Hey guys, I don't know if your information will be relevant to me due to varying counties, but I'm not sure so I'll ask anyway.


I was driving and got pulled over for 55 in a 35 (yes I was stupid) and was cited. Other than not letting me off with a warning, the officer wasn't an asshole and he didn't ask to search me or my car or anything. So no real bitterness from me other than to myself for excessively speeding.

Anyway, believe it or not this is my first ticket (other than 3 parking tickets) so I'm wondering what kind of hit my wallet will take. I will be doing the online traffic school so the insurance shouldn't be much of a problem, but I don't know how much my ticket will be. He marked the traffic as being medium, weather cloudy, street dry, light day, and zone residential (though it wasn't a small street).

I'm looking for a ballpark figure that includes the infraction, assessments, and fees.

Thanks for any input. Well, except the comments about me being stupid.

Don't know about CA, but there is usually a number you can call during business hours to get the details on the fine cost.

I'm not a traffic geek, but I'll ask one tomorrow.

you'll get notice in the mail from the courts opting for the traffic school.

Quoted: you'll get notice in the mail from the courts opting for the traffic court.

I know about the notice, but I'm impatient and want to get a ballpark figure before I write checks for some bills tomorrow.

Quoted: Quoted: you'll get notice in the mail from the courts opting for the traffic court. I know about the notice, but I'm impatient and want to get a ballpark figure before I write checks for some bills tomorrow.

about 200.00

96 in a 70 (I was on I-5 in the middle of nowhere CA)


$350

Hm looks like I'll be 350 or so in the hole for this one. I wish it would have occurred to me to ask the cop, but he seemed too busy asking what the hood scope on my car is and if it's "suped up or high performance" anyway.

Speeding is not cheap in CA, i had a couple tickets in my teenage years and neither was over 50.00

Quoted: Speeding is not cheap in CA, i had a couple tickets in my teenage years and neither was over 50.00

Well, they have to get money for all the marxist social programs from somewhere! They can't raise taxes drastically every year, so they raise the cost of fines and fees instead!

Quoted: Quoted: Speeding is not cheap in CA, i had a couple tickets in my teenage years and neither was over 50.00 Well, they have to get money for all the marxist social programs from somewhere! They can't raise taxes drastically every year, so they raise the cost of fines and fees instead!

God forbid the fine actually be a deterrant!  Wouldn't want people driving the speed limit and keeping everyone else safe, would we?

P.S., if you hate traffic tickets, YOU STINK AT DRIVING, stop endangering me and you won't get them anymore!

If you REALLY believe that the cost of these tickets is more to deter the specific act than to raise money for the state, then I won't waste my time. I'll just tell you to look back at how much the cost of tickets went up after the the whole Gray Davis/State deficit issue and hope you'll see a connection. Forty fucking dollars for  being a few minutes late to put a coin in your meter? Give me a break, and that's just a parking ticket!

BTW, if they really want to deter people who endanger others, they'd be serious about DUI/DWI and not give slaps on the wrist.

Yes, a large fine will really deter someone from ever speeding again.

I only wonder if the officer would have given me a ticket had I been driving a Camery or Accord instead of a WRX that he thought was "a suped up high performance car".

Tickets should start at $1,000.  Obviously they are for revinue, but maybe hotheads would stop speeding, changing lanes without a blinker and driving recklessly if they knew they'd have to shuffle finances if they did.

Quit driving like a maniac and tickets won't concern you.  I haven't had a ticket since I was 17, and I don't look over my shoulder for a cruiser all the time like I'm sure alot of people do.

$1,000-$10,000 fine or a tazer to the balls or gooch.

Quoted: Tickets should start at $1,000.  Obviously they are for revinue, but maybe hotheads would stop speeding, changing lanes without a blinker and driving recklessly if they knew they'd have to shuffle finances if they did. Quit driving like a maniac and tickets won't concern you.  I haven't had a ticket since I was 17, and I don't look over my shoulder for a cruiser all the time like I'm sure alot of people do. $1,000-$10,000 fine or a tazer to the balls or gooch.

I think a little old lady doing 20 MPH under the limit is alot more deadly that someone going 20 over. In this area about 99% of crashes involves a 70+ year old person.

Quoted: Tickets should start at $1,000.  Obviously they are for revinue, but maybe hotheads would stop speeding, changing lanes without a blinker and driving recklessly if they knew they'd have to shuffle finances if they did. Quit driving like a maniac and tickets won't concern you.  I haven't had a ticket since I was 17, and I don't look over my shoulder for a cruiser all the time like I'm sure alot of people do. $1,000-$10,000 fine or a tazer to the balls or gooch.

