<p>Unfortunately, a few weeks ago I was pulled over and cited for reckless driving. I was on a lengthy road trip and for around 100 miles the posted speed limit on our highway was 70 mph. I set my cruise control for 76 mph and forgot about it. Apparently, at some point the speed limit dropped to 55 mph and I failed to notice the sign. I was pulled over for speeding and the Sheriff’s Deputy cut me no breaks, and wrote me a ticket for 21 mph over the posted limit (reckless driving in NC).</p>
<p>I was pulled just about a month ago for going 20 mph over the speed limit (similar situation, I was on a highway and sped up to beat the only traffic light within a 10 mile stretch of the road), but the Deputy cut me a break and only wrote me for 15 mph over. I hired a lawyer and the charge was pleaded down to improper equipment.</p>
<p>Given my recent dropped speeding ticket, do I have any chance of getting out of my reckless driving charge? If not, I’d like to use a PJC (North Carolinians get one every three years, if I read correctly), but what would that mean for me? I know that if I’m convicted of doing 21 mph over the limit, I would lose my license for at least 30 days and would face a hefty insurance increase. Any advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>P.S.- Please try to refrain from crucifying me if at all possible. I was on the same highway for 3 hours, and somehow missed the sign that notified drivers of the speed limit change from 70 mph to 55 mph. I wasn’t trying to drive recklessly, but that’s the charge I ended up with. For what it is worth, the deputy told me that I was the 5th car that had been pulled over in the area within the last 10 minutes, so I’m sure plenty of other people were in the same predicament.</p>
<p>Very often the speed limit postings are really there as a trap. It’s a money maker for the State. Thats’ why he’s sitting there writing so many tickets. There’s statistical proof you are less likely to fight the charges if you’re OOS, or at least out of district. But I can’t help you with any specifics, as I’m not a lawyer or from NC.</p>
<p>I’m almost positive it was a speed trap. After the deputy cited me and let me go, I noticed three other cars pulled over within a quarter mile of each other just around the next bend in the highway. It certainly frustrated me-I’m a poor college student and don’t have all kinds of money to spend on lawyers to fight bogus traffic charges. </p>
<p>A friend of mine suggested calling the county’s DA’s office to see if I can work something out by myself (driving school in exchange for a reduced charge, for example). I’ve considered it, but am worried that it could be a waste of time if that is a legit speed trap that they are counting on revenue from.</p>
<p>State budgets are in a mess so this sort of thing is not surprising. I went through one of these sorts of things yesterday. You go around a curve, the speed limit drops and there is a tree obscuring the speed limit sign and an officer with a speed gun a bit further. I have driven the road for years and know the trap.</p>
<p>You might look into gps systems that can alert you when you are driving over the speed limit. My gps system can do this though I do not have it enabled.</p>
<p>If you contest it and go to court- it seems that often speed trap tickets are reduced or thrown out. At least when H got a ticket when we were stuck going across the pass ( a whole line of cars got tickets for unlawful parking !!)- it was thrown out as the officer had to appear in another courtroom at the same time.</p>
<p>To everyone: with the economy down, many law enforcement are issuing far more tickets. I have talked to several people that have all received tickets lately, including one person who received two tickets in one day! The states are in need of revenue. Be careful out there!</p>
<p>Years ago my son got a noise ticket (stereo too loud). He put on a suit, went to court, admitted his mistake but told the judge that he was working as a bus boy to save money for college and that a $400 fine was difficult for him. The judge knocked the fine down to around $100. I would at least go to court and plead to have the fine reduced. Don’t offer a lot of excuses about why you aren’t guilty…they don’t like that!</p>
<p>More than likely there was a reason for the speed limit to drop to 55 mph. This is very common around here and I believe on the interstates federa law dictates - when the area becomes more congested (higher population or closer number of exits) the posted speed limit drops.
When the speed limit is 70 mph then setting your cruise control for 76mph is still speeding.
