Going to Court Tommorow for my first Ticket

[Mondo]

Back on April 14th I just had brought the bike down to Bridgewater from Stoneham for the spring. It was still a bit chilly but I decided to take the bike to a meeting I had with the Army at Stonehill College (exit 17A on Route 24). So I gear up and head out and leave West Bridgewater (exit 16A on Route 24 North) I get on the Highway and work my way out into the middle lane and get stuck behind a 18-wheeler that is kicking up a ton of sand and wind. So I go in the fast lane...speed up...and pass it...so not to stay in his blind spot, then get back in the Middle lane because my exit was coming up (only 1 exit away).

Well then I see two Staties with their lights on and I pull over....I take off my helmet do all the stuff I should do. Then I hand him my liscens and registration and told him where I was going. Then he realizes my registration is expired. Yes Yes im a retard and didn't realize it. The past two winters I have owned a motorcycle I always took it off the road and turned in the plates and reregistered it in the spring. I still owe money on my CBR so I kept it insured and kept the plates. The registry never asked for anything or sent me anything in the mail and the Insurance company never said anything so I figured i was ok...

Well we wait there on the side of hte road for like 25-30 Minutes, and then I see a flatbed truck pull up. I LIVE 5 Mins off the highway!!

He comes out, gives me a 150$ ticket for speeding estimated 80+mph, a 100$ ticket for opperating an unregistered vehicle, and then I have to pay 200$ CASH right up front for the flatbed to towe my bike home. I didn't get a chance to call my friend who has a pickup and lives 5 minutes away.

So I was pretty pissed off. And tommorow I go to court for it.

I'm going to say that I sped up to avoid an accident and a dangerous situation, and that my exit was only 1 exit up so I wasn't going fast. Also I'm going to mention how I pulled over right away and didn't argue with the Officer, along with the fact that I have never had a speeding ticket or warning before.

Im going to use this as a reference its from the Mass RMV website Motorcycle guide. http://www.mass.gov/rmv/mcmanual/23_...ForTrouble.pdf

SCAN—Monitor and aggressively search for potential hazards
while riding. Maintain an adequate space cushion between
vehicles to enhance rider safety. Anticipate and formulate a
strategy for escaping a hazardous situation.
PREDICT—The distance, speed, and direction of a hazard
significantly impacts the overall strategy employed by the rider.
It is important for the rider to anticipate and consider the effect
a hazard may have on fellow motorists. Recognizing and
estimating the consequences of your actions are steps a safe
and responsible rider takes in ensuring safety.
IDENTIFY—Locate hazards and the potential for danger.
Awareness and visibility will assist the rider in making a safe
and responsible decision given the following circumstances:
• Vehicles sharing the road with you may move quickly and
unexpectedly. A rider’s reaction to uncertain traffic
conditions must be both quick and accurate to minimize the
likelihood of an accident.

I think I got a good case....and im just gonna plead stupid on the registration part

[spicy]

they might drop the registration if you bring current registration with you, and if you immediately registered it after getting the citation. i got pulled over in my car in march for speeding, and only had expired registration on me. i was out at school at the time, and my father (the owner of the car i have custody of) never gave me the updated registration after he'd received it, and absentmindedly put the 08 license plate sticker on his daily driver (even thought it's brand new and already had an 09 sticker on it, lol).

i appealed the speeding ticket, got it dropped $90, and after showing the magistrate my up-to-date registration, she removed it from the ticket. saved a total of like 140 bucks (i think?), but it's still a moving violation, so i'm reaping the benefits of an extra like $2400 in insurance premium increase over the next 5yrs.

not exactly your situation, since my car was actually registered, i just didn't have the paperwork/sticker for it. i'm assuming the LEO could see that it was actually registered when he ran my plates, so i wasn't technically driving an unreg'd vehicle... worth a shot, at least

[Sheppo]

Just don't tell them you're friends with Zalty.

