Bad Racing Bust Need Advice
 

Bear with me as the description of the road I'm on is tough to describe. I exit off a raised highway and the exit I get off of ends up turning into a very sharp U turn underneith the support structures of the highway I came off of. I basically exit down off the highway and end up doing a U turn between the concrete structure which supports the highway above. Now I'm basically driving down a road with a 30 foot high wall of concrete on each side of the road. I figure cool, let me see how my exhaust sounds and I give it the gas up to about 45 mph, and the car does sound sweet. This is only about 200 yards of straightway and ends in a stop sign. I stop, make my right turn and am going about 10 miles an hour when a cop comes flying around the corner in front of me, blocks my car and jumps out and when I ask him what's up he actually doesn't have an answer, he just sort of starts to stammer. He finally gets out that I must have been going 70 mph back there. I tell him there no way I was. He heads back to his car for about 15 minutes and eventually comes back and give me a ticket for, "Racing and spinning the wheels from a stop". Those are the exact words on the ticket. I told him there is no way he saw me, because I sure as heck did not see him, and he did not pull me over from the rear, he actually came from around the corner in front of me. I said he must have heard something but could not have seen me doing anything. I think this ticket is so bogus because 1. there were no other cars even in sight of me so how could I be "racing" and 2. I never even came close to a stop in order to spin my wheels. I know he must have heard me and I'm sure it was pretty loud from echoing underneith the highway and bridge structures. Anyways I'll be taking this to court, any opinions on what I can expect?

Lawyer?
 

Any possibility of you hiring a lawyer to represent you? That would help your chances of beating the ticket big time. If it's just your word againt the cop's, the judge will always believe the cop.

Rev

He gave you a ticket for racing?? he must not know that now if florida they can take your car and you go to jail if caught racing.

I'd get a lawyer and tell him eactly what you did and see what he says about it. should have asked cop where was the car you was racing.

Re: Lawyer?
 

Good advice, IMO.

I got an attorney when I got a drag racing ticket about 5 years ago. It may cost you a little now, but most likely your attorney will get the charge pleaded down to a speed or something like that.

Good luck.
E

A Lawyer and some pictures of the road and the walls showing that the cop could not have seen ya would be good.

I am Scared Now!
 

Thanks everyone for sharing your advice, experience and opinions. I am now freaked out over all this lawyer talk! The ticket I got was only for $78 so I am probably going to pay it versus going to court and risk having the judge give me something worse. Thanks again!

How many points did you receive?? I would go to court man, that Cop is little B*tch. It shouldn't be too hard getting the judge to see it your way. Good luck man.

-Billy

Lawyer dude :cool:

I would take some pictures, and just explain your case to the judge. He's not going to give you a harsher punishment. I don't think you need a lawyer.

does it not take 2 to race?!what a prick..if he gave you a ticket from spinning tires from a stop then he never did see you becasue you never stopped right?

LX XLR8R - Exactly!! Of the many times I've been given tickets this is the one time I actually didn't deserve it!! I swear the cop must have been sitting under the bridge supports somewhere and he heard me, but did not see me. I'm tempted to go to court and say that as I was coming off the exit I saw officer Dunkin sleeping under the bridge, like the troll he is. So I tossed him a couple of rev's to wake him up and I guess he didn't take to kindly to it. That would be a pretty good story in open court!! Unfortuneately I'm the one on trial so it isn't so funny. I'm still laughing though thinking about doing it. Anyways I'm scared to take it to court because as the ticket stands now it's only a $78 fine and 3 points on my license. I could possibly see the judge reacting to the racing part of the ticket and giving me something much worse. However I could see myself in court specificially asking the cop to detail the exit I came off of and when he does this I could then ask him if he ever saw me come to a stop, which he would have to say no because there is NO light and NO stop sign at the bottom of the exit. I am tempted to take a video of the exit to demonstrate.

$78?
 

For $78, it wouldn't be worth hiring a lawyer. I thought you were facing a drag racing charge. I think for $78, I would just pay it and forget about it.

Rev

Tend to Agree
 

Rev - I'm coming to your conclusion....only $78, but the three points bothers me because over the next year or two I'm sure to have another incident or two with the law (not that I'm looking for trouble or anything, but who can drive exactly the speed limit all the time??). The ticket just really pi**es me off. I really think the cop might not show up because he know's he didn't see me and his ticket is no good. I would as the cop two questions in court if he showed up....
1. Could you please give a description of the car I was racing? (Oh, there was no other car I was racing).
2. Could you please describe where on the exit ramp the stop sign or stop light is that I came to a halt at and the spun my tires? (Oh, there is no stop sign or light on the exit ramp).

I've been to court lots of times up north (Maryland) and all were pretty good experiences. I've never been down here in Jacksonville though. I might want to see what happens.

No lawyer
 

I would just go to court alone then. The cop may not even show up. If he does then cross examine him, but be prepared for the prosecuter to object to everything you try to do. That's his job and he's probably good at it. He knows the law and the judge as well as all the technicalities that would keep you from doing what you want to do. Just a few thoughts.

Rev

If you were charged for spinning your tires, you could always take pictures of the road. Z-rated rubber always (in my experience) leaves 2 pretty distinct trails...

well if you want to keep the points off your licence you can go to traffic school. it keeps the points off your licence but cost more than just a ticket. can only do this once in any 12 month period and only 5 time in your lifetime.

I don't think there is a lifetime maximum in Texas. At least if there is, Ive never heard of it.

Rev

Re: Bad Racing Bust Need Advice
 

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i dunno bout the whole "racing ticket"... very bogus from your description of the incident. he might have really gotten you for several other things but only told you the racing , cause he figures yer jus some punk *** street racer an wouldn't catch him.
other possible scenarios could be:

wreckless endangerment (gunning the engine, smokin tires, street antics etc.)

failure to stop at sign (really fickle, an very subjective to different municipal codes)how long is a "stop?"

excessive speeding (45 down an off ramp is kinda fast, usually about 25-30 is about speed for exiting (not really sure about posted limits on various off ramps, around here there anywhere from 25-45)( again fickle.. cause nobody obeys it unless theres a cop around)

depending on the cops vicinity to your "exhaust test" on the other side of the wall an the doppler effect of the car drivin by.. its kinda hard to tell ya what he might have heard. all the sound bouncin off the walls would make it incredibly loud,(plus am pipes an mufflers) in a confined space like that. factor in other traffic exiting behind you, noise from the freeway above you, noise on the street beside in and around the cop..an i'm surprised he heard anything at all...or didn't, as the case would appear

4.6's have real deep distinct tones, a good set of am mufflers an pipes ya can hear them several blocks away and that jus gonna amplify a thousand times over, bouncin off the sides of 60 feet of concrete in a tunnel-like passage with high side walls.

my guess would have to be, he heard somthin , thought he had an airtight case, an went in for the kill. pics of rubber on the road of the off ramp(matching your car) would cinch his case. there being none, he really dosen't have a case for racing as there are no tiremarks in the said vicinity that match your car's and (for as long as I can remember) racing involves another car, an there is none. you didn't see him an he didn't see you (unless he can look through concrete) he went in on an instinct, but was tripped up by the details that support his case...

hope his helps some.

I would go to court with pictures of the road. Ask the cop to give a discription of the car you were so called racing. When he says I did not see the car than ask how do you know I was racing. Was he sitting on a bridge or offramp?

My girlfriends Grandmother yelled at me for racing down the street because I did not shift out of 1st and had my car wound up. I was going 25 mph of so. They do not realize that just because a car is loud does not mean it is going fast. Good luck man.

hahaha, that is so true:rolleyes: