Ticket on I-25 HOV - Advise please

[InSuPress]

Hey Board,

I wanted to get everyones advice on my situation. I got caught doing 105 in a 55. Cop was a little mad but then started to see i was sincere about it. I wasn't aware of all the trouble in CO being i have only been here just over a year. so the run down

105 in 55mph zone 40+ = 12 points
Careless = 4 points
No proof of insurance = 4 points
added Reckless Driving = 8 points

Being i'm from maryland i have no priors in colorado and even in maryland i never got a ticket. I didn't know if anyone could recommend what i should do. Was stuck behind people and opened it up passing them to get around since there was accident on side of road. didn't see him clocking people coming around. i stopped right away but he was yelling to pull over and take the keys out, helmet off, etc. He said 1 in 3 run and since i did stop he would not impound it and that he adviced me to get a lawyer. he then later stated if i bring my current insurance card that would be dropped more than likely.

Wanted to see if anyone has been in the same boat. As of right now my mandated court appearance is next month. Feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

[Mother Goose]

You had to pass people at 105?!! Wow. Well, I won't comment on that anymore, but if you have insurance, you can just take your card into court to show them that you actually had it at the time. If you didn't have insurance, then you get what's coming.

[UglyDogRacing]

4 tickets, 28 points, you better hire an attorney.

[The GECCO]

Hire a lawyer. Don't even try to deal with this on your own. The money you spend on the lawyer will come back to you in reduced fines and future insurance savings.

[PhL0aTeR]

I wanted to get everyones advice on my situation.

<snip>

so the run down

105 in 55mph zone 40+ = 12 points
Careless = 4 points
No proof of insurance = 4 points
added Reckless Driving = 8 points



<snip>

Was stuck behind people and opened it up passing them to get around since there was accident on side of road.

Stay off the fucking road.

[longrider]

First off, definitely get a lawyer! The insurance is almost always dropped when you show you had insurance. My gut tells me the best you could hope for is to drop the reckless and reduce the speeding to 94 in a 55 which is 6 points so with 10 points you keep your license. (assuming you are 21)

[bulldog]

Yup...pay big bucks for a lawyer and pray you can even keep you license. More people need to be aware of how bad they come down for speeding this much over the speed limit. I meet so many people that are shocked at the penalty.

Not preaching either; learned the hard way too....well not as bad as your case

[InSuPress]

Thanks, i didn't get 4 tickets. it's just 1 ticket, just enclosed the information as a break down. I had my old card on me, he told me as well just to bring that to the court and it would get dropped. I have insurance so that's not an issue.

[Bueller]

I am surprised they let you ride away with your bike.
You do realize you are going to get ripped on here for posting what you did? Don't get too offended.
Definitely lawyer time if you have any hopes of keeping your license or getting a restricted license.

[salsashark]

stock up on KY cause you're gonna get bent over by someone... be it a lawyer or a judge, take your pick!

[InSuPress]

Yeah i'm not worried, i used to be on a board in maryland (DC/VA/MD Area), people on here are kittens compared to them. Appreciate the people that are contrubiting positively

[Dr. Joe Siphek]

Lawyer up...and for future reference...if you want to go that fast, do it at HPR or Bandimere where it's legal and only putting you in harms way.

[TFOGGuys]

My experience from when I was much younger:

Similar ticket, with a drag racing (12 points) thrown in. 34 or 36 points total(was more than 20 years ago, so I forget). Took my lawyer to court with me, he chatted with the DA for about 15 minutes, they dropped everything but the speeding, knocked it down to 19 over, and collected about $600 in fines and court costs. I spent $450 for the lawyer, kept my license (and job), and my insurance didn't even go up(my only ticket on my record at renewal).

[McVaaahhh]

+1 on the lawyer. I had a (wealthy) friend who got 40 points reduced to 4 with the help of the family attorney.

"Never go faster than you can afford the ticket for".

