Speeding News - e State Traffic School

Multiple year studies of three cities resulted in consistent findings:
"comprehensive studies conclude cameras actually increase crashes and injuries"

Traffic Light Cameras violate a 2005 ruling of the Florida Attorney General.

A preliminary view of Temple Terrace data suggests "the number of accidents more than doubled" at intersections with cameras.

Source:
Florida Red Light Cameras - Attorney Investigates - Scientific Report
http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/2009/tx-templereport.pdf

Labels: Camera Tickets, Civil Fines, Florida, Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

The lawsuits makes allegations that the Traffic Cameras that the City of Temple Terrace allows American Traffic Solutions (ATS) to operate are in direct violation of a 2005 ruling of the then Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist.

Sources:
http://www.thenewspaper.com

Labels: Camera Tickets, Civil Fines, Fines, Florida, Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

New Traffic Cameras have been installed everywhere. I sat and watched several intersections recently. I noticed that many cameras are aimed at the right turn lane. The camera's flash is triggered when a cars front wheel crosses the white line at the intersection. This trigger not only takes a still photo of the license plate on the back of the car but I have read that there is a video that begins recording at that moment and continues for a pre-determined amount of time. The videos and still are then processed at the camera company and often re-processed at the individual policing agency that issues the ticket. I was surprised that so much emphasis has been put on the right hand lane. As I sat and watched many, many vehicles triggered the cameras. They seemed to come to a complete stop on or just beyond thee painted stripe. Be very careful to stop before the stripe. If you do not, I suggest not commencing through the red light. Stay right where you are until you clearly have a green light. That way as the video is viewed there will be no question that you had run the light since you in fact stayed until it was green.

If you received a traffic ticket, would like to reduce the points on your driving record, would like to reduce your insurance premiums, or would simply like to become a better driver by learning about current traffic laws - take an online course with e State Traffic School.
eStateTrafficSchool.com

Labels: Camera Tickets, Civil Fines, Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

In Maryland Students make fake plates, speed through intersections, then the Photo Enforcement Devices mail tickets to the owners of the plates. In England this is referred to as plate cloning. The Maryland students call it the "speed camera pimping game."

Source: Local teens claim pranks on countys Speed Cams (Montgomery County Sentinel)

Labels: Maryland, Speed Traps, Speeding Tickets, Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

California Senate approved for Pasadena to lower the speed limit disregarding engineering safety studies just to provide revenue by producing more speeding tickets! California Assembly Bill 564 (PDF) (The state Assembly voted by a 51-17 to allow Pasadena to establish Speeding Traps in May, 2009.)

Labels: CA, California, California Traffic School, Radar, Speed Traps, Speeding Tickets, Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

Device helps you dodge tickets - legally. PhantomAlert software which pairs
with your already existing GPS system alerts you to speed traps, cameras and
red lights for a monthly service fee.

Labels: California Traffic School, defensive driving, Fines, Florida, Speeding Tickets, Texas, Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

Good News / Bad News in NY City
Good news is no Speed Traps. Bad news is parking tickets up 42 percent in Manhattan since Michael Bloomberg became mayor. YIKES! City officials say traffic enforcement agent don't have quotas, just "goals." I guess that is how the big city says welcome.

Labels: New York, NY, Parking Tickets, Speeding Tickets, Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

SunPass Holders are responsible for:

• Changing transponder batteries when they become low


• Keeping mailing address current


• Keeping credit card or bank information current


• Keeping license plate numbers current


• Keeping car info current

Penalties Include:

• Fines (First $25, then $165)


• Drivers License Points (adds 3)


• License Suspension (at 12 points license is suspended)

To take care of these issues:

• Online at Sunpass.com


• Call Sunpass Toll Free at 1-888-865-5352

To read complete story A Fine Mess Over Tolls For SunPass Users

Labels: Drivers License Points, Driving Record, Fines, Florida, License Plate, License Suspension, Ticket, Traffic School

Get California driving tips from a racecar driver in this 2 minute video courtesy of http://eStateTrafficSchool.com. Includes information about what to do when pulled over by a police officer and where to go for help after you get the ticket!

Racecar Driver Gives California Driving Tips

Labels: Basic Driver Improvement, BDI, CA, California, California Traffic School, defensive driving, Driving Record, driving school, Speeding Tickets, Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

The Bel STi Driver, Cobra XRS-R9G, Escort Passport 9500i, and Valentine One, use new technology to improve their performance. Beltronics claims that its the Beltronics Bel STi Driver with TotalShield technology will make the driver completely invisible. The Cobra and Escort models are using global positioning system (GPS) technology to for more accurate of radar detection. They can distinguish between radar and what is likely a microwave, automatic door or keyfob. The Valentine One has two radar detectors and two laser antennas. Each is always looking forward and backwards simultaneously.

New Technology in Radar Detectors Help Speeders Slow Down

Labels: Radar Detectors, Speeding Tickets, Technology, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

The change from Court TV to truTV brings a new show "Speeders." The show rides along with many different law enforcement officers as they write various traffic tickets, especially Speeding Tickets. The new shows air each week on Thursday at 8pm Eastern or watch it online. The show often highlights the humorous side of getting tickets.

Watch other Speeders get Tickets Online or on TruTV

Labels: Humor, Speeding Tickets, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

AB 645: Prohibits courts from allowing persons charged with DUI or hit-and-run from attending traffic school to erase the ticket from their record.

New California Traffic Laws Alleged DUI or Alleged Hit-and-Run can NOT attend Traffic School

Labels: California, Driving Record, DUI, DUI Law, Hit-and-Run, Traffic School

Check estatetrafficschool.com for funny classes!

Labels: Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

Roy is attempting to break a legendary cross-country driving record known to most people as the Cannonball Run. The time: 32 hours, 7 minutes, set in 1983 by David Diem and Doug Turner. Captain Roy's quest is definitely illegal and quite possibly impossible. He is one of the few drivers wealthy and geeky and foolish enough to try it anyway. So far he's tried and failed twice, but he's still convinced that his careful calculations will allow him to beat the record.

