I got a speed contest ticket. Where it says registered owner it says same as driver. The car isnt registered under my name though. Do I have any chances of a dismissal?

 

you probleywill not have a good chance of getting it dismissed, they are cracking down on speed constest tickts and anything reffering to them in cali....but good luck trying...how fast where you going?what kind of car were you racing??were you smoking him at least???

 

Heres what happened. Two accords are lined up im behind one of them. I wasnt racing with them I was just waiting. They take off. About two seconds later cop lights. So I leave, but I didnt go fast or take off hard. I was going 50. Speed limit was 55. He wrote me up for 70! They let one of the accords go ( was full of girls ). Pulled the other one and me over. If I WAS racing I wouldnt care so much about the ticket. The thing is I wasnt. I explained to the cop how I wasnt racing. He proceeds to tell me that he sees this all the time. I told him if you want I will gun it for you and you can see what it looks and sounds like when im racing! He didnt care. Speed contest is two points. Fine is from $400-1000. And also suspension of license for a month or something. It irritates me because I wasnt racing. Now im just hoping it will get dismissed. I also had two passengers in the car as witnesses.

 

If you weren't racing it's easy. Cops have a camera on board on the car. This is a misdemeanor so you plea not guilty, request the video to be brought in as evidence which you can do since it's a misdemeanor and have it played for the judge. BTW, when you plea not guilty ask for a jury trial. You are entitled to a jury trial. Only 1 person has to believe you were not racing and you are off. Usually when you request a jury trial the judge will offer some sort of secondary traffic school to avoid wasting time and money. Best bet plea not guilty with a jury trial and request the video to be brought in for evidence. If you weren't racing, the video will clearly show it was not you and the two accords in front of you.




[Modified by Paul Walker, 2:20 AM 6/16/2002]

 

Thanks great info. Just wondering what if they dont have the tape?


[Modified by 4g63turbo, 10:23 AM 6/16/2002]

 

They all have the tapes. Wouldn't you be suspicious if you were a judge/jury and the tape has "disappeared"? Either way, plea not guilty with a jury trial, you are entitled to it.

 

It's always the ricey accords racing around here!!! But I agree, that is BS!!! But wow only 2 points for a speed contest?!? I got a ticket for a simple left turn in a construction zone, and i got 3 points!

Set up a court date, and fight this BS!

 

hehe

 

Requesting a video and a jury trial may not be the best thing. If the cop was behind you, the video is going to show you behind the two accords but will not correctly display the distance between you and the accords. If his guy has the accords going 70, then you, with the vision angle of the cop behind you, will seem as if your going 70 too.

Also, if you were trailing the races, as most people who have nothing to do at night (like me) would do, then your going to seem, from that angle, to be racing with them as well.

Your best bet would have been to request that you see the reading on the radar gun when you had gotten pulled over. In court, it would be a good idea to try and contest the fact that you weren't going 70 mph and that he had tagged the other two cars.

 

Fight it no matter what, with speed contest tickets you are not allowed traffic school. So you might as well fight it. ( Cant hurt nothing) I got one and fought it judge ammended it to speeding 10 mph over the limit......wich still sucked but at least that was 1 point instaed of 2 points.

 

Wow I hate this :-/ I shoulda not pulled over and gotten away. I actually might have lost him.

 

I had 2 speed contest tickets in one year, I delayed the first one to coincide with the second, I fought the first and pleaded guilty to the other one. I hired a lawyer ($500), he got the two charges put together as one, and I had to pay the fine, which was 400 bucks, and if I was caught doing it again w/in 12 months, I would be fined an additional $1,200, and I had to go to a 2-day traffic school, but it was worth it, cause it didn't appear on my record. My license was suspended for 6 months, but my lawyer got the judge to grant permission to drive to and from work. Get a lawyer if you're going to fight it. Street racing is stupid and dangerous, and I knew all that when I was doing it, but I'm addicted.


[Modified by rodrez, 8:40 PM 6/16/2002]