[burnn88]

wow this sucks man.. sorry

[burnn88]

also if you get past this and still have you license but your insurance is crazy HIGH and you still have a maryland license just switch to a Co license then switch insurance companies and those points wont show up for insurance any more... (in most cases)

[highpsi03]

if you have insurance, you can just take your card into court to show them that you actually had it at the time. .

Not correct. The court will not accept just a card. You must have a printed letter from your insurance agent saying you had insurance on "xxx day" when it occured.

[longrider]

Not correct. The court will not accept just a card. You must have a printed letter from your insurance agent saying you had insurance on "xxx day" when it occured.

When did this change? I have had a couple no insurance charges dropped with just a card, however it was some time ago.

[GuitarX]

Really sorry to hear about this, it sucks to get caught at the wrong place/wrong time. Definitely get a lawyer so they don't treat you like a murderer/rapist just for going a little fast.

I'm laughing at all the holier-than-thou posts on here though. Hitting 105 on a modern sport bike takes less time than it does to squeeze out a fart. Either you guys are all forgetting what it's like to actually ride since it's winter time or you need to cut this guy some slack. I tend to take my fun out in the middle of nowhere instead of I-25 but still, it's very easy to hit triple figures even if you're not trying to, especially in a passing situation.

InSuPress - Good luck with your situation.

[Slo]

also if you get past this and still have you license but your insurance is crazy HIGH and you still have a maryland license just switch to a Co license then switch insurance companies and those points wont show up for insurance any more... (in most cases)

I could be very wrong, but I thought it came down to communicative states. When I moved here from Georgia, I believe all my points dropped due to GA being a non-communicative state. Seems like most are, the ones that are not are listed as:

Wisconsin, Tennessee, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Michigan - are not part of the IDLC.

Although this could be apples and oranges since it's not a DUI/DWI....

[Clovis]

Welcome to Colorado.

As others have said, yes you will need a lawyer if you want a chance to keep your license. Going 40 over is a 12 point violation where as 39 over is a 6 point violation so as a general rule of thumb, if you're going to speed excessively, keep it to under 40 over.

In Colorado, adult drivers (21 years or older) have 12 points and regain points year following the date of the ticket (not date of conviction). So if you get a ticket on June 1st and lose 4 points, you will get those 4 points back after June 1st of the following year.

However can not lose more then 18 points within a 2 year period.

I had a similar ticket for 105 in a 65 in Park County a few years ago. Due the court house being in Fairplay, CO (next to the real life South Park... hint, it's a tiny, tiny town) a lawyer would cost $3000. I didn't have the money so I handled it on my own and walked away with losing 10 points, $450 fines and 40 hours of community service. The original ticket was 16 points for speeding and careless (12 + 4) and a misdemeanor for reckless. I escaped with 2 points and quit riding for 2 years because I couldn't afford another ticket.

Two others on this forum got a larger ticket for going even faster in Park County and did hire an attorney. I found the original thread but it looks like the owner deleted it. From what I remember they ended up getting like 4 or 6 points total and split the cost of the lawyer.

So, get an attorney but remember it's not a guarantee that you wont still lose your license. With all of the tickets the cop was basically doing his utmost to make sure you lose it. I'm surprised he didn't arrest you and impound your bike to be honest.

Good luck!

Reference: http://www.dmv.org/co-colorado/point-system.php

[Ghost]

Get a lawyer. In the early days of my youth I got a very similar ticket--though I had proof of insurance, and my bike got impounded on the spot. I paid through the ass for the lawyer, but he kept my license, and my job. As to insurance, it all depends on how things shake out with the tickets.

Good luck.

[mdub]

You did tell the cop that you had to deficate sooo bad or you were gonna crap your pants, right?

[Clovis]

I'm not sure if you still have your MD license or if you got a CO license after you moved here. Both states are members of the DLC (Driver License Compact) which means a penalty from one state carries over to the home state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver_...at_are_members

The DMV guide for Maryland:

http://www.dmv.org/md-maryland/point-system.php

It's also possible to keep your MD drivers license but lose your driving privileges here in Colorado.