Traffic tickets are often a form of ‘parallel taxation’, basically they are about revenue more than anything else. When the speed limit was raised to 65 on NJ highways from 55, they upped the penalties if you got speeding in a 65, they are double what a comparable speed would be on a non 65 road. Reckless driving is a classic way to get even more money out of a driver, and insurance companies love it, too, an otherwise safe driver who costs them nothing gets socked with a rate increase for the speeding ticket. Maryland and Virginia also are notorious for nailing out of state drivers, they assume you will plead guilty by mail (if allowed), and if not local lawyers can make a lot of money representing out of state drivers. The fact that virginia bans radar detectors tells you what the attitude is about speeding, it is not for safety, it is all about maximizing revenue.
A lawyer will run around $150 and the ticket will probably end up in that range. DDs was for 81 in a 70 and the charge was changed to faulty equipment. The lawyer even guessed which cop pulled her over and exactly where it was from what she said the cop said to her. DD did not have to appear in court. It’s a racket.
I got a ticket recently for going 36 mph. It will cost more than $200 because every ticket comes with an $88 surcharge. This was in NYC where the speed limit is now 25 mph on every road except the highways. Every road! Even 3 lane roads that are empty early on a Saturday morning when its 10 degrees out. Washington DC is the same way, probably worse. Tell me it’s not a money grab because it is!
I won’t even mind except that my insurance company is likely to find out and increase rates for the next several years.
@cap was this in VA? if so, what county (city, etc)?
I live in Virginia. The area where your husband received his ticket is notorious for giving speeding tickets. It is the one area in Virginia where I know to slow down. I would hire a lawyer. Good luck!
cap- A lawyer in VA is going to be more than $150, but it is worth it not to get the points and to get the fine reduced. There are a number of areas in Virginia that are notorious for speeding tickets. Much of the Interstate 81 corridor, for one thing.
It was in Emporia and the lawyer was $150. A friend recently used the same lawyer for the same charge.
My niece went through this last month in VA - showed up at court - neither pleaded guilty nor innocent just asked for driving school (which is completed online). Paid a $69 court charge and has to pay for the school. Not in Sussex tho.
The kicker in this case is over 80mph, which may be different than some posters experienced.
My niece was 72 mph in a 55.
Well to be fair in NYC it was in response to so many pedestrian deaths. It’s a fairly recent change. Apparently a car traveling 30 mph that hits a pedestrian is eight times as likely to kill that person than if it were traveling 20 mph. There’s been a 12% decrease in fatalities, but since they’ve done other things as well to make streets safer, it’s hard to parse which things were most effective.
DC on the other hand has had 25 mph as long as I can remember and on many roads it’s ridiculously slow.
It does not matter what the speed limit is when you go over 80 it is reckless driving in in VA. When speed limits were raised a few years ago there were a lot of articles about it since many people go more than 10 mph over whatever Is posted. The other reckless diving is the 20 mph over a lower limit, but still tops at 80.
I have no words of wisdom, but can certainly sympathize. Our family has been hit with similar tickets. We seem to favor NJ as our place to get tickets these days though.
In my post #17 above I think my dad was doing 90+. He was in for a world of hurt without a lawyer.
Giving speeding tickets on I-95 or I-81 in Virginia is like shooting fish in a barrel. Average speed on much of I-95 from DC to the NC line is about 75-80 mph. And since radar detectors are illegal, the police can just write tickets at will. My suggestion for travelers driving through VA is to avoid the fast lane and just comfortably cruise between 70 and 75 and let the faster traffic run interference for you.
GPS devices indicate where there are radar detectors, I believe, at least I recall the machine mentioning “speed trap ahead” and similar warning when we used them.
Those speed trap locations on GPS are based on historical data. And if anyone is stupid enough to operate a radar detector illegally in the state, the police radar units can detect when a detector is operating.
You know, there’s a completely free and 100% effective way of avoiding paying speeding tickets…
Free & effective, but definitely not easy for some of us. 
DC uses speed cameras rather than police for the most part these days. HUGE $$$$ into the coffers!
In Maryland, it’s generally 12 mph above the limit on I-95 north of Baltimore. The cops are somewhat more aggressive as you get closer to I-495 (DC Beltway), as accidents there are frequent and shut down everything.
If you take the Intercounty Connector (MD-200) to avoid the DC Beltway and are going to Montgomery County, the cops are crawling all over that road. Speed limit is 60, and it’s a nice, empty toll road (no cash/just EZPass) that screams for you to zip along at 75. Shooting fish in a barrel, I say!
I do the I-81/77 trip down to visit my family in GA every couple of months. Can’t stand the I-95 southern route. Have never been pulled over, and I guess that makes me lucky, because I am usually pushing 80, and my GPS speed doesn’t always match the speedometer. Thanks for the warning!