Yay. What a day. I got a ticket by a MOTORCYCLE cop

[67Dart383]

Well here in Memphis, if you are speeding less than 10 mph over speed limit and they give you a ticket. We just take it to court, they dismiss it, and they just charge court fees. My son (383Kid) just got a ticket for making a left hand (improper) turn in front of a Sheriff. We went to court , they said if he attends a driving class, they would drop ticket and he pay court cost, would not go on his record.   

[NYrr496]

Hey, Guzzimike, sweet KZ.  That is the correct fairing.

[bwells]

Five over seems like BS.  When I was in high school about ten years ago, I got pulled over twice in one week, each time at the exact same speed trap, for going 52 in a 40.  Each time, it was a different state patrol officer, and they both let me off with a warning.  They told me that the next time I'd get a ticket though.  About a year ago I got a ticket for an improper lane change up on highway 16, just west of I-5.  Traffic was pretty heavy, and someone flying down the onramp.  I had to swerve to avoid getting hit, and the bed of my truck clipped a car in the lane next to me.  That spun me sideways and I rolled my truck into a guard rail going 65.  The cop that showed up there wrote me a ticket, but I didn't sign it, and he mailed it to me later.  I ended up just paying it, because at the time I was busy trying to clear post so I could go on terminal leave before my ship pulled out.  I'm pretty impressed with that little ranger.  Other than a rug burn on my arm from the air bag and a bruise from the seat belt, I was fine. 

[rarefish]

My take on the deamenor of cops. Even back in the day, the early 70's, when I was a kid, I had no trouble talking my way out of a ticket. I was pulled over many times for speed, too loud, rear jacked up too high, uncapped headers, etc. As soon as the cop asked me a question I shot back "man that thing got a 440 in it?" (Our local cops all had Pllymouths) He'd say "yeah, you know why I pulled you over?" Me, "wow, how's it run?" Next thing you know he'd start to laugh and you would be talking car talk for a half hour. I think he knew he'd have a bigger impact on you over time by being decent. I'd see the cops off duty and they would recognize your car and ask hows it goin, staying out of trouble, how you doing at the track? Good Cop.

State troopers, totaly different. They'll never see you again and their job is to make an impact now. They ask a question they want an answer now. They're not gonna stand on I95 and shoot the breeze. I've never heard of them pullin someone over for less than 10 MPH over so maybe that's getting a break. I've run through traps at 15 over and thought, oh crap, and no lights. Bad Cop.

A couple years ago I got volunteered to take a friends son back to school in up state NY. Coming home I got busted on the turn pike. When I came around the bend and saw him I looked down ad I was going almost 90. When he asked if I knew how fast I was going I said No. He said I got you at 83 MPH. I knew he shaved a couple miles off. I figure he knows if I'm 20 or more over it's reckless driving and I have to report to court. If it's less than 20 I'm not likely to drive 6 hrs just to fight a speeding ticket. Follow the money?

Also, many years ago, I was going through a neighbor hood in my Moms 70 Duster when a kid came shooting out of a drive way on his bike. I saw him coming and locked up the brakes and layed on the horn. He turned into the proverbial deer in the headlights. He stopped dead center in front of the car with his eyeballs bugging out. He teetered on the bike for a few seconds and fell over. I never touched him. He jumped up and started running in little circles, hitting himself in the head, screaming I'm sory I'm sorry. Of course with all the noise every house emptied and every ones yelling I ran over the kid. With all the eye witnesses that saw nothing I played hell convincing the cop I didn't hit the kid. There was no damage to the car or bike. The only way I got out of a ticket (don't remember what he was gonna write it for) was I had to pay for the half a day wages is Mom lost for coming home early. The cop said the average speed people go through a 25 MPH residential zone is 40MPH and by my skid marks I was going 42. If I'd been goin 25 it never would have happened. For the reason above I think cops in neighborhoods are going to be less foregiving especially to young drivers.

Best advice, drive slow. My great grand father is the only person I've ever heard of that got a ticket for going too slow, and my Mom said he would never go over 10, Joe.