Then you'd do well to live in Germany where traffic tickets are based on your income, and can be in the tens of thousands. I wonder how safe German roads and highways are? Adjust for population and compare. There must be almost no traffic infractions there I bet!

BTW, if you can read I never said I didn't deserve the ticket. Yes, I was speeding. However, fining a driver in CA 2 or 3 times what a driver in another state would pay doesn't do shit except generate revenue to pay for the democrat assholes and their social programs. Tell me, the states with lower fines, are their roads safer? Again, adjust for population before saying there are less crashes and injuries/deaths there.

It's a mentality like yours that allows the socialist pricks to pass laws that further drain peoples' wallets all in an effort to pay for their illegals and welfare leeches.

500+ to register a damn car, 8.25% sales tax, ~$3000 yearly property tax, $21 for every $10 in fines assessment fees, etc. Nope, it's all about deterents, not revenue.




ETA:
Don't know why I even bothered to get deeper into this, but I appreciate the help, thanks.

Quoted: $350

Thats probably a pretty good answer.

Where were you in CA?

Quoted: Hm looks like I'll be 350 or so in the hole for this one. I wish it would have occurred to me to ask the cop, but he seemed too busy asking what the hood scope on my car is and if it's "suped up or high performance" anyway.

I would never tell someone what a the potential fine would be for a citation. I've seen other officers do it, person freaks outs, it has escalated to an arrest before, and I would rather let someone else tell them.

Quoted: Quoted: Hm looks like I'll be 350 or so in the hole for this one. I wish it would have occurred to me to ask the cop, but he seemed too busy asking what the hood scope on my car is and if it's "suped up or high performance" anyway. I would never tell someone what a the potential fine would be for a citation. I've seen other officers do it, person freaks outs, it has escalated to an arrest before, and I would rather let someone else tell them.

That's good advice, right there.

I'll weigh in. I've been a licensed driver in two states: California and Ohio.

In Ohio, the fines vary by county, but they are often very reasonable (like less than $150 bucks on the first offense, even if you were doing your best Rusty Wallace impersonation). The downside? There are cops EVERYWHERE, and the likelyhood of getting caught is much higher than it is in California. On the whole, people here drive much slower, I've noticed. The other downside, is how traffic school, points and your driving record are handled here. You can opt for traffic school once (in two years, I think) to remove the points, but the violation remains on your driving record. In other words, your insurance company is going to know about it.

In much of California, it's easy to speed with great regularity and seldom get caught. The drivers know this, and drive FAR more aggressively by comparison. It was quite an adjustment for me, moving to Ohio. The stronger police prescense DID have a positive (or negative, depending on your point of view) impact on my driving. The fines are much higher in California, but your not near as likely to get caught. In addition, traffic school will wipe a violation off of your record.

As to fines and their effectiveness in reducing traffic offenses, I don't find them to be particuarly effective. If the fine was $1000 and that was that, I would probably speed alot more. When I got caught, I'd just pony up the fine and move on. The major deterrent for me is points accumulation. Money is something I can handle, but losing my license isn't. Traffic enforcement is so strong here, that it's easy to see how I could lose my license in as little as a year, if my driving habits were exactly as they were in California. Financially, it wouldn't even add up to $1000 bucks.

The "revenue generating" BS is just that - BS. The amount of money generated by traffic tickets is a drop in the bucket. The people you should be REALLY angry at are your legislators. They're fleecing you through property taxes. My 70 year old grandmother was cited for doing 70 in a 55 a few months ago. It cost her all of $130 bucks. "It's all about money", she says. Ha! She pays that same locality $2300 every SIX MONTHS on a home she owns free and clear, with nary a word.

Who's fleecing who?

Quoted: Quoted: Tickets should start at $1,000.  Obviously they are for revinue, but maybe hotheads would stop speeding, changing lanes without a blinker and driving recklessly if they knew they'd have to shuffle finances if they did. Quit driving like a maniac and tickets won't concern you.  I haven't had a ticket since I was 17, and I don't look over my shoulder for a cruiser all the time like I'm sure alot of people do. $1,000-$10,000 fine or a tazer to the balls or gooch. Then you'd do well to live in Germany where traffic tickets are based on your income, and can be in the tens of thousands. I wonder how safe German roads and highways are? Adjust for population and compare. There must be almost no traffic infractions there I bet! BTW, if you can read I never said I didn't deserve the ticket. Yes, I was speeding. However, fining a driver in CA 2 or 3 times what a driver in another state would pay doesn't do shit except generate revenue to pay for the democrat assholes and their social programs. Tell me, the states with lower fines, are their roads safer? Again, adjust for population before saying there are less crashes and injuries/deaths there. It's a mentality like yours that allows the socialist pricks to pass laws that further drain peoples' wallets all in an effort to pay for their illegals and welfare leeches. 500+ to register a damn car, 8.25% sales tax, ~$3000 yearly property tax, $21 for every $10 in fines assessment fees, etc. Nope, it's all about deterents, not revenue. ETA: Don't know why I even bothered to get deeper into this, but I appreciate the help, thanks.