Read complete story at: http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/magazine/15-11/ff_cannonballrun

Labels: Cannonball Run, Racing, Traffic School

from CNN "How they got out of traffic tickets"
This is not a warning -- submitted by MaurDrisc
I was pulled over in a residential L.A. neighborhood for an illegal left turn. The officer asked me if I knew what I'd done. I said yes, that I'd made an illegal left turn, knowing it was illegal and that I'd done the same thing the day before, but only realized I'd made an illegal turn as I did it.
The officer asked if I realized I was admitting to having done the illegal turn twice. I said yes. He said they weren't giving out warnings; they were ticketing people. I said I realized that and knew I deserved the ticket. He reiterated the point about not giving out warnings. I said I understood. He stared at me for a long time, and then told me no one ever tells them the truth. And because of that he was giving me a warning.
I then burst into tears, thanking him because I really, really couldn't afford a ticket (which I couldn't). I think he was, perhaps, on the verge of having me committed to the nearest mental hospital, but happily I just got to drive away.

Tell all -- submitted by RGLGINC
I pulled up to a Y type intersection that had a stop sign. There was a car coming at a turtle's pace, so instead of coming to a complete stop, I did a rolling stop. Then 1/2 a mile ahead the light turned yellow so I sped up. As I am cruising at about 10 miles over the speed limit, under the yellow light, I looked in the rear-view mirror and of course there was a motorcycle cop right behind me. I politely pulled over and began to laugh, I was SO busted! So, as I roll down the window I am giggling. He looks at me funny and asks, "Ma'am, do you know why I pulled you over?" I ask him, "was it for running the stop sign, speeding or running that yellow light?"

He tells me he appreciates my honesty and that he gets tired of people making stupid excuses. Then he asks for my registration and license ... but guess what? I didn't have my license. So instead of writing a ticket for all the other things, he writes me a ticket for not having my driver's license, which just calls for me to go to the payment office and show them my driver's license. So, for all the people with dumb excuses ... it pays to be honest and you may gain respect for doing so.

Have faith -- submitted by EdwrVnCtt
I had my drivers' license just 4 days. I was driving a colleague's car registered in one state and my license was from another state. The officer said I went over the center line and thought I had been drinking. (I was not) He had me step out of the car to see if I was sober. I walk with a limp from birth. When he said, "you aren't walking very straight," I replied without wanting to be a wise guy, "I always walk like this." I was dressed in civilian clothes, but the picture on my license showed me wearing a clergy collar. I was in the seminary at the time. He asked, "Are you a priest?" Rather than explain the details of the steps to the priesthood, I simply said, "yeah." He said, "Please get back in your car, you probably have to say Mass this morning." (It was Sunday morning.) No ticket, no problem. I thanked him and was on my way.

From bad to worse -- submitted by Pamelakins
I had experienced an unusually terrible day. This is how it all started. I got off from work and went to my barn to feed my horse. I had a co-worker with me who had mentioned that I needed to wash off my windshield before leaving the barn. After feeding, I moved my truck closer to the barn. I had kept my door open while moving my vehicle. The doors lock automatically when the truck is started. I turned on my wipers and got out shutting the door behind me (the truck was still running with the keys in it!) I made several phone calls and finally managed to get the door open with a piece of wire.
I left the barn taking a friends daughter home. After dropping her off I stated to my co-worker that I should call my husband and let him know that I got the door open. That is when I realized that I had set my cell phone on top of the truck while attempting to unlock the door. It was already dark outside but we back-tracked and amazingly, found my phone on the side of the road unharmed!
It was a few miles down the road when my co-worker warned me that the police in the city we were driving through would stop you for even 5 miles over the limit. I told her I wasn't worried that I traveled through there all the time. Just then, a cop rounded the corner ahead of me and clocked me doing 60 mph in a 30 mph zone. Boy, was I going to be in trouble! The officer approached me and asked me for the usual license and insurance proof. I politely told him that I would be happy to show him my insurance but that I couldn't let him see my license. Of course he asked why and I told him that it had accidentally been put through the shredder at work and I had not gotten it replaced yet (what I didn't tell him was that it happened 11 months earlier). I then went on to tell him what a terrible evening I had just been through. I then told him I was going to do something I had never done before in my life ... beg for his mercy! Grinning from ear to ear and shaking his head, he told me to slow down and have a good evening! Talk about lucky!

Speeding in Tucson -- submitted by Umnst04
I was driving on 'Columbus' Rd. in Tucson one nice morning. I was late for work (as usual) and I was speeding -- 57 in a 35 mile an hour zone!! A motorcycle officer stopped me. "Yikes, great, now I'll really be late!" I thought, "How can I get out of this?" I'm not so great looking, a bit over weight, a large, Italian nose. However, he was great looking!
Oh well I thought. I'm also broke and now facing at least a $90 ticket.
He looked in the window, asked for my license and insurance etc. He looked a tad familiar too.
He looked at me again and said, "You are the manager of the 'Columbus' Townhomes where I live." "If you would please put the Jacuzzi temperature up to 104 degrees I won't give you a ticket." Well, I certainly obliged and I was only five minutes late for work.
That night after his shift, sure enough he was in the Jacuzzi, looking so relaxed.
Remember I said he looked a tad familiar? I suppose I didn't recognize him with his police uniform on!

Online encounter -- submitted by Nexusrider
I was heading down the road about 15 miles over the speed limit and I saw the flashing lights behind me. I knew I better have a good story or I would be paying a big fine. So, the officer asked for my license and insurance and stuff and I was thinking like crazy. He made his first mistake when he asked me why I was going so fast instead of just writing me up. I looked at him kind of embarrassed and said, "Well I was online talking to this gal, and she told me she was sitting there drinking wine and wearing something black and sexy and if I could be there in 20 minutes I could do anything I wanted with her." He handed me back my stuff and grinned and said, "Have fun ... just slow it down."

Flying low --submitted by Waymill
A few years ago I was pulled over for speeding. The officer got out of his car and came up to my window and asked to see my pilot's license (since I was flying). I happened to have a private pilots license so I pulled it out gave it to the officer. He let me go and told me to slow down.

Labels: California, Radar, Ticket, Traffic School

Traffic cases force police to sit, wait
Frustrated officers say Hillsborough's traffic court has become gridlocked.
By COLLEEN JENKINS AND REBECCA CATALANELLO, Times Staff Writers
Published August 26, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA - There's a four-letter word that describes Hillsborough County's traffic court these days.

"A mess," Tampa police Chief Stephen Hogue says.

"Just a mess," Chief Judge Manuel Menendez echoes.

The number of traffic tickets has swelled 52 percent in five years, to 272,511 last year. Court dockets are crammed with speeders and red light runners.

Law enforcement leaders and judges have been struggling to find a mutually agreeable remedy. The result has been a gridlock of unhappy uniformed officers, lawyers and citizens at the once-a-week County Court traffic hearings in Courtroom 302.

Thursday's docket, considered light at 454 cases, forced Officer Larry Yeoman to cut his night's sleep short to attend morning court, then kept him away from his South Tampa patrol area for three hours of his late-afternoon shift.

Fellow officers came to court on their day off, racking up guaranteed hours of overtime no matter how long they stayed or whether they even testified.

Most left frustrated

"Please do something for us," begged a deputy who left court after more than two hours.

County Judge Raul "Sonny" Palomino Jr. thought he had the answer.

When he took over traffic court a year ago, he noticed that officers and lawyers often agreed about how a case should be resolved before it ever came before him. So he created a form that allowed the two sides to consent to a plea and get the officer out of court quickly.

Hogue was taken aback when he heard about the plea form this spring.

He supported the quickened pace of the docket but didn't like the idea of his officers recommending that the judge settle for a lesser penalty or no finding of guilt on a traffic charge.

"You're going to write a ticket to somebody, then you're going to say, 'Okay, withhold it?' " Hogue said. "We had no idea this was going on."

On May 30, the police chief issued a memo prohibiting officers from signing plea agreements in traffic court. Then the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office used almost exactly the same language in its own memo June 1, followed by one from the Florida Highway Patrol on June 22.

The edicts prescribed that officers, deputies and troopers "must not be a party to any written plea agreement or orally state in court an opinion as to the appropriate disposition of a traffic case to include withholding adjudication, recommending court costs or any other sanctions. That responsibility rests solely with the presiding judge."

Hogue and sheriff's officials met with Palomino to share their concerns.

The judge took it to heart, somewhat testily.

When a deputy tried to recommend an enhanced penalty on Thursday, Palomino cut him short and reminded him of the new edict.

"They told me, 'My deputies won't tell you how to sentence, you don't tell us how to charge,' " Palomino said.

The deputy looked sheepish. "Wow," someone whispered.

Since the memos, officers are back to sitting in court and waiting -- sometimes all day.

The 454 cases before Palomino Thursday included 207 from Tampa police, 179 from the Sheriff's Office and 59 from the Florida Highway Patrol. A blur of navy, forest green and tan uniforms squeezed into benches, jury seats and aisles, spilled out of the courtroom and forced members of the public to wait outside until their cases were called.

"This place gets worse and worse," a lawyer muttered as he pushed his way to an open space.

Officers have to be there or else their case is automatically dismissed. So just showing up will often prompt a "no contest" plea from a defendant who hoped the officer wouldn't make it.

As the hours dragged on, one officer likened getting his cases called to winning the lottery. Another's phone rang with a text message from a colleague sitting across the crowded room.

This s---s, it read.

Local traffic lawyers might not put it quite that way, but those contacted by the Times seem to share the sentiment.

They argue against Hogue's rule, saying the officer who wrote the ticket and saw the driver's demeanor should have a say about a suitable punishment.

They believe the judge is now convicting more drivers, and suspect that the police chief and Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee are behind it. Fines are collected only when someone is found guilty, they point out.

"They're treating traffic tickets like somebody robbed a bank," attorney Ty Trayner said. "They're just traffic tickets."

But law enforcement leaders said the revenue that comes to their agencies from tickets is hardly worth discussing.

"Traffic citations are not anything that anyone makes money on," Hogue said.

On average, Tampa takes in about $14 for every ticket written, he said. That doesn't even pay for the 20 to 25 minutes it takes to write them, he said.

Highway Patrol Maj. Thomas Knight said it's about ethics, not money.

Attorney backlash

On Aug. 9, Palomino went away to a conference.

Lawyers knew it, and some sought to add about six months' worth of motions to that day's calendar. Nine lawyers persuaded Senior Judge Elvin Martinez to dismiss nearly 900 tickets that had legal defects.

Of those, about 700 belonged to attorney Dennis Lopez, according to court records.

"It sounds like a high number, but it's just a small percentage of my cases," Lopez said. And they were motions that "would normally get granted in due course."

Even before the late additions, the docket had bulged with 400 cases. Court lasted until 10:30 p.m., said Carla Snavely, chief deputy of courts for the clerk's office.

On Friday, Palomino said he knew nothing about it.

Clocking overtime

Many officers reporting to court are off duty. Union contracts allow them to collect a minimum of overtime pay for time spent in court on their days off. Even if court takes just 15 minutes, the officer is entitled to three hours overtime with the Tampa police, 2 1/2 hours with the Highway Patrol or two hours with the Sheriff's Office.

Could that be an incentive for bosses, who already are paying for officers to sit in court, to make sure they're getting their money's worth?

Leaders in each agency said the overtime factor had nothing to do with their decision to ban officers from participating in the plea agreements.

In fact, Hogue says his moratorium has increased overtime. "This is costing us more money, no question about it."

As for the on-duty officers, there's an equally worrisome issue: "Obviously, if they're in court testifying, they're not on the road," said sheriff's Col. Greg Brown.

It's hard to get solid numbers showing the financial impact traffic court has had on overtime pay and on street patrols. All of the agencies said they track overtime claimed for court duty, but they don't differentiate between traffic court and criminal court.

Still, Maj. John Bennett, head of special operations, which includes the police traffic division, said he knows anecdotally that officers are spending more time sitting in court than ever before.