[JunoAF]

thats a crazy story man. I think you have a good case to present to the court. that cop shouldnt of tagged you as bad as he did. i'm sure you can fight all of it and if you own up to being negligent about the registration, that shows responsibility for action which would look good on your part. although im sure youll get fined for that, its gotta help your case with the towing and speeding fees and fines. sorry to hear about the hassle man. good luck

[richw]

You are toast

Tell your sand story and ask for forgiveness
I would add you were moving in the left lane with traffic passing the semi not racing ahead.

Much better for you if they sit on the speeder and you take the non moving reg deal... I'ld ask for that

You punk ass kid

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

Go to the Hearing wearing Army Clothes (if your still active) They should cut you a break Its wartime for christ Sake.

Screw that Nosence about scan blah blah Blah, NEVER admit you were speeding. You passed a slow moving Vehicle that was tossing sand, But You did not break the speed limit. Estimated tickets are easy to Beat. Odds are in your favor.

[tsanto]

Go to the Hearing wearing Army Clothes (if your still active) They should cut you a break Its wartime for christ Sake.

Screw that Nosence about scan blah blah Blah, NEVER admit you were speeding. You passed a slow moving Vehicle that was tossing sand, But You did not break the speed limit. Estimated tickets are easy to Beat. Odds are in your favor.

I agree you should never admit you were speeding thats a good point. But how do you figure estimated tickets are easy to beat? It's the LEO's word against yours. There are plenty of ways an officer can estimate speed without radar and I think a judge will side with them rather than the speeder.

Anyways I think they might drop/reduce the regst. violation if you show you had it registered that day (or soon after). You might get out of the ticket because it would be your first. Depends on the magistrate I guess. I assume this is your first appeal so you wont be going before a judge.

Good luck, I cant stand going to court to fight a ticket.

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

Are you going to the first Hearing or the Second?

If its the first Dont take the deal, Hold out for the judge.

[Mondo]

yea, im not sure about going in my military uniform....that may be a bit much almost BDS (big dick swinging)

but yea, i got it registered that afternoon as soon as I got it....legit like 2.5 hours after it.

and he had me marked at 80+ and I know for SURE i wasn't going nearly that fast with my exit coming up. I'm going to bring a map as well to prove my point further (even though the court house is right off the highway where the incident occured).

I know its the officers word verse mine, but I am a sworn officer in the United States Army (which I am going to throw into my appeal), so i guess it could go either way, especially since this is my first ticket. Plus I was a Criminal Justice Major and want to be a Police Officer

Yes this is just the first hearing, and im going to take it to the judge if they don't drop the speeding charge. I hear that at the one with the judge that if the trooper doesn't show I automatically win?? is that correct?

[Origin]

yea, im not sure about going in my military uniform....that may be a bit much almost BDS (big dick swinging)

but yea, i got it registered that afternoon as soon as I got it....legit like 2.5 hours after it.

and he had me marked at 80+ and I know for SURE i wasn't going nearly that fast with my exit coming up. I'm going to bring a map as well to prove my point further (even though the court house is right off the highway where the incident occured).

I know its the officers word verse mine, but I am a sworn officer in the United States Army (which I am going to throw into my appeal), so i guess it could go either way, especially since this is my first ticket. Plus I was a Criminal Justice Major and want to be a Police Officer

Yes this is just the first hearing, and im going to take it to the judge if they don't drop the speeding charge. I hear that at the one with the judge that if the trooper doesn't show I automatically win?? is that correct?

As far as I know the officer no longer needs to show up(although im sure it will help you greatly). Fairly new thing.

Along with police officers no longer need to have parking lights on at all times while sitting on the side of the road

[Mondo]

As far as I know the officer no longer needs to show up(although im sure it will help you greatly). Fairly new thing.

Along with police officers no longer need to have parking lights on at all times while sitting on the side of the road

yea i've been noticing the parking lights not being on

[Manny]

I was in court with a guy who was wearing army or national g uniform or something. Anyway, at his hearing the judge asked him if he was on duty and the guy said no and he said are you going to be on duty today and he said no and then gave him a speach about why he is not supposed to be wearing the uniform without being on duty.

[Kham]

if i remembered correctly, unregister means uninsure means criminal.

good luck man. i hope you get out of it. i know i' d be screw if it was me.

