Just got solicited to donate $166 to my local county.
Driving too fast on muh roads apparently.
However, a straight away, country road on a clear and dry day….35mph is painfully slow.
I honestly thought it was at least 45mph, if not 50mph on this road and even saw the cop approaching and thought nothing of it. No sinking feeling, nothing. I’ve been aware of driving over the speed limit in the past and seen a cop and thought “oh crap”. Did not feel that in this situation. I thought, oh I’m just a few mph over whatever it must be.
WRONG.
Dude pulls a u-turn in the middle of the road (with another vehicle directly behind him) so you know it’s all about “safety”.
Held my tongue quite well. Did not get shot. Wife and kids are OK.
Surprisingly, the guy wasn’t a total D-word and was half pleasant about the whole thing. It was like robbing a bank with a nice note.
Oh, and he admitted to lying in writing the ticket. Said he would only mark it at 49mph instead of 57mph (which I DO NOT believe is accurate, if anything I was going just over 50mph in what I thought was a 45mph or 50mph zone).
Swell guy that he is.
The ironic thing is this: I was only driving in this stretch of road due to three other things related to government.
1. The USPS was to deliver an Amazon package on Saturday, they did not.
2. The USPS is supposed to deliver the next business day, they did not.
3. Upon driving to the Post Office, road crews were pressure washing the center line of the road, holding up dozens of cars. We turned around after being stuck in this for 10 minutes while trying to get to the USPS before they closed.
We don’t even drive often! I work from home and order so much online! [Here’s are Amazon link so you can too!]
So….do I fight it? Pay it? Mitigate it?
A friend of mine, who is a former cop [the only good kind!] offered the following advice:
My two cents as a former cop: be skeptical of advice offered by someone who is not intimately acquainted with the laws and judicial norms of your specific locality. If you want advice, it needs to come from someone who knows how things work where this incident took place.
That advice lines up with Eric Peters’ advice in his article about hiring a lawyer – though I think that is more to do with “points” against your record in certain states and I don’t think that applies here in WA).
So, what about lawyers?
The cost to rent a shyster to handle a minor traffic case (normal speeding, not “reckless driving,” DUI or a major charge that has a mandatory court appearance and the possibility you might get thrown in the clink) is typically between $500 and $1,500. It sounds steep – it is steep – but for all the reasons outlined previously, it can be money well-spent – especially if you end up getting another ticket during the next three years.
It’s pretty easy to find a traffic lawyer in most areas; just Google the county/state in which your case will be tried and add the keywords “ticket” and “lawyer.” Look for one who has been doing this for awhile and who regularly appears in the court where you’ll be appearing. The best defense lawyers are former prosectors. Interview your prospect, ask him specifically how he will handle your case – and what his success rate is in getting charges like yours reduced or dropped.
If he wins, you’ll have the satisfaction of seeing the cop who cited you turn beet red with anger as you slip the noose.
And that is worth a lot more than the cost of any fine.
Thoughts? Am I showing too much privilege?
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