82 in an NC 55 Work Zone

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

TedNugent

New Member
I was written a ticket for 82 in a 55 MPH work zone this afternoon. This is my first driving offence and I admit that I was a bit distracted at the time because of a chronic customer problem that I was thinking about at the time, never saw the signs for 55 or a work zone to be honest. I was coming down a hill, "incline" according to the cop, and he said that he "nailed" me for over 80mph which is "mandatory revocation". To add to my distractions at the time, I had some ass clown toying with me for the last 45 miles (pass me slow down, ride my ass*repeat*). While the speed limit was 65 I had the cruise set at around 76, if I'm speeding I always try and keep it below 15 over at all costs. I obviously had tapped the breaks at some point which allowed me to go WAY over what I normally would coming down the hill! I can still picture the ass clown in my rear view mirror creeping up on me when the radar detector went off so I'm convinced that the cop clocked him rather then me but WHATEVER I got the ticket! I'm honestly not looking for a lecture in drivers ed because trust me my wife has taken care of that many times over in the last 6 hours and this is NOT normal behavior for me. I would sincerely appreciate some advice on how to run damage control on this situation. The officer wrote on the back of the ticket $250 fine and $110 court fees and told me to "mail it in". He said that if I sent in the ticket with the cash (the fine for speeding in a work zone) they would not care about the speed over and that would save me from the "mandatory revocation"? From the ready that I've done tonight about NC traffic law, it would appear that "speeding in a work zone" is a mandatory $250 fine (plus court cost) and all other charges are compiled on top of that? This means to me that if I just sent in the ticket then I'd be paying the $360 and have my license revoked? Am I missing something? Should I file for a "pray for judgment" since this is my first offence? Pardon my ignorance on the topic, I would like to trust what this cop says but that's to much of a gamble since, if I loose my license, I loose my job and then my wife and 3 kids get to live in a "van down my the river".... right after I buy a van and find a river!!! Thanks for any advice you can provide!
Ted
 
Help?

I've read through many posts and I think that the response will be "get a lawyer" but if anyone has any advise or experience with this I'd be very grateful!
 
What county?

The officer said you could just send the ticket in? 80+ should be a mandatory court appearance? It is also a misdemeanor and 30 day mandatory suspension if you just pay the ticket.

Many Judges will not consider a PJC for speeding in a work zone.

If your livelihood is at stake, you really do need a lawyer. Good news is in NC this is a very nice business for the attorneys and they have a very high probability of helping a lot and the cost will be less than the 3 years insurance increases you will receive without one.

You will be getting a lot of offers to help in the mail.
 
Thanks for the reply. I was in Durham County on I-85 right before where their doing all of the construction for Hwy 70, Durham PD actually wrote the ticket. A buddy of mine has a brother that's a state trooper and his response was similar to yours. He said to send it in only if I decide that I don't really need a license and if I enjoy paying crazy insurance premiums. So it's really a shock to me that one of Durham's finest lied right to my face! I've gotten similar advice from some other guys that have been in speeding trouble that the PFJ will probably not fly in a work zone, so looks like I'm going to hiring an attorney to try and talk it down for me. I see what you're saying about the mail, I've been out of town for 4 days and my mailbox was crammed full of letters from lawyesr looking to "help" me out! Thanks for your response and please let me know if anyone has any else has any additional advise. Thanks again
Ted
 
Durham PD are pretty far down the food chain, barely better than the Sheriff's, and are generally not happy with how they are treated by the city and the public.

I drive through there every day, not the best place to speed. I love how the reduced speed zone goes to the county line, 3 mi after construction stops.

Don't pick a lawyer from the mail. Look for a lawyer with an office near the courthouse (probably plays golf with the judge) and who knows the name of the officer.

If you have no previous tickets, a lawyer should be able to have this reduced to a 9 over. You will still have to pay the fines (probably $130 + $250) but you get to keep your licence, avoid a misdemeanor conviction and minimize the insurance hit. Lawyer will be in the $400 - $1,000 range depending on your record.

Not a lawyer, just a good customer ;)
 
Believe it or not, the following morning there was a black slick-top (Trooper I think) with limo tint enforcing the work zone in the same spot. They rotate unmarked vehicles around the state so you never know who is watching.

Bottom line is if you are not running below the limit in NC, you do not want to be the fastest vehicle in sight, especially in the left lane.

A Valentine 1 is a good investment if you tend drift over the limit. It won't help with the State Troopers but the local PD and Sheriff's are using 20 year old equipment so you know there are there 1-3 mi ahead of time. It also helps to know when you need to be ready to give them some room for the "move over" law while they are having a friendly conversation with a citizen.

Let us know how it goes.
 
ok !!! here's my piece of advise.....what did u tell the officer at the point u got the ticket......did u admit to ure guilt......i hope not......i was able to get out of a ticket on grounds of speedometer inaccuracy(100mph on 65).........u can get ure speedometer calibrated and if u happen to have bigger tyres, excessive mileage or some transmssion problem in ure car u can easily work ure way out of this. Really depends upon how u present ureself. If ure a good speaker and u manage to get some good evidence like calibration records, nortarized receipts and other stuff it can help u a great deal. Remember that keeping a speedometer in working order is ure resposibility however if u got ure transmission replaced recently or a defective speed sensor that would give u a different reading everytime u start ure car, which is not ure responsibility. Getting a lawyer might give u a better bargaining power but I would recommend that u do ure own research before that and talk to a no. of lawyers. and, NEVER mail ure ticket in, go to court 30 min early look confident abt ure case, adamant to fight it and the prosecuter will work out something with u if ure evidence is concrete.

I hope the info helps u but it is at ure own risk...................
stanford_aspirant@yahoo.com mail me for more info.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Share this page

Get a free case review from a lawyer
Back
Top