Passing stealth Denver Cop on off-ramp = Careless Driving ticket! Doh!
04-29-2005, 07:26 AM
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Passing stealth Denver Cop on off-ramp = Careless Driving ticket! Doh!
He said it was my lucky day because he didn't have his radar on and estimated I was doing over 80 in a 45. First, the 45 is a yellow "recommended" sign. Second, if he had his radar on I would have picked it up and probably wouldn't have been pushing it. This was mid-day yesterday on the 3-lane section of the I25N-I70E ramp.
At first I didn't think he was going to cite me. When he asked if I knew why he pulled me over, I said, "I'm sure it was because I was driving too fast." He said, "That's the first honest answer I've had all day." ***** still gave me the ticket, then proceeded to lecture me about speed and the slick roads (40F and just wet.) Trying to convince him of the safety and sure-footedness of an Audi with winter tires on was pointless. I was polite and all yes sir, no sir.
Given that I had a bad luck run with 2 speeding tickets 6 days apart back in Sep. - my detector was broken at the time - what's the chance this "mandatory court appearance" 4 point citation will get plead down? Any way to fight it?
At first I didn't think he was going to cite me. When he asked if I knew why he pulled me over, I said, "I'm sure it was because I was driving too fast." He said, "That's the first honest answer I've had all day." ***** still gave me the ticket, then proceeded to lecture me about speed and the slick roads (40F and just wet.) Trying to convince him of the safety and sure-footedness of an Audi with winter tires on was pointless. I was polite and all yes sir, no sir.
Given that I had a bad luck run with 2 speeding tickets 6 days apart back in Sep. - my detector was broken at the time - what's the chance this "mandatory court appearance" 4 point citation will get plead down? Any way to fight it?
04-29-2005, 08:02 AM
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if it were dry and warm outside, would you still be cited?
I guess the speed limit would technically be 55mph coming off the interstate so you could've gotten a speeding ticket for 25 over? Not sure how all that works. Is the careless driving ticket better for you than a major speeding ticket or is it a wash?
04-29-2005, 08:30 AM
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Most likely. It *seemed* like he was trying to keep me from getting ahead, so I hammered on it.
After I admitted to driving fast, I said I was just trying to get into the lane and felt I needed to get on it to get in.
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04-29-2005, 09:54 AM
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The warning signs are not the official speed limit...
But you may have some difficulty arguing that point in court since "careless driving" is up to the officer's discretion. From an engineering standpoint, the warning series signs are not law. Attached is an excerpt from the MUTCD, you're interested in section 2C.36 ...
<a href="http://webpages.charter.net/sheandlee/Ch2C.pdf">pdf file</a>
The entire document can be found here... it is not to be considered "law" by any definition, but instead is a traffic engineering guideline. The difference is that the engineer designs the roadway, but the state or city owns it and can enforce any laws they come up with.
<a href="http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2003r1/pdf-index.htm"> MUTCD webpage </a>
The official speed limit should be the speed limit of the highway you exited. I would suspect that 80 is still over the limit, but probably much less severe than "careless" driving.
<a href="http://webpages.charter.net/sheandlee/Ch2C.pdf">pdf file</a>
The entire document can be found here... it is not to be considered "law" by any definition, but instead is a traffic engineering guideline. The difference is that the engineer designs the roadway, but the state or city owns it and can enforce any laws they come up with.
<a href="http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2003r1/pdf-index.htm"> MUTCD webpage </a>
The official speed limit should be the speed limit of the highway you exited. I would suspect that 80 is still over the limit, but probably much less severe than "careless" driving.
04-29-2005, 11:32 AM
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I feel for you, my goal is to not get a ticket this year
I just purchased a 2.0T A4 last week and even though my previous car was not sporty, I still had a thing for collecting speeding tickets. So this year, my goal is to not get a speeding ticket. The other day, I thought my goal would be crushed within the first week as I took a corner a little too aggressively and got tailed by a nearby cop. I saw him just about the time I reached the speed limit so no ticket, but just an escort home.