"We shouldn't have to live at the courthouse on our days off," said Kevin Durkin, president of the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association. "It's frustrating to sit in court all day and never testify - whether you're getting overtime or not. It's boring."

So, are the streets less safe with all those cops tied up in court? Agency leaders say that, so far, they're handling the demand.

In Tampa, crash figures continue to be down over last year, according to the police. April and May accidents were down 26 and 22 percent, respectively.

But the drop has been less dramatic in the two months since Hogue issued his memo. In June, crashes were down 21 percent. In July, the drop was 17 percent.

Solutions

Palomino, who jokes that his docket could fill a convention room, has gotten some relief. More is on the way.

A hearing officer, who already had been handling some traffic cases during the week, began holding night traffic court every other Thursday this summer.

And starting Sept. 4, County Judge Joelle Ann Ober will take over half of Palomino's docket, holding traffic court each Tuesday and possibly another day if needed, Menendez said.

Officials also will stagger hearing times. Instead of everyone on Palomino's morning docket showing up at 8:30 a.m., some will be asked to arrive at 10 a.m.

"We've got to get people in and out," Menendez said.

Pinellas County holds traffic court every day in two places, plus night court in two locations on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. And the caseload is smaller than in Hillsborough: 203,000 civil and criminal traffic citations last year.

An understatement

Remember Officer Yeoman, coming to court Thursday morning on three hours sleep?

The clock read 5:04 p.m. when Palomino called the final case, a speeding ticket Yeoman wrote. The lawyer quickly entered a no-contest plea, and the judge withheld adjudication. Yeoman didn't have to say a word.

Walking to his patrol car -- home away from home until shift's end at 1:30 a.m. -- the still good-natured officer uttered this understatement: "It makes for a very long day."

Staff photographer Ken Helle contributed to this report. Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at 813 226-3383 or rcatalanello@sptimes.com.

Labels: Driving Record, Florida, Ticket, Traffic School, Traffic Tickets

On Thursday, the Hillsborough traffic court docket had:

179 Hillsborough sheriff's cases

207 Tampa police cases

59 Florida Highway Patrol cases

8 Temple Terrace police cases

1 Department of Transportation case

Information provided by the Hillsborough clerk of the Circuit Court

Labels: Traffic School

Canada recently changed its regulation, now if a car is exceeding the speed limit by 50 KPH (about 30 MPH) the driver will be charged as if they had been racing regardless of the presence of othre vehicles. This charge carries a fine of $10,000, and a jail term of up to six months and CANNOT be appealed. The Safer Roads Act states: "There is no appeal from, or right to be heard before, a vehicle detention, driver's license suspension or vehicle impoundment under the street racing subsection."

Labels: Speeding Tickets, Traffic School

The Temecula City Council intends to keep the speed limit on parts of Pechanga Parkway at 40 mph, here in front of Pechanga Casino & Resort, and between Rainbow Valley Boulevard and Highway 79 South, despite speed surveys city officials say require the limit to be raised.

Labels: Traffic School

$50.00 Fine increase for select dangerous portions of I-95
Half of the increase will help brain and spinal cord injury patients
Half of the increase will help trauma centers in that counties

Be aware. Drive Safely and Observe the Speed Limit Especially in these dangerous area:

In Palm Beach County Florida - from I-95 mile marker 53 to I-95 mile marker 59, roughly the southern city limit of Boynton Beach, and ending just south of Gateway Boulevard.

In Brevard County Florida - from I-95 mile marker 206 to mile marker 233.
In Duval County Florida - from I-95 mile marker 342 to mile marker 348.

Complete Story Here.

Labels: Traffic School

abc in Los Angeles: Ticket to Ride: Los Angeles traffic lawyer discusses the benefit of hiring an attorney for respresentation after receieving a ticket.

Labels: Traffic School

KCBS - Highway 4 Speeding Crackdown:

Anyone going 90 mph or faster in the 65mph zone of Hwy 4 in east Contra Costa County California will face a 10-day driving suspension

The Contra Costa County Traffic Commissioner Lowell Richards hopes the 10-day driving suspensions senda clear message.

Since 2006, nearly 1,000 accidents have been on Highway 4, and half were caused by speeding.

Read more at KCBS - Highway 4 Speeding Crackdown

Labels: California, Traffic School

San Antonio Police Department, Officer P. Knutson, a 13 years vertern has heard it all. He says most speeders, 'The majority are truthfully honest and cooperative. It's just that ten percentile or one percentile that will be trying to get out of it.' Does that work? Trooper Paul Waggener with the Department of Public Safety, says a driver can't talk the officer out of writing a ticket in most cases.
Can You Beat a Speeding Ticket? WOAI.COM: San Antonio News

Labels: Texas, Traffic School

This podcast details the Panoz Motorsports' effort prior to the 2006 Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring. On Saturday, March 17th 2007, the opening round of the American Le Mans Series and America’s premier sports car endurance race starts at 10 am. Click here to listen to the mp3.


Click the iTunes button to launch and listen on iTunes.

Labels: Florida, Racing, Technology, Traffic School

2,400 tickets on U.S. 19 in Pinellas County Florida in January 2006
In an attempt to reduce the number of pedestrians hit on U.S. 19 in Pinellas County Florida, law enforcement had a month long massive traffic enforcement crackdown culminating in about 2,400 tickets and 61 arrests.

Labels: Court and Laws, Florida, Traffic School

Speeding Biggest Factor in Snow Crashes - Zanesville, OH

Ohio State Highway Patrol reported today:

From 2004 to 2006 - total of 105 fatal and 14,811 injury crashes on snowy and icy Ohio roads. In 74% of accidents speeding was main factor.

Labels: Ohio, Traffic School

Florida considering increasing resictions on Teen drivers:

Jesse White's New Teen driving proposals includes:
- 9 month learner's permit
- curfew at 10 p.m. on weekdays and at 11 p.m. on weekends
- 12 months restricted to a maximum of one unrelated teen passenger in the vehicle enforced violations by a ticket.
- 6 Hours manditary actual street driving for student drivers
- Create a graduated driver licensing system
- - - teen required to drive conviction-free for nine months on a learner's permit
- - - teen required to drive conviction-free for six months on a restricted driver's license
- - - teen required to drive conviction-free for six months and turn 18 before obtaining a full license.
- Ticketed underage drivers appear with guardian to receive court supervision.
- New tougher penalties for street racing

Labels: Florida, Racing, Traffic School

In 2002, the "Move Over Law" was enacted, but to most drivers almost five years later it is still unknown. The law was passed to help save the lives of law enforcement. Florida Highway Patrol will be ticketing to make the public more aware. The "Move Over Law" requires drivers to move over one lane or slow to 20 mph below the posted speed limit any time an emergency vehicle is stopped along the side of the road. So beware and be careful.

Troopers out to enforce Move Over law

Labels: Court and Laws, Florida, Traffic School

El Paso, Texas Times - Socorro TX may get tougher on speeders after deaths: "Socorro Texas may get tougher on speeders after two recent deaths
By Adriana M. Chavez / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 01/24/2007

City of Socorro Texas officials are proposing a crackdown of speeding motorists in the wake of the recent deaths of two Socorro High School students. Jesus Xavier Garcia, 17, was killed early Saturday in Horizon City Texas. Garcia's death came a week after Adriana Mendoza, 14, was killed when the car in which she was a passenger also ran a red light at of Joe Battle Boulevard and Pellicano Street, according to El Paso police. Garcia was a senior at Socorro High, where Adriana was a freshman. Socorro City Councilman Sergio Cox, a former El Paso police officer, said he has spoken to other council members and city officials about initiating a program in the police department to target speeders. "We're going to be more aggressive with radar enforcement," Cox said. "These kids are barely learning how to drive. There's no way they can emulate race-car drivers."

Labels: Texas, Traffic School

Califonia - Cops have super Powers when it comes to speeding. | Progressive U: "Cops have super Powers when it comes to speeding.
Today I went to court to fight my ticket and found out something I never would have imagined. Cops don't need to have a radar detector or even stop-watch to give you a citation for speeding. All they truly need are their eyes. In most courts, as long as the officer is reliable their statement and view will stand in court because during their initial training many of them had some exposure to radar.
This is a joke, basically we are saying that by mere sight people can tell someone else's speed in a car. I haven't had training but I have been around the gym a lot and also been around a lot of cars in my lifetime and to be completely precise down to the mile would be extremely hard. This leaves room for huge margin of errors, which is sad because in most states the difference between 10 and 11 mph is 1 pt, which doesn't sound like that much I know. But when it's on top of two others, if you have any past traffic issues you are getting close to the limit.
If you fight it, it's your word versus theirs. How many courts do you think will side against the cop? Probably not that many unless there is something you have against the cop. Just thought I would let people know that us normal people can't possibly even begin to predict the speed of another car to the mile, yet police officers could possibly be doing it every day. From now on if you get a speeding ticket look in the corner of your ticket at detection device, if there isn't a number you have just seen a taste of the magical super powers the cops have when it comes to speed. Good luck all and safe and slow driving!"

Labels: California, Traffic School

Hernando: New House confused on goals: "All police and sheriff's offices have different units (traffic, crime, etc.). The job of the traffic unit is to issue tickets to people who are speeding. Their goal is to save lives. If the speed limit is 40 mph, that doesn't translate to 50 mph ... If you are doing 9-10 mph over the posted speed limit, you are speeding. It's a very simple concept. You may have noticed that cars come with all types of interesting gadgets these days: Directionals to signal turns and lane changes (rarely used by most drivers), speedometers (if you look it actually tells you that you are going too fast; a handy little thing!) and other devices that are meant to keep us safe.
Speeders put not only themselves in danger, but they put the lives of the real innocent people in danger as well ...

Labels: Florida, Traffic School

AOL Autos: Eight Traffic Ticket Tips By MICHAEL ESTRIN
On the Road: Be polite, Don't talk too much, Don't argue or plead ignorance, Ask for a warning
In Court: Present a strong case, Accept a plea, Use an attorney, Request a trial by mail

Labels: Court and Laws, Traffic School

SFGate: Daily Dish : Usher Sentenced to Community Service for Speeding: "Usher Sentenced to Community Service for Speeding
R&B singer Usher has been sentenced to community service and hit with a fine after being convicted of speeding. "

Labels: California, Traffic School

Woman Ticketed For Putting Up Light To Slow Speeding Drivers - News Of The Strange: "Woman Ticketed For Putting Up Light To Slow Speeding Drivers
POSTED: 12:54 pm EST January 11, 2007
UPDATED: 12:54 pm EST January 11, 2007
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. -- A Florida woman is fed up with drivers who speed through her neighborhood, so she decided to do something about it."

Labels: Florida, Traffic School

Check estatetrafficschool.com for funny classes!

Labels: Traffic School

Smarthouse - Safety: "Avoid Speeding Tickets With Smart Technology
Manisha Kanetkar - Monday, 30 October 2006
Siemens has announced a system which claims to automatically recognize speed limits on traffic signs and even adjust your speed accordingly.
According to the company, the Pro-Pilot system uses a CMOS camera installed near the rear-view mirror to continuously scan the road for traffic signs. The images are then compared with patterns of speed limit signs stored in the system's memory. If the software discovers a speed limit, the system notifies the driver by showing the value in the speedometer or in a head-up display. If cruise control is on, the car automatically decelerates to stay within the speed limit. Siemens also claims the system can recognize changeable speed limits and signs which impose limits only at certain times.
But, you'll have to sit tight for a while as Siemens says the system is scheduled to into series production in about two years. Several auto-makers have already tried out the luxury test vehicle fitted with the system and 'expressed strong interest in the recognition system', however, the system at this stage will only work in new vehicles as retro-fitting will be too expensive,' the company said in a statement.
See: www.siemens.com"

