gone 80, 90, 100, 100+ and gotten away with it? Good thing he wasn't running one of his faster rides.

Jim - nice jab if amateurish. Truthfully, I was hoping to hear some cohesive logic. Let me clarify: I absolutely can admit when I'm wrong, just as I would if I received this ticket instead of Aaron.

You see, it's real simple pal: four points, a huge cash penalty and possible 60-day suspension of the license, not to mention the REAMING you'd get from your insurance company. All for opting to yes - break the law - and drive a "reckless" 90mph on the highway (any highway in any condition. Remember: it's a blanket law). It is an amazingly harsh penalty, in my opinion.

Here in California it's a $400 fine and a point or $250 and traffic school w/ no point (insurance penalty) if you go to school. Would I fight that here? Absolutely not. Do I think Ohio's penalty is waaaaay over and beyond reasonable punishment. Of course I do.

But the SOLUTION to fighting this is the cop. He HAS to become the bad guy to evade this penalty. And I say so what?! In the end game, will this officer feel a reprocussion because his ticket gets dismissed? No way. Will he be blamed because the prosecutor doesn't want to get their evidence submitted on-time? What? Is he wrong in using a tool to enforce law that has a history of being beaten again and again in court? No way - it's department policy, blessed by the state of Ohio. But the officer and the gun are the only ways out of this ticket.

Maybe you prefer to think that I have no accountability or conscience. But in this case it would appear that I have an awful lot to lose, just because some policy wonk determined that regardless of conditions, 90mph is the cutoff for what constitutes normal v. reckless operation and that should entail a fine of blah blah blah blah.

And you would just bend over and take the principle of it all? My hero.

Well I must thank you fellas for your most generous input in this crummy situation. I posted another thread here entitled "speeding ticket (details)" if you want the skinny before I stand before the judge. Spoke to a friend of mine (who's a Notre Dame lawyer ) and we decided to plead not guilty and go for a trial. We're gonna work the prosecutor a little and if he's a hardnose, we'll opt for the "discovery" plan. I don't mind the fine, but since I have to keep insurance on so many cars, the points will kill me! Anyhow, thanks again fellas! I'll keep ya posted!



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Rgds,
Aaron Greenberg
MB technician
Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati
'67 250SE Cabriolet
'77 450SL
'80 300SD
'85 380SE
'86 420SEL
'89 420SEL
'93 300E 2.8
'74 Jensen Interceptor Mk.III
'81 DeLorean DMC12
'84 BMW 745i Turbo

I resent least-common-denominator speed laws as much as the next guy, but I NEVER speed in the Buckeye zone. Would not put anything past those Ohio bears. Use cruise, spend an extra hour, try to stay awake at the wheel. A tip to Michiganders in Ohio: cover up the stickers that read "Directions to Columbus: south 'til you smell it, east 'til you step in it", "Happiness is crushed Buckeye nuts", etc. Did you know GEICO insurance lobbies extensively to outlaw radar detectors? Check out your insurer to see if you need to dump 'em and send a letter to the CEO. If you see an ad in the back pages of a magazine: "Never get another ticket!; Fool-proof guaranteed method!", don't send in the $10. You'll get a piece of paper that says "Obey all traffic laws". Car Talk's website asked for good ways of beating tickets. A quick-witted New Yorker was passing thru Tennessee when he was stopped for doing 90 mph. The bear sauntered up and smiled a big grin at him thru his mirrored shades. "Boy, I been waitin' fer you AAALLL day." Came the reply: "I got here as fast as I could, officer!" Bear doubled over in laughter, walked back to his cruiser, and drove off.
TedG
'79 240 Wheezle Automatic
'95 Olds Gutless Cruiser SL
'73 Citroen SM 5-speed