Anyone disputed a traffic ticket in Bellingham, WA?
 

Hey RS'ers!!

I was wondering if any of you have experience of disputing a traffic ticket in Bellingham, WA. Dispute date is in 2 days and I need to dispute it! I am unsure how the US court system work and is it really true there is very slight chance of winning?

Basically I was driving my friend's stock ek sedan on I-5. I was tired so I wasn't going too fast, maybe at most 5-10km over the speed limit. There was a bunch of cars ahead of me going faster and were speeding away from me. I saw a police car parked on the side so I just tapped my brakes and cruise to slow down. US Police let the bunch of cars travelling at high speed go and pulls me over instead. Police Officer said I was going 23mph over the speed limit (which is around 135km/h I believe) and I slowed down to 80km/h and it was dangerous to the traffic. I can honestly say I was not going that fast, there was no way I would drive 135km/h in my friend's car, and I was tired, and I don't even feel safe driving that fast in a car anymore. I doubt that stock civic brakes can slow the car down from 135km/h to 80km/h in a 2 second duration?? What I found most offensive was after he pulled me over and said those, he asked if I had Marijuana on me. He probably assumed that because I am from BC? And he said that he doesn't know how the rules are up there, but down here, we don't brake and slow down on the highway and we don't slow down suddenly to pull over on the highway. Honestly, it was my 2nd time driving in the States, and it was just natural of me to tap the brakes when I see a police car.

Anyone has experience dealing with issues such as this?

Thanks!

Benz

Yup.

Going 72 in a 70 zone. Officer also failed to show radar gun. $250 for passing a motor home going barely 60.

Disputed the ticket, only took $50 off, total bullshit.

If the officer did not show the radar gun to you, make sure you stress that in the letter to the judge, that will be of help.

Good luck.

EDIT: This was in Skagit. Skagit County tends to be a bit more anal when it comes to speeding.

You were speeding, so out of guilt you hit the brakes? It was fishing season, and you were the fish that jumped right in the boat. What's your argument going to be?

I would recommend checking out my thread, some good info on the first and last page
http://www.revscene.net/forums/66742...-speeding.html
If your dispute date is in 2 days dispute and they will give you a court date or they will tell you that a court order will come in the mail in approx (months? a year? dont know how clogged the US system is). After you get your court date follow what I did in the thread i linked to. Asking for disclosure is critical! Good luck, sounds like cop was a dick.

Dispute the ticket. You can hire a traffic attorney in WA to have the ticket quashed You should be able to Google one. Otherwise, just submit a notice of dispute per the instructions on the ticket, and drive down to WA when your court date occurs.

how much is the ticket? based on all the inputs form other members, I am sure there are many things you can fight it; however, none doesn't involve driving all the way back to the States ...

cop is a dick, the whole situation sucks, but do pick your battle wisely

Thanks for the information. But they didn't ask for a letter yet. All I did was send in the dispute. I am not sure what will happen after as this is my first time disputing in the States and none of my friends have tried.

It's not a matter of whether I was speeding or not that i am disputing this. I am simply disputing because of the of the amount of speed over the limit I was going. The officer claimed that I was speeding 23mph over the limit. That was the offence. However, I am 100% positive that I was no where near that speed. Thus, I am simply disputing this offence. In addition, it was unfair how he let others go when they are speeding away, while I slowed down. As for the "out of guilt", i am sure most of the people out there or on this forum will lightly tap the brakes and let off throttle when they see a police officer parked on the side. It's unfair how he pulled me over because I slowed down for him, and because I am driving a BC plate car?

Alright! Thanks for the heads up! I will go look at your link when everything come in. They didn't even send me a letter yet.

I already submitted a dispute for the ticket. So I should just wait for the court order and everything before considering hiring a lawyer right? I am not sure who's good though. Don't want to just hire a random lawyer.


I am prepared to drive back to Washington to fight the case. The ticket is around $200. Alot of my friends told me just to pay it, but it's not about the money. I feel it's unfair for the way the police has treated me and how he let others go. The speed recorded was probably from another car. I am unsure of this, but I can recall that the pack of cars that were ahead of me, most of them was Washington plate cars.