Labels: Florida, Technology, Traffic School

DenverPost.com - The cost of growth? One wriggling life: "Not 'that type of town'
The Fraser-Winter Park Police Department has eight officers. Most locals say speeding doesn't seem to be the department's main concern. Police Chief Glen Trainor, who did not return phone calls for this story, told the local Fraser-area newspaper: 'We don't want to appear like traffic Nazis.'
Fraser town manager Jeff Durbin agreed.
'Speeding through our town is definitely a problem,' he said. 'We don't have the perfect answer yet,' he said. 'But I wouldn't say we'll set up speed traps. We don't want to be that kind of town. 'You're going to Fraser? Great. Have fun in jail.' We want to balance it with safety, but we definitely don't want to be that type of town.'
Hooser walked six miles into the forest outside of town the day Jenna died. He stopped in a clearing beside a pine and aspen thicket. There he put Jenna to rest in the ground beside Buddy, who died of liver failure two years ago.
'I buried her with a collar,' he said. 'It used to be Buddy's collar. They didn't know each other, but I thought they should be together.' "

Labels: Colorado, Traffic School

4-Hour and 8-hour DMV certified Tampa Traffic School courses
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Labels: Florida, Traffic School

Dead Man Ticketed For Speed: By ANTHONY McCARTNEY The Tampa Tribune, Oct 10, 2006
SARASOTA - When Trooper S.D. Murray pulled over a Kia speeding north on Interstate 75 on Sept. 29, he inadvertently gave a ticket to a dead man.

Murray issued a speeding ticket in the name of Angilo Freeland, who killed a Polk County deputy and his canine partner, DiOGi, about 45 minutes after Freeland was shot and killed while hiding in a wooded area near Lakeland.

The actual recipient of the ticket, Christina Richardson of Englewood, hadn't heard of Freeland until contacted by a reporter Monday. She had wondered why Freeland's name and address were on her ticket, however.

Murray looked at Freeland's information and photo on his in-car computer so that he would recognize the 27-year-old if he stopped him, Lt. Doug Dodson said.

When he pulled Richardson over at about 10:15 a.m. on Sept. 29 for driving 93 in a 70-mph zone, he inadvertently pasted Freeland's driver's license info into Richardson's ticket, Dodson said.

Freeland's license expired in 2003. When he was stopped for speeding in Lakeland on Sept. 28, he presented Deputy Doug Speirs with a fraudulently obtained ID card with the name of another man.

Speirs was suspicious, and Freeland ran into the woods, ambushing Williams and DiOGi. Both died and Speirs was wounded in the leg.

When she was stopped, Richardson was driving with a friend and didn't notice the error until she tried to pay the ticket.

Clerks in Sarasota County and reporters contacted the highway patrol, and troopers worked to correct the error Monday.

Murray's mistake won't be a lucky break for Richardson, who will receive a ticket with the corrected info, Dodson said.

Labels: Florida, Traffic School

Labels: Technology, Traffic School

Student Mockumentary Takes Third - Daily Nexus Online: "Produced and directed by third-year film and media studies major Michael Figge and fourth-year film and media studies major Steve Prinz, “Traffic’s Cool” recently garnered a third-place award from TheProject.TV, an online film competition. The mockumentary, which features actors from the improvisation troop, lampoons experiences of traffic school.

“[One] traffic school instructor, who lives out of his van, uses his home to give lessons,” Figge said of the film. “He brags about not living with his parents, but then parks his car and sleeps in their driveway.”

“All the dialogue is improv. It’s the same as ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and ‘The Office,’ with odd camera angles,” he said.

Along with “Traffic’s Cool,” UCSB student Kevin Harman made the final round with “The Dancing Llama,” as did UCSB student Eric Reich with “The Scorpion.” All three films can still be viewed on TheProject.TV’s website, www.TheProject.TV.

To win the competition, college filmmakers had to advance through three voting rounds, with a new, roughly three-minute episode for each round, without being eliminated by the voting audience. Any visitor to the site could vote.

“Traffic’s Cool” gained 3,584 independent viewers, Figge said. However, he said he did not have the full number of votes cast for the film.

Labels: Technology, Traffic School

nbc4i.com - Local News - Police Issue 23 Speeding Tickets In School Zone In One Hour

Labels: Ohio, Traffic School

Hawthorne to operate own police department | Gainesville.com | The Gainesville Sun | Gainesville, Fla.:
... U.S. 301, which runs through Waldo and Lawtey - towns designated by the AAA as speed traps - also runs through Hawthorne. ...

Labels: Florida, Ohio, Traffic School

Hawthorne to operate own police department | Gainesville.com | The Gainesville Sun | Gainesville, Fla.:
... U.S. 301, which runs through Waldo and Lawtey - towns designated by the AAA as speed traps - also runs through Hawthorne. ...

Labels: Florida, Ohio, Traffic School

ContraCostaTimes.com | 09/24/2006 | New state law promotes highway safety: "New state law promotes highway safety
Governor reverses his stance by signing bill that requires motorists to slow down and change lanes to avoid roadside emergency
By Gary Richards
MEDIANEWS
Less than a year after he vetoed a bill requiring California drivers to move over or slow down when approaching a roadside emergency along state highways, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reversed course and signed the 'Move Over, Slow Down' legislation.
The bill sponsored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, mirrors laws in 37 states and goes into effect Jan. 1.
'I am gratified by the governor's signature of this common sense solution to a preventable problem,' Simitian said in a news release. 'This bill is about promoting highway safety, plain and simple. I hope that it will put a stop to the senseless deaths of police officers, tow truck drivers, paramedics, and other emergency personnel who are simply helping stranded motorists.'
The law was the brainchild of tow truck driver Daniel Leon of Hayward.
The governor vetoed the bill last year, saying that forcing drivers to change lanes could pose additional risks in a state where traffic congestion is among the worst in the country. At the time, Schwarzenegger called the bill 'unnecessary' and said it 'could result in the unintended consequences of additional roadway hazards' by causing unnecessary lane changes.
In the past five years, errant drivers have killed a dozen police officers and state road workers. Since 1924, nearly 200 have been killed.
In Florida, a law enacted in 2002 is promoted on billboards and electronic signs, and troopers hand out pamphlets explaining it. No officers have been killed by errant drivers since.
The national "Move Over" campaign took off in earnest, six years ago, led partly by Lara Feinberg, whose husband is a state trooper in North Carolina. After his partner was killed in a roadside accident, she led the effort to enact legislation in that state and others.

