Georgia Under 21 Speeding over 24 mph

[verra]

undefinedWhat is the name of your state? GA

18 yr. old daughter got 1st speeding ticket going 86 in a 55 in city of Atlanta. No priors, no accidents, etc. Court date July 28, leaving for college August 6. What can we do to get ticket reduced so that she doesn't lose her license? She needs her car for college, and has no priors. Thought the speed limit was 65 and was three lanes over from cop -- used radar. Please help. Attorney was going to charge us $1700 to help -- too much!! Will talk with Solicitor next week. Can we ask for first offense leniency? Have ticket reduced to under 24 over? She has already completed driving school.

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

Originally Posted by verra

undefinedWhat is the name of your state? GA

18 yr. old daughter got 1st speeding ticket going 86 in a 55 in city of Atlanta. No priors, no accidents, etc. Court date July 28, leaving for college August 6. What can we do to get ticket reduced so that she doesn't lose her license? She needs her car for college, and has no priors. Thought the speed limit was 65 and was three lanes over from cop -- used radar. Please help. Attorney was going to charge us $1700 to help -- too much!! Will talk with Solicitor next week. Can we ask for first offense leniency? Have ticket reduced to under 24 over? She has already completed driving school.

My response:

Gee, I guess her "need" for the car for college isn't THAT important to you. It's a good thing, anyway. She "needs" a lesson that will teach her not to abuse the privilege.

You can ask for anything you like, but the bottom line is that she's going to lose her license. Perhaps I won't have to scrape her body off of the pavement with a snow shovel.

That's it.

IAAL

[verra]

I appreciate your positive feedback, but I'm looking for advice to help her right now.

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

Originally Posted by verra

I appreciate your positive feedback, but I'm looking for advice to help her right now.

My response:

I'm sure you are looking for positive advice. But, that's not the point, now is it?

My point is that you need to let her learn a lesson by this, because if you continue to enable her, she's just going to get behind the wheel again, not having learned a thing, and become another in a long list of this country's statistics.

Please, when she gets behind the wheel again, say good-bye to her for me.

IAAL

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

Robbie0723

Give us a break IAAL, average speed in a 55 around Atlanta is in the low 80's.

Verra, search and scan the Georgia messages here. Sounds like it can be tough to get a reduction so a lawyer has the best chance of minimizing the damage. Shop around and compare rates. Look at the long term costs including insurance doubling for three or more years.

In spite of the snotty post, IAAL has a point -- there needs to be concequences. Trade her car in for a 4 cyl 1987 Dodge minVan

[verra]

Robbie, Thanks for your info. As I totally understand about her learning consequences, personalities are different. IT takes some kids to be hit over the head to "wake up", but not my daughter. As she is a perfectionist by nature, it only takes one mistake to teach her a lesson. Should she get off this time, and then get caught again, I would let the chips fall where they may. But. . . she drove a lot since she was 16 and ALWAYS made midnight curfew (as it is the law in GA), AND she was never stopped for even running a stop sign, so sometimes we can't treat kids the same, as they learn from their mistakes differently. It is questionable whether she got clocked or the Jeep that past right by her on the left as she noticed the cop. He had to drive down the HOV lane under the Interstate BEFORE catching up with her again up the road at 8:30 in the evening. I'm not trying to make excuses, but I don't think she deserves to lose her license. IAAL sounds tough, and sometimes that's needed, but I know my daughter, and in this case, the lesson has already been learned. Just wish I could find a lawyer that was somewhat affordable or just charge me for some good advice!!

[Fitsue73]

My son also was clocked OVER 24 miles in a 45 zone within a city of Georgia (city police ticketed). We used a Legal Plan lawyer. Met with him for about 1 hour and at court. Lawyer spoke with solicitor and ticket was reduced to under 24 MPH over the limit. Son paid a reduced fine and had taken a 6 hour driving course prior to court. Ticket was a 3 pointer and was on his record for 3 years. Could have been worse. Can't believe that a lawyer wants $1700!! I think mine charged $200 back to the plan, but not sure. My son is also a careful driver (and a good child) and learned his lesson. I understand why he was going that fast - to pass a jerk that kept speeding up and slowing down and cutting in and out in front of him, but my child was fortunate that the ticket was the only thing he got. It could have been worse consequences. Since it was summer, I did not let him drive until his court appearance. Boy did THAT hurt him (and me too, because I had to drive him to and from work) - but I did that to teach him a lesson. Good Luck!!!

[Dougthegreat]

Originally Posted by verra

Thought the speed limit was 65...

And that still would've been 20 MPH over the limit, which is STILL ridiculous!

Listen, lady, it sounds to me like your daughter deserves to have her license revoked. There's nothing like some real pondering on the city bus that'll make a person really appreciate the privilege of operating a motor vehicle. In fact, just thank your lucky stars that it wasn't in Virginia, because people have served minor jail time for going that fast.

And furthermore, any parent who tries to excuse their kid out of the consequences for driving 31 MPH over the speed limit ought to have to take driving school too.

[verra]

Well, Doug, you are apparently not a parent of a teenager, or you would know how much it takes to teach them a lesson. When you have a responsible kid driving through the city of Atlanta, it's easy to lose track of speed b/c everyone is driving that fast. Also, were she the type to break the law, or be uncaring of her mistakes, then I would say let her suffer as much as she can, but my daughter has learned her lesson and this has weighed heavily on her. FYI, we just came from court this morning and since she had already taken driving school and had a clean record while driving at 16 & 17 years old, the speed was reduced to 19 mph over and she pleaded nolo so that it would not have points or affect insurance. When you raise responsible children, they are allowed to make mistakes as long as they learn from them and for some, it takes a major jerking, but for others who do care, must making the mistake is often enough to never want to do it again.

[lwpat]

affect insurance

Pleading Nolo does not prevent the ticket from going on her record for insurance points. It just keeps drivers license points from being assessed and she cannot use it again for five years. You probably would have been better off to have saved the Nolo but maybe she will slow down.

[verra]

Well, lwpat, I sent you a private message a week ago to ask your opinion on this as your responses sounded as if you knew what you were talking about. According to my end, you received the e-mail, but you never responded. I was hoping that this site would be able to give me good information, but I've been disappointed. It's great after the fact to let me know what I should or should not have done -- but what good is this site if only to get a kick in the pants on what we did wrong. I've been rather surprised how everyone seemed to want to throw us in the ring instead of offering helpful advice. And --- we were instructed by the solicitor to do this after specifically asking what we could do so that it would not affect our insurance. Look up Georgia Statute 40-5-57 subsc. C(1)C b/c that's what I think we got.

[Dougthegreat]

Originally Posted by verra

what good is this site if only to get a kick in the pants on what we did wrong. .

The standard response when other posters whine in this fashion is this: You did get advice, it just didn't favor you.

The best advice given was that which favored greater punishment. Since your daughter seems to be oblivious to speed limit signs, it seems the best way to keep her from "accidentally" going 30+ over would be to lose her license or other form of punishment. I really don't see, even with the "herd mentality" of following a pack of cars, how you could not notice going 80 MPH - sorry, it just doesn't fly.

In your case, you pleaded what you were advised, and got off without jail time, an impound, or a lost license. Sounds like you made off pretty well, so don't come here complaining to lwpat that you got the information after the fact.

[verra]

Doug, -- like I said -- I didn't get any advice other than "robbie" that actually tried to help me. You're not on here to help anyone -- you're on here to make yourself feel better at the end of the day. Don't think anyone actually posts on here to have someone blast them for something they did. Just doesn't make sense, now, does it???????????