Best ticket I never got- I had just finished installing a new intake on the pontiac 400 I had shoehorned into my '79 Regal. It was slammed up front, hijackers in the back. my buddy and I were headed to the mall and I nail it. Whipping in and out of traffic, doing well over 120 in a 65. I see a motorcycle on the side of the road and start to slow down. Was doing aout 80 when I passed him. Yeah, it was a bike cop. I am sweating bulllets, he pulled off the side of the road and was working his way through traffic. I am begging for an offramp to take my chances on the side roads, but I was in a section of interstate that had none. Next thing I know, I see him pull off under an underpass. That was scary. I was 20 years old. About 3 years ago, I was driving a friend's truck from my shop to my house (about 4 miles) and wasn't paying attention, got it up to 90 in a 45. I slowed down. As I topped the hill, The hipo popped his lights coming the other direction. Tagged me bir 74 in a 45. 1 MPH faster and I would have gone to jail. I went to the courthouse on traffic day and they said I could take probation and pay the fine and get no points and the ticket would be dismissed IF I had not had a ticket the previous three years. They ran my license- three years to the day. The lady turns to a co-worker and says is this ok, its has been three years to the day, but its supposed to be the day BEFORE the ticket? She replies- let it go. That was a 4-point ticket. The bad part was that I still had to pay the $356 fine.
Got pulled over for doing 90 mph in a 35 mph zone. Told the cop I had a broken motor mount, and the throttle got stuck. I was looking for a safe place to turn it off. He gave me a choice of a Negligent Driving, or Driving a Faulty Vehicle, and having it towed away. I took the later, and when the tow truck driver showed up, the cop left. I begged the tow guy to not take it, and he said "Gwon, git". I was a teenage Pump Jock at the time, so the next day I grabbed a work order and wrote out a fake receipt for replacing both motor mounts, took it to the magistrate, and he said, "Good for you", and threw it out.
I have two, I feel I owe the ticket gods. In '65 I shared a '63 Pontiac Tempest GT with my mom. 326, 3speed in the floor, four barrel dual exhaust sleeper from hell. My girlfriend, later to be my wife for 45 years now, lived a few miles from me in a better neighborhood. Long street, Northwest highway for you locals, is my road home. Late at night, 17 year old,hot rod ,what else. When he pulled me over, he said you were going sooo fast that I was topped out at 100 and your taillights were becoming one, so he wrote me for 120+ in a 35. Jeeze! I'm gonna die! No way can I get out of this, plus at that time in Dallas ,they might just pull your licence as a lesson. But I get to looking at the ticket and realize the speed limit on NW HWY is 45. Hmm, Go to court, and the cop isn't there. The balliff asks me how I plead and I tell him "I don't know, the speed limit there is 45". He picks up the phone, makes a call, and when he's done, looks at me and says "dismissed". I almost peed on myself. In '69 I had a Triumph flattrack bike, which BTW, I still have. Closest store was about a mile or so up the street and I was out of cigarettes. Nothing else to ride. What's the worst that can happpen, right? I get my smokes, 650 propped up against the wall of the Safeway store. On the way home, I barely hear the wail of a siren over the megaphones, and realize he is behind me. Pull over, prop the Triumph against the curb, no side stand. Afterall it is a race bike! This Gomer is grinning from ear to ear thinking of all he's going to right up on this one! His words, " Hell boy, I can think of three right off the bat!" So while he's writing, and I'm scrambling in my mind what I can sell to pay off these several tickets, he gets a call on his radio. Da DA Yada Yada, all in numbers, and senseless to me. He answers, also in numbers, looks at me and says "get out!" I'm hard of hearing, have been most of my life, but I heard him correctly. However, I'm so dumbfounded I look at him and say, wait for it, "huh!?!". This really pisses him off and he screams at me "get outta the f-ing car!!!" I didn't get the door closed before he was on his way, the force of accelleration closing said door! There I stand, race bike propped up on the curb, no inspection, no registration, no lights, no mufflers, no front brake, etc.etc., not to mention probably 50 in a 35. I lit another cigarette and sat on the curb awhile enjoying some karma I didn't earn. Iv'e had a few tickets, never bitched because I felt I owed for some I got away with. Haven't had a ticket since '76 Mike
Back in 1983 last week of college right before christmas....got caught doing 129KPH in an 80 zone over a double line and no seat belt. I was slowing down at the time because I had caught up to a car on the crest of a hill. Just as I went over the crest I nosed out to see if I could just accelerate around the other car in a no passing lane. Who should be coming but a cruiser with the radar on.This happened in the "Bala" jurisdiction and as anyone in northern Ontario can attest to these cops were notorious for handing out tickets for any violations. wouldn't you know it that I actually found a cop that was in the christmas spirit that after I explained I was going home for christmas after graduating college he let me off with a warning! I was just in my early 20's going to college and supporting my girlfriend so money was tight. Merry christmas he said.....