Labels: California, Florida, North Carolina, Traffic School

Hollister California Free Lance: "Police DUI Checkpoints Planned For Fair Weekend
Friday, September 29, 2006
By Michael Van Cassell
Hollister - The Hollister Police Department will be operating a sobriety checkpoint within the City of Hollister Friday from 7pm to 2am.

The police department hopes the checkpoint will deter motorists from driving under the influence. The check point will targets roads where there is a high frequency of drunk driving, according to the police department. All vehicle cross the check point will be stopped and checked.

'It's a good way to remind people to be safe and catch those who aren't,' Hollister Police Captain Bob Brooks said."

Labels: California, Traffic School

Beating a Speeding Ticket : Car News:"Beating a Speeding Ticket
By CarJunky.Com
Wed, 20 Sep 2006, 22:12"
So Old Smokey caught you red handed going 75 mph in a 45 zone? What’s that? You say you weren’t speeding? Tell it to the judge. No, seriously, tell it to the judge. Our laws are set up to ensure a fair trial in every situation.

If you have been unfairly ticketed for speeding there is no need to just blindly pay the fine and take the hit on your insurance premiums. With careful planning and knowing how the system works you can beat an unfair ticket in court and keep your driving record clean.

The first thing you need . . .

Labels: Court and Laws, Technology, Traffic School

cbs11tv.com - Tiny Texas Town Wants Cameras To Catch Speeders: "Tiny Texas Town Wants Cameras To Catch Speeders
(CBS 11 News) HICKORY CREEK It seems everywhere you look there are cameras recording what we do. The tiny town of Hickory Creek wants to add more."

Labels: Technology, Texas, Traffic School

TCPalm: Local News: "Indian River deputy goes undercover to catch speeders near schools"
He said deputies wrote 14 citations in the first of two sessions. One motorist was even caught going 52 mph in the school zone, earning the driver a citation for $555 and four points on his license if he doesn't attend traffic school.

Labels: Florida, Traffic School

Sept. 18, 2006 12:00 AM
Traffic school is the great equalizer. The students sitting impatiently in upright chairs can be rich or poor, young or old, first-time violators or grizzled, lead-footed veterans, what the traffic-school folk call "two-year frequent flyers."

Labels: Technology, Traffic School

Whenever you find yourself in traffic, it might be best to stick to the rules you learned in traffic school because you don't want to end up as one of the dummies invoking the eating frenzy of scar-faced menacing sharks.

Labels: California, Technology, Traffic School

'Black box' shows driver was speeding before traffic death

Labels: Technology, Traffic School

The Advocate - Double trouble: Two drivers avoid speeding tickets on the way to the delivery of twins: "STAMFORD -- There are few ways to get out of a speeding ticket -- having a pregnant wife in labor in the back seat is one of them. And being the doctor on the way to help that woman is another."

Labels: Connecticutt, Traffic School

The sole advertiser in the state manual employed a lobbyist now married to the highway agency director.
By STEVE BOUSQUET, Times Staff WriterPublished July 14, 2006
TALLAHASSEE - The wife of Florida's top highway safety official lobbied for a company that landed a lucrative contract from his agency. State auditors said Thursday the public should have been told about it.
The review focuses on Fred Dickinson, the executive director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. His agency last year awarded a five-year contract to a private company, National Safety Commission, to distribute the Official Florida Driver's Handbook.
The handbook is distributed for free at motor vehicle offices, but the company charged $6.95 to mail it.
And the company got the exclusive right to advertise its driver safety courses in the book.
The audit is the latest in a long-running series of reviews that have called into question the way the Bush administration administers contracts.
The state did not pay the company for printing and distributing the handbook but gave the company permission to charge shipping costs and include free advertising, matters also questioned by the audit.
The company, owned by Ken Underwood of Ponte Vedra Beach, was the only bidder for the contract. His lobbyist was Dickinson's wife, Sherry, the agency's former director of legislative affairs. She also lobbied for five other firms that did business with Dickinson's agency.
She dropped those clients in May after Gov. Jeb Bush said the arrangement gave "the appearance of impropriety."
"She never lobbied the department, so I knew there was no influence on her part," said Dickinson, who answers to the governor and Cabinet and has run the agency since 1992. "We need to document when we're aware that maybe there's a conflict."
Underwood's competitors say they did not anticipate how deeply his ads in the handbook would undercut their ability to attract students who take courses in driver safety and drug and alcohol awareness. Some driving schools say they have had to lay off employees as a result.
The handbook resembles a government document. The cover features the official state seal; inside are six full pages of advertising for Underwood's Lowest Price Traffic School, the only school allowed to advertise in the book.
The Auditor General said the public should have been alerted to the "potential conflicts of interest" involved in allowing Sherry Dickinson to lobby for firms that did business with her husband's agency.
The Auditor General also said the Legislature should amend ethics laws because such arrangements could affect public confidence in awarding of government contracts.
Dickinson noted that auditors concluded there was no evidence that the relationship between the National Safety Commission and his wife "directly influenced" award of the handbook contract.
The audit said the agency "did not document in the public record its consideration and disposition of any potential conflicts of interest identified in connection with the evaluation of the vendor response."
The audit also questioned whether the agency had the authority to allow the vendor to charge a $6.95 shipping fee for each handbook, or to allow the vendor to advertise in them. Auditors recommended that the Legislature analyze the effect such advertising may have on industry competition.
Dickinson defended the contract as a good deal for taxpayers. The agency estimates a savings of $2.5-million over five years, but Underwood said the actual savings will be higher. Underwood would not say what the deal was worth to his company.
Critics of the handbook contract say the audit confirms their suspicions.
"It seems like they have been susceptible to influence, and this audit supports that," said John Pesack, vice president for operations at Driver Training Associates in Lakeland.
Kim Jowell, who runs Suncoast Safety Council in Clearwater, said of the handbook deal: "It wasn't an arm's-length arrangement. That's the bottom line. And it just shouldn't have been done."
Driving schools wish the state had followed its old system that referred drivers to the Yellow Pages. But more and more motorists use the Internet, and the motor vehicle agency's Web site contains a link to Lowest Price Traffic School -- "proud sponsor of the Florida Drivers Handbook."
Underwood said he hired Sherry Dickinson in 2003 mainly because of her political ties to then-Senate President Jim King, R-Jacksonville. At the time, the vendor wanted a bill passed to require 15- and 16-year-olds to take a basic driver improvement course, but the measure did not pass.
Underwood said that when he hired Sherry Dickinson as his lobbyist in 2003, she and Fred Dickinson were not yet married. They married three months later.
"I can't really fire someone just because she's married to the director of the department," Underwood said.
Sherry Dickinson's lobbyist expenditure report shows she was paid between $10,000 and $19,999 to lobby for the National Safety Commission in the first quarter of this year. She withdrew as the firm's lobbyist May 16.
Underwood's competitors say his exclusive advertising deal in a state-issued handbook gives him an unfair competitive advantage.
Underwood says his critics could have bid on the contract, too, but didn't. Jowell, of Clearwater, said she didn't because she could not afford the $1-million performance bond requirement.
"I don't deny that he's a great businessman," Jowell said of Underwood. "But basically the state is aiding him in controlling the market."
"Hogwash," said Underwood, who claims to use 24 different marketing devices to promote his driving school. "These people complain, but they didn't even show up for the dance."
Times staff writer Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or 850 224-7263.
© Copyright, St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

