reduction of fines???

What is the name of your state? Michigan

While on vacation (about 5hours north) my wife got a speeding ticket for 71 in a 55. We are told the ticket will be $130 plus 4 points on her liscense. That will have the effect of raising our insurance about $150 a year also. My wife was speeding, albeit unintentionally. Is there a way to lesson what seems to us to be an unproportionally high penalty for someone with an otherwise excellent driving record like my wife.

Thank you for your response!

db5owat said:

What is the name of your state? Michigan

While on vacation (about 5hours north) my wife got a speeding ticket for 71 in a 55. We are told the ticket will be $130 plus 4 points on her liscense. That will have the effect of raising our insurance about $150 a year also. My wife was speeding, albeit unintentionally. Is there a way to lesson what seems to us to be an unproportionally high penalty for someone with an otherwise excellent driving record like my wife.

Thank you for your response!

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Call the prosecutor's office in the county where you got the ticket. Ask if they will amend the ticket to a nonmoving violation in exchange for a plea.

If so, you may have to pay a big fine or go to traffic school or do something like that, but you will save in the long run.

If they say no, put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

of course Senior is right. How does someone speed unintentionally??would you also then adhere to the speed limit unintentionally?? just wondering.

well over 10 miles over the speed limit... and you think $130 fine is high

If convicted take traffic school for reducing the points.

Take the insurance safety course too, for the insurance.

Look into other insurance carriers.

I do feel $130 plus 4 points and the resultant extra $450 in insurance fees is excessive. Especially considering an otherwise excellent driving record.

Unintentional means one did not intend to speed. Intent is a legal term is it not? When one breaks the law with intent, it is different than when a mistake is made. Not really that hard to grasp!

130 dollars is low comapred to most states.

the insurance cost thing is between you and your carrier. The state is not involved.

Unless you want to tell me your wives car developed a stuck gas pedal, then she was intentionally speeding.

db5owat said:

I do feel $130 plus 4 points and the resultant extra $450 in insurance fees is excessive. Especially considering an otherwise excellent driving record.

Unintentional means one did not intend to speed. Intent is a legal term is it not? When one breaks the law with intent, it is different than when a mistake is made. Not really that hard to grasp!

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No, the term is not at all hard to grasp, it's the ability to ignore the speed limit being unintentional that is evading me. I hope she doesn't unintentionally run someone down when she is unintentionally speeding, but then again, she wouldn't really have meant it, right?

fairisfair said:

No, the term is not at all hard to grasp, it's the ability to ignore the speed limit being unintentional that is evading me. I hope she doesn't unintentionally run someone down when she is unintentionally speeding, but then again, she wouldn't really have meant it, right?

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Speeding requires no intention.

It is what is called a public welfare offense.

Kind of like paying taxes.

Either you were speeding or not speeding. We don't care what your intentions are. Either you paid your taxes or you did not pay your taxes. We don't care what your intentions are.

One must have a "state of mind" (intention) to commit such crimes as burglary, murder, etc.

seniorjudge said:

Speeding requires no intention.

It is what is called a public welfare offense.

Kind of like paying taxes.

Either you were speeding or not speeding. We don't care what your intentions are. Either you paid your taxes or you did not pay your taxes. We don't care what your intentions are.

One must have a "state of mind" (intention) to commit such crimes as burglary, murder, etc.

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Thank you for the clarification regarding "legal intent". Neither my wife or I have ever had a speeding ticket. My wife clearly was over the speed limit. My point was simply that she thought the limit was 70. We were camping and it was the first day there so we had seen no postings on this short stretch of highway. If she knew it was 55 and went 70 that would be intentional speeding (in the non-legal sense I guess). Apparantly none of that matters.

seniorjudge and xylene thank you for your thoughtful responses. Fairisfair, you might want to temper the sarcasm a bit. It will make your posts more meaningful.