Curious to know - was there traffic and were you moving significantly faster than the traffic?</p>
<p>I suggest you get a GPS which has the posted speed limit on the screen. This is very effective in areas with changing speed limits.</p>
<p>Parking tickets too. I’ve seen a ton of tickets at my son’s campus the last two weeks. In the past, enforcement was only one or two days a week. It seems like they’re ticketing every day now.</p>
<p>When the speed limit is 70 mph then setting your cruise control for 76mph is still speeding.</p>
<p>I would agree- I also don’t use cruise control- my H does- but he sets it for the speed limit.</p>
<p>I was just on the highway yesterday and watched as a speed trap pulled over people in front and in back of me ( whew), we were going 5-10 miles over speed limit ( it was 40, but divided highway), but no one that I could tell was significantly faster.</p>
<p>If you cannot afford a lawyer, then go to court in your best suit. Admit your mistake and ask the judge to consider that you are a poor student who would have difficulty paying the fine. Also if you need your car (to attend school or a job), let the judge know that. The judge may very well reduce the charge of reckless driving to something more minor, reduce the fine and not suspend your license. (As for PJC - I have no clue about that.)</p>
<p>You definitely don’t want a reckless driving charge on your record. I would get a local lawyer who specializes in this. It will cost some bucks, but it’s worth it. It really varies from court to court (county to county) so we can’t give you great advice here. (I am a lawyer, by the way) A family member of mine got a big reckless driving ticket in a VA county a few years ago. It was a really tough county and even with a well-connected lawyer he got convicted but with a much lesser fine and sentence. Still was sentenced to one night in jail. The reckless driving conviction is on his record. It’s not a huge deal since it wasn’t alcohol or anything, but it still shows up on a background check.
Call a lawyer and WATCH for those changes in speed limits. Even my husband, who is NOT at all a speeder, got caught in one of those in New Mexico when it went from 55 to 35 in about 400 yards.</p>
<p>Yeah…we have one around here and the tourists always get caught. I work in a place where they come in a lot so if I find out they are headed north I always caution them about the speed trap :)</p>
<p>My H got a reckless driving ticket a while back- I think it is a male thing- it apparently is emasculating to go * behind* the car that is next to you to change lanes, rather than get in front of.
:rolleyes:</p>
<p>Yes, there was a lot of traffic, and I was passing the cars in the righthand lane but was moving pretty much at the same speed as the other cars in the fast lane. I saw the deputy’s patrol car in front of me (the rear of the car was facing me) and slowed down out of instinct, and when I passed him I was probably doing about 60. I’m not sure how he still clocked me (maybe he had a rear-facing radar?) but he did. But, like I said, I was one of about four or five cars pulled over in a half-mile stretch of highway, so I’m sure others made the same mistake that I did.</p>
<p>Our campus DPS writes tickets all day long. I’m pretty sure that’s all some of their full-time police officers do! They also have students who go out and give parking tickets as well. I’ve been lucky; only gotten two in 3 years and both times I didn’t have to pay the fine. Both of them were in the parking lot near our athletic complex so since I was there doing athletic training stuff (my major) I gave them to our head athletic trainer and he was able to take care of them. </p>
<p>The first one I got I was in the parking lot during the time where anyone can park there. I was there right at that time. The officer wrote the ticket for an hour before… I was AT HOME at the time that the officer wrote on the ticket. </p>
<p>I’ve had times where I’ve had to be up and out the door before 5AM or times where I am coming back from events at 2-5AM and have seen them out writing tickets!</p>
<p>Many states now have changed their laws. In many cases, if the difference between your speed and the posted speed is a certain amount it is considered reckless driving.<br>
Even if it’s a clear day and you are driving straight in no traffic.
I am not sure that keeping up with traffic is necessarily a defense since it’s possible that a number of cars can be driving recklessly.</p>
<p>BTW - not a good idea to pass on the right. It is dangerous.
If you can - go to court. You might get it reduced.</p>
<p>Sorry-my post was unnecessarily ambiguous. I was in the lefthand lane (fast lane) and the cars that I was passing were in the right lane (as is the norm). I should have made that clearer in my post. </p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, though. I guess my plan now is to go to court and ask for a continuance so that I can earn some money to hire a lawyer.</p>