0
So I got my first speeding ticket on my bike, and second ever.
Me, My friend Jon(Royal690 on here), and one of our other friends were heading up to Franconia NH last weekend from Boston, about 150 miles. It's freezing out, close to midnight, and we're about 30 miles away.
We were not driving irratically, we were at a constant pace, in the right lane, moving to the left lane to go around cars traveling slower than us, and then switching back to the right lane once around. All of us were wearing gear.
While cruising, the leader rolls off the gas suddenly because he notices a cop about a mile ahead. We get within about half a mile, he flicks the blues on and pulls out. Then out of nowhere, lights go on probably 5 feet behind me (I was in the back of the pack) from a Charger with no light bar.
I pull over, immediately, and she goes around me around a slight bend so I can no longer see her, the other cruiser, or my friends. I stay pulled over, I'm not one to run from cops. After waiting for probably 5-10 minutes on the side of the road, I decided to start driving, because sitting on the shoulder at night is not my favorite place to be. Just as I put my kickstand up i see the blues coming down the other side of the highway and romp over the grass highway divider. I put my kickstand back down.
She pulls behind me, gets out, asks me for my license and registration. I pull my license out of my wallet in my jacket pocket, then tell her my registration is under the seat. She takes my license then instructs me to pull off the next exit ramp where my friends are with the other cruiser. She then tells me I was pulled over for doing 88 in a 65. I follow her instructions and park next to my friends. She tells us she was following us for miles, while she called ahead to the other cruiser cause she figured we would run from her.
She then tells us that we were going faster than 88 but that was the highest speed she was able to clock us at. My friend is shivering cause its so cold out, and she asks if he's been drinking, and all of that, which he obviously wasn't. I get my ticket first, inspect it.....350 bucks, ouch. We all get the same ticket, then are sent on our way.
We finally get to franconia and inspect the tickets more closely. On only one of them, not mine, did she check off that she actually clocked him, the rest did not specify how she determined our speed, just that we were doing 88 in a 65
We decide we're going to fight the tickets, but don't know which plan we want to go with.
Plan A. All mail the tickets in on the same day, and try to get the same court date so we can carpool up to the courthouse. Our plan of attack, once there, if we even get the same court date. Is to try to plead that we all have great driving records, that we were operating safely, and possibly bring up the good ol "when was the radar last calibrated" and hope to get lucky.
Plan B. If we go up at different times, we can all try to use the same excuse. "My spedometer never read over 65, she must have clocked one of the three bikes rolling on the gas at some point, not my bike" I think this one could be effective for the bikes she didn't check off that she actually clocked us. Along with our good driving records, and we can again use the calibration excuse and see if we get lucky.
Plan C. Mail in the ticket on the 29th day, the defer it as long as possible in hopes that she'll send someone else to represent her who will not be as detailed, than use the same excuses as above.
None of us ever admitted what speed we were going to the cop, nor did any of us admit fault to speeding.
any thoughts? I've never fought a ticket before, cause I've only gotten 1 in my car in Maine, which didnt carry over insurance wise to MA. Will NH tickets carry over insurance wise to MA?
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Pookie