Looks like somebody needs his ba-ba.

I'm not a "libtard," I don't sit down and let myself get assfucked by stupid laws, I'm actively trying to make a difference.

It sounds to me like you can't handle California.  Everything that doesn't go your way or make things easier is the oppressive government bearing down on you.  Which is surprising considering all the conveniences in California.  Just move out and make my roads safer, I'll take care of the boy-boy reform work, where it's needed.

Quoted: Hey guys, I don't know if your information will be relevant to me due to varying counties, but I'm not sure so I'll ask anyway. I was driving and got pulled over for 55 in a 35 (yes I was stupid) and was cited. Other than not letting me off with a warning, the officer wasn't an asshole and he didn't ask to search me or my car or anything. So no real bitterness from me other than to myself for excessively speeding. Anyway, believe it or not this is my first ticket (other than 3 parking tickets) so I'm wondering what kind of hit my wallet will take. I will be doing the online traffic school so the insurance shouldn't be much of a problem, but I don't know how much my ticket will be. He marked the traffic as being medium, weather cloudy, street dry, light day, and zone residential (though it wasn't a small street). I'm looking for a ballpark figure that includes the infraction, assessments, and fees. Thanks for any input. Well, except the comments about me being stupid.

 The first thing you want to do is plead not guilty period. I was told that years ago and although I haven't gotten a ticket in some time the advice paid off.  If you plead not guilty they set a trial date, I was told and found it to be true that the chances of the officer showing up to the trial are slim. In my case I have done this 6 times over the years, only once did the cop show up.  If they do not show it is automatically thrown out. If they do there is a strong chance you will be guilty however still eligible for Traffic school.

UberPhLuBB,

You are in fact a liberal if you advocate massive fines for traffic violations and or tazing someone on the balls. Apparently you don't believe in the 8th amendment, and as long as it's for the "greater good" the end justifies the means for you. I'm through addressing you.


Bama-Shooter,
Certainly not a bad idea to not tell the offender what he might have to pay while at the scene. In my case though I would have just said "ah shit" to myself and gone about my day. Five over the limit would have been one thing, but I did deserve my citation.

4xDawn,
I'm in a suburb of LA, I was driving through Montrose.

David_Hineline,
I know that a DUI/DWI isn't cheap on a person's wallet, but my comment about a slap on the wrist was that the drivers commiting these offenses usually end up with community service or short jail terms. The fines are barely proportional to the offense, IMO. Besides, many drunk drivers who kill innocent people don't get nearly the length of prison term that they deserve, again IMO. I know we've had threads on this before so there's no point in arguing it, just giving my take on it.

glk31,
The officer put "does not admit guilt" or whatever it is on the citation so that's already a not guilty plea. However, this is Glendale PD, and as there is almost no crime in Glendale the chances of the officer showing up to court is actually pretty high since they don't have much else to keep them busy (perhaps a good thing in some ways). Besides, it would be pretty hard to try and defend myself in the court if he did show up and I had to explain why I was going that fast.

Thanks for the replies.

Ah, nothing like speeding in Italy on the Autostrada in a BMW M6 with the M 'power button' activated. Oh, that's a Polizia Stradale Lancia? Too bad that he can't catch me at 240km/h.

Quoted: Ah, nothing like speeding in Italy on the Autostrada in a BMW M6 with the M 'power button' activated. h,

Can't outrun a Motorola ;)

Quoted: UberPhLuBB, You are in fact a liberal if you advocate massive fines for traffic violations and or tazing someone on the balls. Apparently you don't believe in the 8th amendment, and as long as it's for the "greater good" the end justifies the means for you. I'm through addressing you.

"Oh dear jesus, he doesn't agree with me on one point!  He's a liberal!  God damn liberals runing the nation!'

Nevermind that I post on gun forums, own them and fight for them, am against abortion (though probably for a different reason than you) and hate illegal immigration.  This one point makes me have entirely liberal views.

"Liberal" is not synonymous with "insult."  Chriminy.

Being that human life is invaluable, and your speeding or driving recklessly is in direct contradiction to the continued healthy living of others, a $1000 or higher fine is hardly excessive, it's a downright bargain.  Get off the gas pedal and there's no problem.  I can't even count how many studies have proven that speeding and driving recklessly only save you a minute or two, and in some cases net you no gain whatsoever.