TeSt DrIvE

Sup boys, I have my first attendance coming up on Tues, 85, in a 50 zone which was already reduced. Any advice?

How long do these things last, I have a final the next day.

Anything I should say or NOT say, I did the crime so yeah.. im just hoping he will reduce the points a little and a fine reduction. Any thoughts, and yes I know I should not have been speeding. Its my first ticket in 6years so...

imported_kane2k

The first thing you should know is that the prosecutor will not give you any more than 1 grade of speeding reduction. You were doing +35 which is 4 points so they would most likely agree to a 3 point offence +16-30. You'll pay less of a fine but its really no different to your insurance company. If you have a clean record with your insurance then 1 ticket may not cause a rate increase but if it does you end up paying thousands over the next few years so saving 30 bucks on a ticket makes no sense so I personally would not accept a 3 point offence. Ask for a 15 over, they will probably say no, then you will have to sign a form saying you'll appear in court. Don't sign it immediately, wait around a bit, last FA I went to the Justice of the Peace wasn't there so everybody had the charges dropped, so listen to people whispering, if I hadn't overheard a cabbie talking about it, I would have signed the paper and had a court date instead of being let off.
As far as your exam goes, that kinda sucks. You'll be there for a while. Its first come first serve so if you show up before your time you'll probably be in to see the prosecutor first, but as I said before they might not give you what you want. My advice is to go in, try your luck, but if you can't get a 15 over out of it, then go to trial anyway.

TeSt DrIvE

Thanxs for the informative reply!!!

I am thinking about taking the course you suggested, but to be honest with you, I just want to get this **** all over with, Its interrupting with everything I do and the cop who gave me the ticket was on a major head trip so I dont really see him not attending the trial date.

Does the F.A. take place in a group setting? I am supposed to have an appointment at 12 do you think I will be out of their by 3 at least. I realy need to study.

thanxs for the reply!

Cynikal.Mindset

my opinion is that u should have the book thrown at you for doin more that 35km over the speed limit...on a residential street no doubt!

no mercy on you...and I hope the JP feels the same way

kwikb16a2

whoa a little harsh.........i was looking for a

TeSt DrIvE

The book thrown at me huh. Wow alrite, if thats what you think. Everyone makes mistakes right.



And before you say it, yes I know what you did was on a highway. Not looking to start problems, but I was asking for advice and help, I know what I did was wrong, ive had many people tell me.

motti

You've already been given a break by the cop when he reduced your ticket down to 35-over. And you still want more?

If you know what you did was wrong, why not stand up like a man and accept the consequences of your mistake?

imported_kane2k

Yeah the F.A. is a group session, everyone hangs around outside the prosecutors office and you go in in order. I'm not positive that it will be over in three hours, the one I was at was over quicker than that, but since there was no JP, we all just walked out after talking to the prosecutor. I'd imagine the process of actually getting the ticket reduced in front of the JP could tack on at least another hour, depending on how far up the list you are.

As for speeding tickets and people deserving them, whatever. Everyone speeds. The fact that you think you speed safely doesn't mean that other people speed unsafely. I know of roads that have a 40km/h speed limit that are more suitable to 140. If I picked up a ticket for doing 90 in a 40 there you'd rag on me about being unsafe but in reality I would be driving down a deserted road with 12 foot high fences on either side. Unsafe? You weren't in the car so unless you've never been speeding, keep your judgements to yourself.

I've picked up enough speeding tickets, most of them 4 pointers, and I've gotten off anything I bothered fighting, i.e. the 4 pointers. They are just an inconvenience. Its a lot safer for the cop than actually fighting crime.

TeSt DrIvE

Thanxs I appreciate that comment, people are ragging on me as if I constantly get tickets, this is my first one, Ive learned. But once again thankyou for you informative post, I will definatly look into what you suggested.

motti

Now that's just plain ignorance speaking. The most dangerous duty is actually late night traffic stops. On top of the collision hazards of stepping out of the cruiser as traffic flies by, you also have to deal, usually alone and on a dark street, with who knows what in the way of occupants inside. Maybe they're just kids, or maybe they've just left a local convenience store in a hurry after robbing the place.

More cops die on traffic duty than in any other part of police work.

As for your "some 40kmph roads are ok for 140", I think you're engaging in wishful thinking there. Sure, some speed limits could be set higher than what they are now, and some are actually posted too high for what the road is capable of supporting.

But it isn't all about just you and what you feel safe driving at. Speed limits have to take into account the needs and capabilities of ALL road users, including grannies in minivans, pedestrian traffic at the side of the road, bicycles, big trucks etc. YOU might be capable of 140 in whatever car, but that certainly wouldn't be appropriate for a heavily loaded transport truck, nor would it be appropriate in a location subject to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

And given that the biggest factor leading to non-intersection accidents is speed differential, we can't have multiple speed limits for different "classes" of cars or drivers on a given stretch. In essence, we need to set limits so they provide a comfortable driving speed for the majority of drivers, and then enforce that limit within a given tolerance range.

imported_gatherer

well said Motti

imported_kane2k

Uh huh. So me getting pulled over at 1am at Royal York and Eglington ( my very first ticket) for driving too fast is the best use of time for a cop when I could go buy crack, heroin, pot, whatever, from the multiple dealers in the parking lots of the buildings at Scarlett Rd and Eglington (a 2 minute drive, only 1 minute at the speed I was going). Oh yeah, the cop was really sticking his neck out for a safer city by stopping me. Bullshiate.

"More cops die on traffic duty than in any other part of police work. " - yeah because thats what they spend 90% of their time out of the precinct doing. Same as 90% of accidents occur within 5k of your home.. its probability not an inherent danger.