[apollomx681]

good luck! don't be a douche and you should be ok..

[Mondo]

if i remembered correctly, unregister means uninsure means criminal.

good luck man. i hope you get out of it. i know i' d be screw if it was me.

funny thing is I was insured!!!! i was paying insurance starting in Jan 08 and this happend in April 08


Yea...im def not going to wear my uniform there...not a good idea

[seth399]

+1 on bring ALL your documentation. I got pulled over by a statie (at a frickin red light) back in the day on my old bike because I had no inspection sticker. I also didn't have my permit on me, he said it wasnt "in his computer" and assumed I had no license at all and had my bike towed.
When I went to court I brought my license and all that and the judge dismissed it....still had to pay the frickin 125 or whatever cash because of the tow truck.

[Mondo]

yea im def not getting the $ back for the tow itself

[Brit-Triple]

Screw that Nosence about scan blah blah Blah, NEVER admit you were speeding. You passed a slow moving Vehicle that was tossing sand, But You did not break the speed limit. Estimated tickets are easy to Beat. Odds are in your favor.

+1, as soon as you admit you were speeding, the magistrate can smack the gavel and say "responsible". You don't have to answer this question, but how bad is your driving record, it is much easier to believe that you didn't think you were speeding when you don't have a bunch of speeding tickets in your past. The magistrate will have record of all your dmv stuff. Usually if you have no speeders in the past it is much easier for them to believe you. There are websites out there that give great advice on how to beat these. If you loose, then take it to a judge hearing. State police don't have a great sense of humor, contrary to some people's opinions, when I back them up I sometimes feel bad for people as they cut zero breaks.

A buddy of mine is 6-0 with beating these things at the court level, he has read those articles mentioned and 4 of those were state pd.

good luck.

[Mondo]

yep I dont have any speeding tickets. So I will not mention the "speeding up" thing. Can you send a link to those articles?

[The Snowman]

if i remembered correctly, unregister means uninsure means criminal.

good luck man. i hope you get out of it. i know i' d be screw if it was me.

You have it backwards. You need to be insured before you can register a vehicle in MA.

[NEWTREADS]

They didnt just tell you that you cant drive the bike and let you call someone. I bet the cop gets a kickback from the towing company. To protect and serve my ass???? 450 bucks now and by the time the insurance comany is done with you It will be a few grand. All because you didnt want to get pelted with all the shit the truck was kicking up. Those stupid assholes wonder why people just take off when they see the blue lights go on.

[Degsy]

1. Magistrate doesn't have a gavel to smack. He can reduce, find not responsible or find responsible. You then have the choice of a judge if you want.

2. Motorcycle safety codes say to pass as quickly as possible to avoid in being a truck's blind spot. Momentary acceleration to pass to easy to get by a magistrate if you have a good record and present it as a safety issue.

By the way, kickback on the tow, no doubt. Tow companies are the scum of the earth, bottom feeders.

[JohnnyV]

Completely correct on the kickback from the tow company. Say you are stuck on the side of the road, call AAA and they send a truck to you. If a statie rolls up before the AAA truck shows up and gets his own truck there first, you're screwed. Statie will claim you were a hazard to the roadway and the vehicle had to be removed immediately. It's fucked.

[tsanto]

1. Magistrate doesn't have a gavel to smack. He can reduce, find not responsible or find responsible. You then have the choice of a judge if you want.

2. Motorcycle safety codes say to pass as quickly as possible to avoid in being a truck's blind spot. Momentary acceleration to pass to easy to get by a magistrate if you have a good record and present it as a safety issue.

By the way, kickback on the tow, no doubt. Tow companies are the scum of the earth, bottom feeders.

+1

You are going in front of the magistrate so the officer doesnt need to be there. If you appeal and go infront of a judge, the officer needs to show or your charges get dropped.

And in general tow companies are scum. When i got into a car accident and needed my car towed, they told me to leave my wallet/belongings in the car as it was being jacked onto the flat bed. That didnt happen.

[NEWTREADS]

They told you to leave your valubles in the car they were towing somewhere???? WTF? A classic example of the fox watching the henhouse.