What is the name of your state? Michigan
Apologies for the length of this post and number of question marks. Obviously, I'm new. Any help is greatly appreciated.
At 9:00 on Sunday night I was pulled over and ticketed by a Michigan State Police officer for doing 94 in a 55. This was on a very rural 2 lane stretch of US 41 about 18 miles south of the MSP L'Anse outpost. Not proud of this at all...my roommate and I were heading back to school and since my flight came in late, we wanted to get back at a reasonable hour. Was cruising at 80-85 (traffic flow is usually 70), passed a few cars, went down a big hill, came close to 100, and just as I realized my speed Smokey appears out of nowhere 1/4 mile back in the rearview mirror. I am an 18 year old male and this is my first infraction of any kind, ever.
I must not have handled it well. The initial exchange went something like this:
Officer: Any idea why I pulled you over?
Me: ...Was I speeding?
Officer: You don't have any idea how fast you were going??
Me: Well, I do know I was well above the speed limit.
Officer: Ninety-four.
Me: Wow.
Officer: Why on earth were you going that fast?
Me: <excuse about getting back early enough>
Officer: (stops me) Okay.
While he ran my license and proof of insurance, my roommate and I talked to each other. We chuckled about how I had bragged of my perfect driving record just an hour ago.
Just then the officer came on his loudspeaker and said, "Do you think this is funny!?" I was completely shocked and finally managed a "No." We then sat in dead silence and did not so much as move until it was over. He came back to my car, handed me the ticket, explained the whole procedure, and left with a stern "Slow down."
At the next stop I examined the ticket. He wrote me up for the full 94 mph, with offense code 8051 (Exceeded Posted or Unposted Maximum Speed). Detection Device was "MR94", and under Remarks he wrote "MR-93-94-94", skipped a few lines, and wrote "Thought funny." I noticed he left blank Race, Height, Weight, Hair, and Eyes...does this matter? (Doubt it.)
What does this "MR" mean, and more importantly, what should I do? I have no idea what to plead or whether to challenge the ticket. Only denying responsibility will get me a hearing. It seems as though my ridiculous speed, demographic (college aged male), and officer's notes seal my fate. However, I am a first time offender his comment was not true. I pulled over immediately and was on my absolute best behavior when talking to him. While waiting for him, I simply chatted; I stopped immediately upon his "warning." But is this a case in which his word will beat out mine almost automatically? His actions seemed a bit harsh and unprofessional.
My concerns are threefold: the fine, points on my license, and insurance. If nothing else, I would pay a much smaller fine if the infraction was reduced to 20 over. How much likelier would this be if I simply showed up at court? There is an issue of time/distance as well--the courthouse is a 40 minute drive from school. I will be at home 500 miles away (still Michigan) for the entire week of Thanksgiving, too. Honestly, I might be okay with the whole incident were it not for "Thought funny."
Apologies for the length of this post and number of question marks. Obviously, I'm new. Any help is greatly appreciated.
At 9:00 on Sunday night I was pulled over and ticketed by a Michigan State Police officer for doing 94 in a 55. This was on a very rural 2 lane stretch of US 41 about 18 miles south of the MSP L'Anse outpost. Not proud of this at all...my roommate and I were heading back to school and since my flight came in late, we wanted to get back at a reasonable hour. Was cruising at 80-85 (traffic flow is usually 70), passed a few cars, went down a big hill, came close to 100, and just as I realized my speed Smokey appears out of nowhere 1/4 mile back in the rearview mirror. I am an 18 year old male and this is my first infraction of any kind, ever.
I must not have handled it well. The initial exchange went something like this:
Officer: Any idea why I pulled you over?
Me: ...Was I speeding?
Officer: You don't have any idea how fast you were going??
Me: Well, I do know I was well above the speed limit.
Officer: Ninety-four.
Me: Wow.
Officer: Why on earth were you going that fast?
Me: <excuse about getting back early enough>
Officer: (stops me) Okay.
While he ran my license and proof of insurance, my roommate and I talked to each other. We chuckled about how I had bragged of my perfect driving record just an hour ago.
Just then the officer came on his loudspeaker and said, "Do you think this is funny!?" I was completely shocked and finally managed a "No." We then sat in dead silence and did not so much as move until it was over. He came back to my car, handed me the ticket, explained the whole procedure, and left with a stern "Slow down."At the next stop I examined the ticket. He wrote me up for the full 94 mph, with offense code 8051 (Exceeded Posted or Unposted Maximum Speed). Detection Device was "MR94", and under Remarks he wrote "MR-93-94-94", skipped a few lines, and wrote "Thought funny." I noticed he left blank Race, Height, Weight, Hair, and Eyes...does this matter? (Doubt it.)
What does this "MR" mean, and more importantly, what should I do? I have no idea what to plead or whether to challenge the ticket. Only denying responsibility will get me a hearing. It seems as though my ridiculous speed, demographic (college aged male), and officer's notes seal my fate. However, I am a first time offender his comment was not true. I pulled over immediately and was on my absolute best behavior when talking to him. While waiting for him, I simply chatted; I stopped immediately upon his "warning." But is this a case in which his word will beat out mine almost automatically? His actions seemed a bit harsh and unprofessional.
My concerns are threefold: the fine, points on my license, and insurance. If nothing else, I would pay a much smaller fine if the infraction was reduced to 20 over. How much likelier would this be if I simply showed up at court? There is an issue of time/distance as well--the courthouse is a 40 minute drive from school. I will be at home 500 miles away (still Michigan) for the entire week of Thanksgiving, too. Honestly, I might be okay with the whole incident were it not for "Thought funny."
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