Lost license, need help!

[siksII]

I was driving through a 50 zone which i drive through at least 8 times a week, for the last 2 years, and which i know police always do radar speed checks through doing 106km/h.

SO yeah, i dont know what i was thinking, i wasnt even in my skyline, i was in my swift gti, which was just about to be handed over to the new owner.

I have had one previous offence, a red light (light was orange, but whos gonna argue with highway patrol...) which happened when i first got my license, about 2 years ago.

im 19, and still owe about 11grand on my car, which is going to take me approx 14 months to pay off from now.

I will lose my license for 7 months if i just pay the fine, which is $1559, rego is also due for the car in one month.

so should i:

1. sell the car?

2. keep the car sitting at home for months unregistered?

3. Pay the rego and get friends to drive me around in it in the meantime so the car doesnt slowly die from no use

4. have the case seen by a magistrate, and hope for some type of reduction in fine or license suspension, and then decide on rego etc.. I dont have the $$ to pay the fine in 21 days anyway, because of personal loan repayments, studies etc...

Does anyone think i could possibly get let off a little?

Comments are appreciated, i dont know what to do, and my parents are going to kill me when they find out, but at least they cant blame it on the newer, faster car (skyline) as it happened in my gti....

[Guest INASNT]

take it to court mate, coz it will take atleast 6 months before u will get a summons to appear in court. Even then they give u 1 month to pay the fine if u decide to not have it heard in court, so it will give u some time to save up some $$. Better still fight the case and u might get away with 1 year probation period or a slightly bigger fine.

There are so many bs cases clogging up the court system by cops with nothing better to do that waste tax payers money on coury cases.

[siksII]

yeah well i thinkin that is the way to go, filling out the court thing on the back of the fine..

i dont want to put things off, or waste peoples time if there is no chance of getting off, but it is a lot money and a long suspension....

apparently u can write directly into the place ur meant to send the fine to and by the time they reply it will take an extra few months too...

[Pva_Glue]

if you go to court it will take at least 12 month you hear the matter infront of the judge...

I guess you are pretty much stuffed...

I got nothing to say other than you learn from experience...

[Guest INASNT]

Originally posted by Pva_Glue

if you go to court it will take at least 12 month you hear the matter infront of the judge...

I guess you are pretty much stuffed...

I got nothing to say other than you learn from experience...

u r never stuffed, if the mayor of sydney can get away with no fine or cinviction from doing 160 in a 80 zone in his bentley then there is away around anything!

[Parag0n]

Damn.

You should just pay the fine... life goes on

[hippy]

inasnt .. did that really happen??

[siksII]

yea but its not just the fine, its the license suspension that is killing me...if it was the fine i wouldnt be half as worried....

[SKYL9]

your lucky your not in melb i got done doing 130 in a 80.. 50 over here is 12months plus 8points which is my licence anyway... but either way.. bad luck dude cos walking sux hard

[Guest INASNT]

Originally posted by hippy

inasnt .. did that really happen??

yes it did about 1 year ago, and his lawyer excuse was that the car was designed to be driven at those speeds!

[Pva_Glue]

What a crock of shit...

come on insant, give him (sikII) advice that he can use...

yeah skylines are also designed to be driven at those speeds!!! - what a crock of shit, I dotn believe that line actually got him off the fine... if you find manuscrip of that court hearing then I'll believe what you are saying...

sikII - its your money and time after all, just think yourself is it worth it!!!

me 2c

[floody]

INASNT, I think maybe you are confused with the case of one John Singleton, a businessman (very rich businessman), who got done for speeding by a large margin on the Hume highway, in HIS Bentley. However, this was like 10 years ago, and it is extremely unlikely such a case would hold up today. I'd say impossible. It was also for a speeding infringement on a 4 lane, 110 zoned, straight and near empty highway. It cost a HUUUUUGE amount in lawyers fees as well, this fella just did it to prove a point.

I doubt siks11 has the cash to carry that sort of thing out.

siksII, mate I think you have a snowball's chance in hell of getting off, and frankly, thats fair enough, 106 in a 50 zone is 56kmh over the limit, in what, a residential area?

You should cop it sweet and learn your lesson. How could you be so inattentive or just plain arrogant to drive around suburbia at 56 over the limit?

You are stuffed I'm afraid. The thing about taking a speeding fine to court is, well, basically you need to prove that A) you weren't speeding; or B) the reading was wrong, and it doesn't seem like either would be true in this case, so you'd be wasting the time of the court as well as the money in your wallet.

cheers,

floody

[Pva_Glue]

Thank you finally someone with Brain... and common sense...

as floody said (I love the saying)

COPE IT SWEET!!!!!

cheers

Joe

[CanberraR33]

Originally posted by siksII

I have had one previous offence, a red light (light was orange, but whos gonna argue with highway patrol...) which happened when i first got my license, about 2 years ago.  

