Taken down by 5.0 :(

Well, you all have heard me in the past talking down on street racing. And as my Irish luck would have it, I got nabbed for it. Of course, I don't consider what I did "street racing", but the county police didn't see it that way.

Just for a rundown of the events, I was leaving a restaraunt last night after dinner. There were 3 cars and we were all headed back for a friend's house just about 2 miles away. Well, one guy who was driving didn't know how to get to the house, so when we got out on the road I had to get in front of him so he could follow. Now, he wasn't speeding or anything (speed limit was 50) so I put on my turn signal, got over, passed him, used the signal again, and got in front of him. The 3rd car decided he wanted to get in front of both of us, so he got over and went to pass us. Well, the road just ahead merges into one lane. Here is the hex on me.......... I HATE when some jerkoff wants to try to use every last piece of a merging lane just to get ahead of a few cars. So, like a thoughtless d|ck, I gun it. Just at that oint, Johnny on the Spot comes out of nowhere. Ends up grabbing me and the other guy cause none of us had any intention on even attempting to run. Well, after being yanked out of the VX and put on the curb, the long sidewalk story began. I was given the whole DWI test, my prescription drugs were called in, and my car searched. I could have been charged with multiple other life killers, but he let me off with "speed contesting on a highway" charge (5 whopping points!) and a $275 fine. The other guy wasn't so lucky. He got the same charges as me, BUT..... the stupid fool had a loaded handgun in his car. Don't ask me how or why, cause even he probably couldn't even aswer. So, he spent the night in the can.

Anyways, that now puts me at 7 points. 1 more, and I can park the VX in the garage and start riding the bus, no thanks to a suspension. I tell ya, even the times you really don't think you are doing something wrong, others apparently see it another way. Lesson learned the hard way. So, the next time that moron wants to pass you and you don't like the thought of it, LET HIM DO IT.

Yes, I feel like a fool.

wow...i dont kno how many points is suspension in where u live but tat sounds like alot....lol

in ca i think 3 points and u get ur license suspended
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VAPORIZERS

Bummer Gary,
can you do traffic school or something to take points off? I really dont know anything about the point system..

I don't know about your state, but in NY, if you take a safe driver course they drop 2 points.

John C.

Really sorry to hear that, man! If there is anything that sucks worse than being busted for traffic violations, its being busted for BOGUS traffic violations. That really blows.

You need to move across the line and join me in Virginia. It takes like a billion points to lose your license, and you get good "anti-points" for each year you don't get in trouble. We also have traffic school for point reduction - hopefully Maryland does too.


Ron

Ditto on merging lanes and the jerks that misuse them! That is also one of my biggest peeves. And they just re-did a road I use a lot and now instead of one turn lane they have two lanes turning and merging immediately into one just as you get across and before you're even really out of the turn (left and then an abrupt right). Poor, poor design! Slows traffic rather than helps it flow, and will do nothing but cause accidents. And of course people use the right lane that they know ends to try to gun it around everyone else.

Last night I was coming home from the store and this guy leaving a club thought he'd show off in front of hius friends, I guess. He flew through the parking l ot recklessly and tried to beat me to the turnout, and then was right on my tail pulling onto the road, so I knew what was coming next. Now usually I'm really good about letting go and just ignoring them, but just every now and then... I shut that sucker down in front of whoever he was trying to impress. This was a tricked out Mitsubishi Eclipse (newer body style), and I don't know what type because it was debadged. He had a cheesy ground effects kit, non-stock tail lights.

I only raced the engine up to the speed limit, so after that he did catch up and get in front of me and proceed to do about 60 in a 45. But he actually used a turn signal (whoa! what a concept!). He actually lost pretty bad, so maybe it was a GS or RS. But much lighter and slippery with a 0.34 drag coefficient. Still, they don't make 'em like they used to. My brother used to have a '95 Eclipse GS-T (also 210 hp, but turbocharged) that would destroy any current gen Eclipse, including the current GTS. 0-60, the current GTS is a 7 sec car and the GS-T was a 6.4 sec car. Add to that the fact that the GTS is a 3.0L V6 and the GS-T was a 2.0L I4!

Don't sweat it GUSANO...Here it takes about three years to have it cleared. Anyways... If you are worried about the insurance then you can buy a cheapo car and insurace that for liability only while you convert the insurance on your VX to"pleasure only". Meaning to be used for only limited use. This might be a good idea while you wait for the points to be removed and you use less miles on your VX :D

I really feel for you man, I know the feeling all to well. I think we all do for that matter, cause it must have happened to all of us at one time or another.....Well since a similiar altercation had happened to me a while back, I had to learn to keep my cool and keep my fat *** foot of the pedal, though it really is hard. Does anyone know where I can get me a " Cloaking Device?" The only place I looked so far was on Tones web page, I guess if anyone has em it for sure wouild be him, but I didnt see any there,. He must be out of them!