I pulled out of work in my 70 SS 454 and a salesman gave me the "burn em" hand sybol so I did for a long way. When the smoke cleared a cop was behind me. He wrote me an excessive noise with tires ticket which should have been careless driving the way the car moved around. I missed my court date and thought I was screwed but when I called to check in the lady told me the cop didn't show up so it was dropped
I eel very fortunate I haven't had a ticket since 86 (that I didn't get out of anyway) Beat a reckless driving ticket in Virginia....that was the only time I ever had to go to court for one....the rest the cops have let me off with warnings.....guess I drive fast enough to get pulled over but not fast enough to get screwed
In 1968 I backed out of a friends driveway and killed the engine when I went to take off. Since the guys were laughing at me I decided to burn rubber in my '63 Impala. At the next intersection I saw a cop in my rearview headed toward me with the red lights on. Heck I had almost a block lead so I decided to run. After a fairly long chase, they eventually caught up to me when I stop on my own after almost wrecking the car. I was cuffed and treated like a common criminal. I was charged with speeds in access of 100 in a 25 zone, reckless driving, and trying to evade the police. In jail I got my one call and told my girlfriend to call a bondsman who I knew. He got me out because he knew all the tricks they used when trying to lose someone in jail over the weekend. They had booked me by reversing my middle and first name, but not using my last name. He wound up knowing the right people downtown and when I went to court, the lawyer he supplied got me off with all charges amended to disorderly conduct in an auto. It cost me $100 for the lawyer, $150 fine and a bottle of bourbon that he said was for the judge. Although it is good to know the right people, it is better not to get into a bad situation in the first place. I learned my lesson a long time ago.
One Friday night in 1973 the tickets were for racing ,excessive speeding, failure to yeld and disorderly conduct (SMOKIN THE TIRES) costed 95.00 in lawyer fees, and my 1966 305 Honda super Hawk (sold for the 375 in fines) I still had my car but never lined up against my buddy Buick again!!
Got caught driving AND speeding my ass off at 14. For some reason the prosecutor took it easy on my and I just paid the ticket like I was an adult and had a license. How that happened I'll never know but I'm glad it did.
You don't have to be speeding to get a speeding ticket in some places. If you have an out of state tag, it's worth driving 50 miles out of the way to avoid going through Benton, Tennessee. An out of state tag will get you a speeding ticket regardless of your actual speed. They have been running an illegal speed trap racket there for decades, which is a major source of revenue for this little town. The state knows what they are doing and could put a stop to it any time they wanted to. All the Benton police do is watch for out of state tags on US 411. I went through there under the 35 limit, crawling through town in 3rd gear ('90 Ford Ranger 4 cylinder 5 speed) and got cited for 51. Cop didn't lock in the radar reading to show me--he couldn't because that 51 reading never existed. Cop lied under oath, mayor's wife who was not a lawyer was the kangaroo court judge. I'm not a lawyer either, but I knew the law better than the judge did.