FYI running a orange light is the same as running a red. The law says that you must stop on a orange light if safe to do so. I am guessing the traffic boys decided that it was! Basicly flooring it to get through the orange before it goes red is not on. If you can stop, stop. Simple as that.

In regards to this new infringement, I would take it to court. You may be able to argue that not having your license would be detremental to both your studies and work. I would also put to the court that you are a student and can't afford to pay the fine. Basicly the court just wants to be sure you have learnt your lesson.

You need to make it very clear to the court that you have learnt your lesson and that you realise just how dangerous speeding is in a residential area.

A friend of mine used this argument to get out of his 3rd DUI charge, for which he was facing imprisonment. He got a weeks community service, no fine and a 2 year suspension.

[siksII]

its not a lesson to be learned, as i never speed on that street, it was just a slip up. Although, i would like to show the courts that i have learned my lesson to get off...

And just to clear things up, it is a residential zone, im not sure if i should tell everyone what exact street it was, but it is a new two laned road, divided in the middle, with a sports stadium on one side, and apartments (not houses with front yards and kids running around) on the other side for part of the way.

The zone had a higher speed limit previous to the road being resurfaced.

The speed limit is fair enough, or even too high when it comes to sports events being on, as drunk people stumble all over the road, BUT i have been through the street many times over 2 years when events have taken place, and not once have i ever seen speed checks being taken out, however, the police always sit there on weeknights, when no people, and not much traffic is around, and always have a healthy line of drivers lined up on the side of the road, caught for speeding.

It is obviously just one of those places that the police use to make their money. Im aware of this, which is why i have never been caught along it over the past few years. It is on the way to my gf's house, so i drive along the street minumum 8 times a week, as i stated before. I just slipped up this time, i dont know what i was thinking.

People here have different views, but to me it seems like the best bet is to represent myself at court and hope for the best...

I cant say not driving will be detrimental to studies or work, as they are both 10 min walks from my house, but, i do always drive me mum around, she has complications with her back.... do you think this would help..?

[Guest wilco]

I think that for that offence, you may well need a lawyer else you will not get off.

When I had my day in court I represented myself and brought no one else along, and it took me about 1 minute to get my suspension reversed. They gave me back 2 points on my license, and if I had any offence in the next 12 months it was loss of license for 12 months.

You'd be surprised how much of a miss daisy you can drive like when you know you have to.

I don't like your chances of getting out of that doozie though, you really should think about what you were doing.

I was only busted for 30 over in a 70 zone, but when i stopped I was in a 90 zone. The cop was sitting right next to the zone change sign, in a non-residential area in hills with 2 lanes each way and bugger all traffic. Although that was enough to have me in the trouble, I only had a few points left to lose, so was really in court just because of the lost points.

Remember any delay from the case, just delays your penalty time, suspensions, fines, probation etc etc.

I would be worried about my insurance costs in the future more than anything. But then I don't do double the limit in residential areas

Good luck fella.

[floody]

Originally posted by siksII

its not a lesson to be learned, as i never speed on that street, it was just a slip up. Although, i would like to show the courts that i have learned my lesson to get off...

And just to clear things up, it is a residential zone,  

"as i never speed on that street" Oh, you just speed where there aren't cameras then?

Complacency is no excuse- You slipped up, so yes it is a lesson you need to learn, Don't slip up! That is a GROSS violation of the speed limit, its double the limit + some. 56 kmh isn't just a little slip up, or lack of concentration. Once is enough - e.g the fact you don't do it every night doesn't make the act any better or you any less at fault.

"i would like to show the courts that i have learned my lesson to GET OFF"....

I hope you lose the court case, and are ordered to pay court fees, if that is your attitude. You did the wrong thing, now you want to get off scot free? Take some responsibility.

I can't believe you want to take this to court and waste sooo much taxpayers money, and the time of an already stretched court system....

[esprit]

Just to quickly hi-jack this thread, last week I was caught drink driving on a Wednesday night on the way to picking some mates up from the local pub (Incredibly stupid I know, please dont remind me ) I blew 0.12 on the official breathalyzer at the police station.

Does anyone else have any experience with drink driving charges? I am 18 and this is my first ever offense, Ie. I have never even received a speeding fine. Actually, come to think of it I received a $60 fine for parking in a loading zone for 10 mins near the city about 8 months ago, but that's nothing major

I would like to know if anyone has had a similar experience and if so what their outcome was.

Also to sikSII I would reckon your best option would be to plead guilty in court, make a case for yourself to try and reduce your suspension/fine, and pray for a nice judge on the day. With that speed in that zone there isn't much you can do

Cheers guys

[CerealKiller]

siksII - go to court, you should be able to get a good behaviour bond thingy where basically you're on 1 point for a year - lose that point and you're done, keep that point with no infringements and you get all your points back (I think). Or you might be able to convince the judge that you need the car for work (or to get to work) and so you've got a restricted license - you can only drive during the day...try those options...

[esprit]

CerealKiller could what you just said apply to Drink driving instead of speeding?