As far as the 140 in a 40 comment I was talking about a very specific and very real road that is right by the airport. Fenced in straightaway. No possibility of pedestrians, bicyclists, aliens, because you can see a mile down the road. I was using this example to point out the hypocrites who would condemn someone for doing something that they would do as well, not to claim that I am above the law.

Again, we come back to my original reason for posting what some people find contentious. Its Easter and I'm in a bible mood from being at church a lot so I'll ask that the next post directed at me be from someone who has never gone above the speed limit in their lives, other than that, stop being hypocrites.

imported_gatherer

I think the real difference is you go above the limit then complain about getting caught ....

while I do drive from time to time above the limit I don't complain about it if I get caught doing so ,.....

and it's complaining about getting caught that in my mind is very very hypocritical .. if you can't just accept the speeding ticket and move on with life (there is more important issue to complain about) then you shouldn't be going fast enough to get one in the first place....

motti

The murder rate was under 1.5 per 100,000 population.

The death by motor vehicle accident rate in Toronto for year 2003 was 7.3 per 100,000 population. About 1/3 of those involve alcohol, though not necessarily to the point of impairment.

You doing almost double the limit at 1:00am makes you a prime candidate for a traffic stop, not just for speeding but because you may also be a drunk driver. The last I heard, a lot of people live in the Scarlett and Eglinton corridors, people who also use the street whether on foot, bicycle or car. The cops stopping you may have saved you from crashing out into one of that public.

Drug dealing aside, traffic stops also often serve to uncover drugs and alcohol in thecar, or uncover persons wanted on outstanding warrants for other crimes. You do realize that there is a know correlation between propensity to engage in high-mile speeding and propensity to having a criminal record?


Yet more ignorance speaking. Traffic duty eats up only a small bit of police resources. Only a small portion of GTA cops are assigned specifically to traffic duty at any given time. The rest are out dealing with things like missing children, murders, drug dealing, gang violence, and so on. Do you really need a picture?


And when you lose control at 140, where do you and your car end up? Or how about when you reach the end of that "safe" stretch? Shall we now have speed limits go up and down every couple of blocks because that little 1/2 km stretch is somehow "safer" to drive fast on than the stretches leading to and going away from it? Just be sure to plant the 40 km begin again sign just before that blind bend, right?


Hypocrites? Like the other guy, if I get nailed speeding, I'll whine about my own stupidity, not about someone else doing their job as a result of my stupidity.

Cynikal.Mindset

hey man...ya I did 200 in a 100zone...would I want any mercy on me? no...I was stupid I took the risk, an educated (for lack of better terms) risk at that

I have never complained about a speeding ticket cuz if your speeding and get caught take it like a man, deal with it...take it to court or whatever and dont be suprised if you get stuck with it and be thankful if you get let off

I speed, I do it at my own risk and I take full responsibilty for it...police do their job bottom line and if I get caught my bad...I aint gonna complain how they coulda been busting drug dealers and prostitutes or whatever

my opinion about throwing the book stands

TeSt DrIvE

Thanxs for the opinions guys.

Chapter closed

imported_kane2k

-"The murder rate was under 1.5 per 100,000 population.

The death by motor vehicle accident rate in Toronto for year 2003 was 7.3 per 100,000 population. About 1/3 of those involve alcohol, though not necessarily to the point of impairment. "

-"Traffic duty eats up only a small bit of police resources. Only a small portion of GTA cops are assigned specifically to traffic duty at any given time. The rest are out dealing with things like missing children, murders, drug dealing, gang violence, and so on."

Funny how every bit of information fits your argument. One minute murders and drug dealers aren't as important as traffic. The next, cops spend all of their time dealing with them. A little consistency would be nice, instead of just quoting every fact at your disposal, its called a cohesive argument, you know where the first sentence is backed up by later sentences. Also the thrust of my point about traffic duty was the time spent outside the precinct dealing with the public. Its probability, but I already said that.

To clear up a few things: I wasn't doing double the limit, that was sarcasm to point out the innocuous nature of the minor speeding offence. Also, your reading comprehension isn't really up to the argument because you still think that I condone going 140 in a 40 when I've repeatedly explained that that wasn't the case and it was just an example of how you don't know anything about the safety of the driver from a brief description of the offence, like how everyone jumped on a guy asking a question about a speeding ticket.
And just for the record, I don't whine about speeding tickets, I just go to court and play the game. Its fun and I mostly win.

motti

Point out where I say that murders and drug dealers are not as important as traffic infractions. Putting words in my mouth that are not there is not an effective way to win an argument.

Now, out of your mouth, your comment about doing the two minute trip in one suggests that you are in fact doing dignificant above, perhaps almost double, the speed limit.

Whether or not you explicitly condone going 140 in a 40, you spent several words father up trying to justify why it might not be a bad thing. Again, words from your own mouth. In any case, the safety of that driver is directly related to how that driver's actions mesh with the actions of others. If most others on that stretch of road are in fact following somewhat near the posted limit, someone who arbitrarily decides to implement their own personal speed limit is in fact an unsafe driver. Speed differential kills.

imported_kane2k

The only reason that I ever brought up the 140 in a 40 was to make the point that you can not simply say that speeding on the highway is "safe" while anything in a 50 deserves flying books. I didn't condone either, I'm just saying that people should reserve judgement unless they know everything or alternately, have never exceeded the speed limit.
As for my inference about murders, you first quote me saying that a cop pulling me over for speeding was neglecting more serious crime, then you point out that there are more deaths from traffic accidents than from murders. It would seem to be a comparison which argued that the traffic stop was more important, but maybe you meant something different, I can never be bothered to fully read anything that includes statistics, let alone trying to interpret it, anything based on statistics is usually meaningless.
As for the two minute, one minute thing, it was sarcasm.

motti

By your words shall you be judged. Pick them carefully.