Wow! That's even worse than when I got nailed coming home just before I could get into VA. Speed reduced sign twisted and facing down on a lonely country stretch. Pulled over as the last ticketed car was leaving. Tacked an extra 5 mph to the speed above what my GPS speed was reading. Was flagging the next one over as I was leaving. Had a date to be in court and a 600 mile round trip. Asked what the fine might be. Was told just to bring a lot of cash. No check, no credit card. Showed up with all my photos of the damaged sign and my driving record. Was then informed that if I pleaded not guilty, I would be assigned another court date. In the meantime, I had received letters from 5 different lawyers wanting to represent me for a simple minor speeding ticket. (I was less than 10mph over even after missing the bent sign, but the bogus additional 5mph tipped it higher. Called my insurance agent as asked for advice. He said they should be able to give me a fine amount and to pay it. He understood what was going on and that I would be OK with my insurance company. Paid the fine and got an itemized receipt showing what everyone in the system got including the judge, district attorney and arresting officer. This was all being done from what looked like the Beverly Hillibilly's mansion in the middle of nowhere. And here I was thinking the Dukes of Hazzard was fictional. Nope, didn't beat that ticket. I traveled the same path driving 5 mph under the limit over a year later and the sign was still bent and twisted. I found a different route after that.
I beat a speeding ticket when I was 16 years old-62 mph in a 30 zone-which was 6 points and 110 bucks at the time(32 years ago)-Cop didn't sign the ticket-showed at the court date and the judge threw it out. Just Lucky that day I guess
i was doing some e-brake drifting in my ot turbo audi and some old people at the library nearby saw me and called the police. the cops came and asked me if i was drifting or doing donuts and i said 'how could i do donuts in a front wheel drive car?' after 10 minutes of questioning me and repeatedly asking me the same questions they left cuz they knew it wouldnt stand up in court without me admitting
Back in 83 I had a bike that would get me 5 or 6 tickets every time I was pulled over. Had to get these straightened out before I could join the army. Anyway, I take the recruiter with me to see the judge-----turns out I had 37 outstanding tickets and most had warrants attached. The judge saw my recruiter and fine me $250 for the lot.
years back they were doing construction on the street that intersects mine,with is a dead end it had two way traffic rite to my street the north bound only..i was heading south when the local asshole cop was coming the other way(((NOT SAYING ALL ARE BAD>>TRERES ONE BAD APPLE ANY CRATE)) im not a cop hater,,anywhay he blocks my way and starts running the mouth with bs,,he gets out i get out he makes a wise remake,, with gets a serious beatdown..i get locked up said it started wt reculious driving...long story short my mom worked for the courts and knew the ada and judge,,,they both hated him cause he would ticket police personal cars,,,fine was malious speed ===to fast in the rain== and 50 dollers crime victims fund,,to ar insult to injury he isnt allowed within 100 feet of me
in the mid 70s I recieved a ticket for 45 in a 25 zone.. So the next day a friend and myself swap the 25 sign for a 45 sign. I then take photos of the street and the sign. I carried the photos that also had a newspaper with date to court. My case is called and I say I was doing 45 but that was the posted limit. The judge said no 25 I then produce said photos. He throws it out of court. the sign was changed that afternoon.. The cop said that he did not want to see that white chevelle on the street again. So I rattle can painted it black............................................................................................................... On another ocasion I had driven a friends stock car and left my lid in the tow truck. I was pulled over on my H1 500 cc triple kawasaki recieved a no helmet ticket. I then asked the police officer to write a stolen report on a helmet. I went to court with a friends new helmet and the judge thru it out and told the officer not to waist his time like that again..............................................Another time I was sited for 75 MPH. I was driving very rusty beat up 60 chevy station waqon with a 6.. Before court I installed several oil fowled plugs and put 3 quart of trans fluid in the gas tank.it was almost empty.It smoked very bad.. I then go to court and claim the car would not do 60 down hill. The judge sends the ballif to inspect said auto. he asked me to crank it. he then started laughing and told me to fix the muffler. after his inspection the judge said I should think about buying a better car and sent me home free and clear.......................................................................The last I was driving a 54 Buick to the local speedway for a demo derby. I get pulled over no windshield, no stop signal, no muffler ect, ect..I explane that I an going to destroy the car that night. About that time the cop who works securty at the speedway pulls up and tell the other cop to let me go .. He then escorts me to the races..
The Jalopy Journal