Labels: Florida, Traffic School

Local & State News - Tampa Bay's 10 - tampabays10.com: "TPD hands out citations to pedestrians
Tampa, Florida - Tampa Police Officers handed out warnings to walkers and citations to drivers this morning between 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM in downtown Tampa at the corner of Kennedy Boulevard and Ashley Street.
So far this year, the victims were at fault in three out of the last four pedestrian fatalities. Officers are trying to stop that trend with this new campaign. They will give out warnings to people violating pedestrian laws and write citations to drivers.
Here are the finished stats for Operation Pedestrian Safety initiative:
45 traffic citations, 7 of these citations were for drivers violating pedestrian's right-of-way in cross walk.
23 warnings issued to pedestrians not properly using the cross walks
1 arrest for No Valid Driver's License.
A recent study notes that more than 70 percent of pedestrian accidents occur mid-block where walkers are not supposed to cross. This campaign will begin in Downtown Tampa, but will cover several areas of the city over the summer months.
The campaign kicks off one day before 20,000 additional pedestrians will be in town for the Shriner's Convention."

Labels: Florida, Traffic School

FHP cracks down on speeders
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Speeders will have to pay a hefty fine.Traveling along I-4 in Polk County has become a lot easier now that construction barriers are gone and the median and lanes are wider. However, that's causing more drivers to speed. An average speed check conducted Wednesday shows drivers were traveling an average of 70 miles per hour, which is the speed limit.

Labels: Florida, Traffic School

First Coast News - Local News - New, Higher Fines For Speeding On The Way For Certain First Coast Roads: "New, Higher Fines For Speeding On The Way For Certain First Coast Roads, Start Video
By Grayson Kamm, First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- After several deadly crashes on the First Coast, state troopers are cracking down on speeders. For you, that will soon mean higher fines, and not getting away with only going three or four miles over the speed limit." ...

Labels: Florida, Traffic School

Charlotte Observer 05/27/2006 Traffic cameras quit clicking after court ruling
Traffic cameras quit clicking after court ruling
by GREG LACOUR glacour@charlotteobserver.com

Labels: North Carolina, Traffic School

ContraCostaTimes.com 05/25/2006 Millions taking to roads for holiday: "Northern Californians are keeping high gas prices on their minds as they drive down the onramps this Memorial Day weekend.
Three-dollar-a-gallon gasoline is altering but not derailing, travel plans, according to the American Automobile Association.
'People are traveling closer to home and taking fewer road trips,' said Cynthia Harris, Northern California AAA spokeswoman.
About 5 million Californians will journey at least 50 miles from home, according to an AAA news release. Four million will be in cars.
The number of travelers will barely increase compared to last year, Harris said.
The annual increase is usually two to three percent, but the auto group expects less than one percent positive change this year. Expensive hotel rates, rental car prices up almost 20 percent, and fewer and high priced domestic flights are persuading people to stick closer to home, Harris said."

Labels: California, Traffic School

WUSA9.com - Optical Illusions To Reduce Speeding
How do you get drivers to slow down on dangerous roads? Virginia transportation officials think you can trick them with an optical illusion and they're giving it a test on one hazardous boulevard in Fairfax County.

Labels: Traffic School, Virginia

Hernando Today - Online Edition: "alert the hundreds of motorists who use Mariner Boulevard what a great speed trap is on this street.
When this road was a two-lane road the speed limit was 40 mph. When it was opened, the traffic department just moved the speed limit signs and kept the old limit.
Therefore all of Mariner's speed limit is 45, even around Northcliffe and yet as soon as you get to St. Augustine (going north) or Elgin Boulevard (going south}, it is reduced to 40 mph.
The sheriff knows this, but of course this make great income for the county.
I wonder how many drivers have paid a fine thanks to the great traffic engineers in Hernando County. "

Labels: Florida, Traffic School

City to slow down speeders
By David Royer/staff droyer@newsleader.com
STAUNTON Virginia - The signs say the speed limit is 25, but recent studies show that more than 600 cars a day beat it down Donaghe Street at speeds considerably faster than that.
Traffic volume has doubled to 5,000 cars a day since the city declared Donaghe a "dangerous" street in 1983. After his wife's car was totaled by a speeding driver last year, Crawford did some research and took his case to the city.

http://www.newsleader.com

Labels: Speeding Tickets, Traffic School, Virginia