> You never said how fast you were going. The Fort Tejon Area
> office normally don't have time to write tickets for less
> than 85-90 MPH because they are so busy dealing with all the
> idiots driving 90+ MPH. If you got a ticket for speeding on
> I.S 5 between Stockton and LA, you were definitely exceeding
> 70 MPH, in your case in the Fort Tejon Area, 65 MPH. Keep in
> mind, the even 1 MPH over the maximum speed limit is just as
> guilty as 100 MPH.
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree here. First, due to normal
variations in speedometers, inflation differences in tires, slight
variation in tire diameters if the tires aren't stock, etc, it's very
easy to be going 1mph faster than the speedo reads even if you have
every intention of following the speed limit. Unless the expectation is
that people set their cruise controls for 5mph *under* the speed limit
"just to be safe," I think it's pretty ridiculous to assert that 71 in a
70 is just as guilty as 100MPH in a 70.
Additionally, seeing as how speeding tickets are essentially about
revenue generation, I think they fall into the category of a tax that it
is perfectly ethically acceptable to try to circumvent. Now, if it was
a reckless driving charge, I would support the "say your hail mary's and
practice contritition" viewpoint.
That said, I would have been inclinced to just pay the ticket and get on
with things, mainly because it would be cheaper in both time and money
than hiring an attorney and making, as they say, a federal case of it.
However, having a judge suspend someone's license because they dared to
argue the point is, to my way of thinking, wildly inappropriate and
completely contrary to the spirit of our justice system. It's basic
intimidation -- I know that *I'm* a lot less likely to contest any
future tickets, even if I'm 100% sure I'm right, knowing this outcome.
I don't like that at all.
So, me, I'd get ornery here and hire an attorney with experience in this
area and show up in person.
Just my two cents.
Cheers
-b
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