Thoughts for Thursday- Speeding

So, the other day I was driving a little too fast.  Okay, a lot too fast (considering I thought the speed limit was 70, not 55).  Unfortunately I sped right past a cop who was just sitting there waiting for speeders on the freeway.  Got a frickin ticket.   He wasn't buying my excuse that the speed limit had just changed or that my speedometer must not be working because there is no way I was going as fast as he thought I was.  He wasn't buying it, but reduced the speed he said I was going so that my fine would be about half of what it should've been.  I was so embarrassed and mad at myself!!!! I think I am a fairly good driver ( I will offer you all my own driving tips), and I rarely ever drive more than 5 mph over the posted limit.  I was proud to have a "clean" driving record and now it is tarnished.  A friend told me that I should've told the cop I had to take a crap really bad.  Does that really work??  Anyone have any other good excuses to use???!!  I hope to never get pulled over again, but I want to be prepared just in case.

So lets hear about your speeding tickets and any excuses you used that did or did not work for getting out of a ticket.  Are you a lead foot or the slow-ass in the right lane??? LOL.  Or do you always follow the speed limit?

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Other TFT posts this week:

Michelle with many random thoughts

Kim A on the State Fair

Helmet on guest blogging

Dana Leigh on crushes you used to have on idols

Comments

[Kim]

That sucks!! Getting a speeding ticket is a big bummer. Once I was late for a job interview and just busted going 80 in a 55. That was BAD!!

[michelle]

Ooooh, that sucks! I've never gotten a ticket and don't plan on it! Knock on wood! I do tend to have a lead foot, and am quite an aggressive driver. I try to go the speed limit and be calm, but there are tons of idiots out there. I try to stay no more than 5 over though, they don't tend to get ya then! Bummer, that really sucks!

[sarah]

awww! that stinks!
sorry friend! :(

[Nicole]

Knock wood, it has been a very long time since I have gotten a speeding ticket. I was going through a very rough time, so I was already crying and looked like a mess before the trooper even pulled me over! I didn't even try to give him my sob story.

Hubby was a cop in southern California for a couple of years, and admitted that he was pretty random about letting people off of their tickets - basically it depended on how busy he was, what his mood was, and how blatent the offense was.

I am by no means a lead foot, but I do travel a bit over the speed limit when traffic is light and the weather is good.

[LeeAnn Howard]

I've gotten pulled over 2 times within a week before! And it had been like 8 years before that for the last time! For my first pullover last year it was for going 77 in 70 by the Detroit Airport and I was going with traffic and traffic included the cop. He thought I was being cocky because i didnt slow down. Personally that was the flow EVERYONE was going so why he wanted me to be "scared" of him is beyond me!! LOL! And the second one within that week was in town and on a road I haven't been down in 10 years because of all the potholes. Well they repaved it and I decided to try it out. Well its 35 on the street you turn off of and 35 on the street on the road after you get off of this road. So I went 35, figureing it was the same. Well it was only 25. I told the cop that there were no signs and it was a road i havent traveled in 10 years and thought id try it out. of course he gave me the law of unmarked roads are 25mph. yada yada yada. i just thought they werent done putting signs on the newly paved roadway yet. oops. but i did get out of that one! Pfew! 2 tickets in one week would not have been good!

[Dana Leigh]

I got pulled over in Wisconsin on my way to Chicago doing 88 in a 55 or 60. I honestly do not think I was going that fast because I was going with the flow of traffic but because I have a yellow car, I think I was singled out. I even had a radar detector in my car at the time and it never went off. The cop was a jerk and my ticket was $237.50! If I plead guilty, I could change the ticket from a careless to something else and it lowered my speed by 4 mph. I wanted to fight it but it was 3 hours away from my house and I didn't want to drive all the way out there. That was in 2003 and that was my only ticket. You've been driving for roughly half of your entire life without a ticket, so I think you've done pretty good.

[Leslie Collins]

I got pulled over last year (Memorial Weekend) with REyna in the car. I was doing 10 over. I was in a ton of pain because I had developed a breast infection (from nursing) and Reyna was crying. I wanted to get the hell home. The cop didn't seem to care my child was crying and wrote me a ticket for five over. I was so pissed, but too exhausted to argue w/ him. I was mad at myself since that was my first ticket.

Sorry to hear about your's.

[Dana]

Ha... I speed a lot... and luckily I haven't gotten a ticket. KNOCK ON WOOD! I'll prob get a ticket now that I'm writing this... but remember the first time Kev, Jaz & I came up there? We got stopped on the way there and didn't get a ticket and then got stopped as soon as we passed the MN/WI border... Kev got that ticket for doing like 35 over. It was bad! I think I'm going to try to slow down! :) Hope you have a great weekend!

[Julie]

Dam that sucks! I am not so good at doing the speed limit (I have a lead foot). I always have had a lead foot and was very lucky to never get tickets...until 5 years ago. I got one, 70 in a 55, that was close to $200.00. Then in 2005 I got another 70 in a 55, which cost me another $200.00. I did stop speeding after getting each ticket but it wasn't long before my foot got the better of me. This is something I need to get better at though, tickets aren't worth it. Neither are accidents because of speeding.

[anne]

I got pulled over once when I was in college. I was driving from Duluth to St. Cloud, and got pulled over driving thru this small town when the speed limit changed from 55 to 35 or something, and I had failed to slow down. I was embarrassed- I was driving my grandpa's old man car! Luckily the copper must have thought I was cute enough (haha) or something because he let me go with just a warning.

I typically drive faster than the posted limit. I need to stop that:)

[Samara]

Kristi, as much as it sucks that you got a ticket, at least now you'll have an I-got-a-ticket-story to share when the topic comes up in conversation. :) If it makes you feel any better, I've gotten at least seven over the years. Probably should have gotten more, but the cops weren't called in four accidents I was in (all my fault)! Sorry about your ticket though. Have you thought about going to court to see if you can get the fine reduced further, waved all together or do community service instead of paying a dollar amount? I know court times would conflict with your work times, but it's a thought.