I can relate...... However I was street racing. Cop clocked me at 147mph in a 55mph zone(this was in my Z28). He handed me a ticket for racing on highways(6mo auto license suspension) and a $375 fine... In his other hand was a ticket for speeding which was $1200..... Needless to say that is why I got the VX. O and from experience dont ever get cheapo safe auto style insurance. Nothing but problems with them and it wasnt even cheaper! Keep it on the down low and stay out of trouble man!

Take it to court, tell the judge you were just annoyed that some prick would try that, that you weren't racing, and that you should have shown better judgement.

Take your chances in court. Can't be any worse than what ya got. Expressing remorse might win you some sympathy.

Good luck,
-Daver

I just spoke with a friend, who is a cop in the same jurisdiction as the cop who issued me the ticket. He said my situation is a roll of the dice. I can either call it even and deal with having 7 points and being a little angel for the next 2 years, or, I should fight it and state that I realise the OTHER charges were dropped, but I indeed was not racing and only have my word as witness. When asking him what he would do, he said he would probably take the ticket and pay up. He knows the cop well and said even though he works the midnight shift, he ALWAYS shows up for court the following days and he will play hardball, cause he does that with even the other cops. I trust this guy since I used to race with him for the Fire and Police MX team. I htink I am just gonna suck it up and be a wimp of the system. Especially since he said if the judge is having a bad day, he CAN legally slap the dropped reckless and negligent driving back on, and that would destory me. I can't afford a suspended license. :(

...Nothing's worse than getting caught doing something you know could have been avoided if only some other j@ckhole hadn't crossed your wires. Heck I had a similar incident last year, went to court plead my case and got a PBJ. It's a 50/50 bet you'll get off, depends on how the judge feels that day, but it's better than just paying up and getting the points, sometimes you'll just get the fine and No points, sometimes it's the hammer, but better than taking the hammer head on.

Peanut Butter and Jelly?

Quote:

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Originally posted by WyrreJ
Peanut Butter and Jelly?

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Probation Before Judgement :naughty: Means judge let you go free with no penalty provided you NOT show your face in court again. Sticks to your record for a year or 2 then disappears. Unlike peanut butter and jelly, which just sticks to ya ribs :D Mmmmm... Peanut Butter :homer: DOH!

Ya, I was informed yesterday that the kid in the other car had his "possession of a loaded handgun" charges dropped with 18 months of PBJ. He still has to appear in court for the PBJ and the racing ticket, but that at least gives him a chance to knock down the 5 points and the fine. Me on the other hand, I have called it quits and am mailing in the fine. No contesting the ticket cause at 30, I fear the judge will still throw egg in my face.

MIAF (Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund) anyone? Heh.... :(

Okay, I guess I don't know jack about this handgun stuff. I don't understand why he got penalized for having a loaded handgun in his possession so long as the safety was engaged and/or the trigger was locked and it was put away and hopefully locked in the glovebox. It oughta be perfectly fine to have one in your car, even loaded if you wish, as long as you're not waving it at people every time they cut you off. It would suck if some thug broke into your car and later committed a crime with your gun, but you still should be able to have your personal property in your personal vehicle if it is legally obtained and registered. Can you have a magazine as long as it's not in the gun, or would they have a fit over that too? Or did they just give him a hard time because he didn't tell the officer up front that it was there? I could maybe see it then. Just curious.

Back in my younger days I had a Trans Am and some other guy pulled a similar stunt and I reacted as you did. Unfortunately, I too paid the fine and took the 5 pts hit to my driving record. My Violation was titled "Maximum Speed Limit Violation" in that I was clocked @ 67mph in a 25mph Zone. However, I found out later I also had to attend a "Departamental Hearing" in Pittsburgh where a person hears your side of the story and decides on whether to suspend your liscence for 14 days to 6 months. I got the least (14 days). The bright side of the story was my Insurance didn't seem to find out about it. I was told that as long as you don't make changes to your policy they won't know unless they look into it at renewal. But, that was a long time ago and may no longer be the case. Taught me to resist the urge to repeat my mistake.

I gotta say...I would see if you could still be hit with a suspension as I was and if so....I would go to court and tell the Judge your side and he might reduce it.

P.S.--- I thought the title to this thread meant you lost in a street
Race against a 5.0 L....(Mustang??) LOL.

At first I kinda read it that way too, and so I was thinking, "well, YEAH!" :-)