A CHL will get YOU out of a ticket...

[cubbyjg]

Guess i need to keep an eye out around there. I got to Baybrook mall and stores around there a couple of times a month. Whats worse is the entrance to 45 doesnt get its own lane. So you have to merge fast and 9 times out of 10, the person on the freeway in the right lane wont be courtesy and slow down or move over. I wont get started about people going slow in the fast lane and refusing to either go faster or move over.

[jordanmills]

A CHL will get YOU out of a ticket...

It hasn't happened yet.

On the other hand, "see and avoid" has made traffic stops so infrequent that I just take DD and get the insurance discount.

Mine got me out of being pulled over for driving drunk in san marcos with no insurance and expired registration.

Okay, I wasn't drunk, I was driving slow and looking for a sign just after midnight - I'm sure I looked just like a drunk. The registration really was expired by a couple of weeks (not my car, I'd borrowed it and didn't check), and I had/have insurance, but it was in the glove box of MY car. The officer was pretty understanding. But I guess he probably also wanted to bust some real drunks.

[jsdintexas]

Cop: you were speeding.
Subject: Yes I was, but ...
Verdict: Guilty

Sorry you got the ticket, but not much conversation needed here.

[jordanmills]

Cop: you were speeding.
Subject: Yes I was, but ...
Verdict: Guilty

Sorry you got the ticket, but not much conversation needed here.

Yeah no. Cop alleged he was doing 67 in a 45. Cop had no proof of the allegation. Now what are we if we're not proven guilty?

[rm9792]

Cop: you were speeding.
Subject: Yes I was, but ...
Verdict: Guilty

Sorry you got the ticket, but not much conversation needed here.

Big difference between 67 and 55 or whatever. Fine is based on speed and gets expensive real quick. Even if he is guilty the cops actions deserve a day in court. May be able to bargain down to the <10mph price which is usually the lowest amount.

[srothstein]

Big difference between 67 and 55 or whatever. Fine is based on speed and gets expensive real quick. Even if he is guilty the cops actions deserve a day in court. May be able to bargain down to the <10mph price which is usually the lowest amount.

I thought I would throw in some technical advice that is worth what you pay for it. There is no legal difference between 55 and 67 if it is above the speed limit. The law regards all speeding offenses the same way. Either you are speeding or you are not. And that includes the prima facie case of one mile per hour over the posted limit. The good side of this is that it works both ways. If you convince the judge that 120 mph was both prudent and reasonable for the circumstances you were in, you are not speeding, even if it was a side street with a 25 mph sign.

Many jurisdictions base the fine on the speed if you are pleading guilty and mailing in the ticket. But the minute you go to court, you can ignore the fine schedule on the ticket. The judge can set the fine anywhere he wants, from $1 to $200 plus the appropriate court costs. And he has that authority for any speed he finds to be speeding. You may be able to work a plea bargain with the prosecutor before the trial, and he can usually get the judge to agree to almost anything (he knows what the judge will work with and will not accept). I think the current court costs are around $125 per ticket, so that will be the minimum. If your fine on the ticket adds up to more than $325, you can lower it to the $200 plus court costs by going to court.

As a general rule, the best options are defensive driving or deferred adjudication. Defensive driving is almost always the least costly option if you can qualify for it. Deferred adjudication almost always costs the same as pleading guilty, but it keeps the ticket off your record and means no points towards the administrative fees for getting too many tickets.

[rm9792]

I meant the schedule has a big difference between 67 and 55. I do know speeding is speeding. Based on my experience of dozens of tickets over the years i have never seen a judge veer from the schedule, although I know they can.

[maximus2161]

I honestly cannot remember when i got my last traffic ticket. Has to be well over 10 years maybe 15ish years. But wouldnt you know it when my CHL was in route to me back when I first got it I get pulled over for doing 45 in a 35. The section of road went from 35 to 45 but I accelerated to soon and got tagged. I explained to the officer who had to be 22-23 years old my CHL was mailed so if showed up on his check I didnt have it. He ran me and cut me loose and was very polite. So far that has been my only experience. My main thing is just to be honest, polite and afford the LEO every courtesy...even if I knew or thought the officer is wrong. (Tho in this case it was MY fault) If I felt a ticket was wrongfully issued Ill go to court.

And that what happened when I was 17 years old. I got cited for a non-moving violation. I wont go into the story because its long but my dad was a police officer and I called him and asked him. He said to take it to court so I went to court along with his copy of the traffic laws and waited my turn. When the judge called my name she just said 'dismissed' and out I walked. Now if I know I did wrong then I would pay the fine.

But I never assume a CHL will get me out of ticket nor do I expect it.

[witchdoctor575]

I received a warning by a ft. bend county motorcycle sheriff a few days ago. clocked me 67 in a 55. I was polite, used sir alot. he asked me before he even saw my chl if I was armed. I told him I was as I handed my cdl, chl, military id cards(all taped together)and insurance. he asked if it was on my person, I told him yes sir, he said to sit still for a minute. he came back a few minutes later and told me to slow down, here was my warning. I am so glad too, cause the wife sitting next to me was MAD! lol